Master List of Music School Acceptances, Fall 2013

College Majors Music Major
781

<p>Need based it is. </p>

<p>Harvard has the biggest endowment in the country
[10</a> Colleges With Largest Financial Endowments - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2012/11/27/10-colleges-with-largest-financial-endowments]10”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2012/11/27/10-colleges-with-largest-financial-endowments)</p>

<p>And has dedicated more of it toward financial aid in order to reduce loans (not really eliminate in my book despite the rhetoric) and help middle class families.
[Harvard</a> announces sweeping middle-income initiative | Harvard Gazette](<a href=“http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/12/harvard-announces-sweeping-middle-income-initiative/]Harvard”>Harvard announces sweeping middle-income initiative – Harvard Gazette)</p>

<p>The other Ivy Leagues have also. I gather there is a spirited discussion on CC about the financial policies and awards and negotiations at various schools, including the Ivy Leagues. </p>

<p>NEC is a smaller school with a smaller endowment, nearly bankrupt in the 70s, I believe. A financial aid person at NEC told me, and I quote, “A student has to walk on water to get a 50% tuition scholarship.” I have no data. Can’t say that is an official policy. To be fair, an admissions person frowned and disagreed when I mentioned that. But I could believe it. Did not expect much from NEC.</p>

<p>I have personally heard stories from other music students about successfully negotiating their financial aid, stories that would make Barry Zito’s agent blush. I have also heard stories from faculty that felt from nonplused, to aggravated, when a student tried to do that. But we basically took each school’s first offer as their best offer. The NEC decision left me on pins and needles because I knew my D like the school. The Harvard decision gave me some hope. After the Harvard-NEC decision and Harvard’s offer came through, the choice seemed obvious. We did not play it shrewd. Rather very straightforward.</p>

<p>The bottom line, Harvard has very generous financial aid guidelines that view middle class families in need of financial aid. The federal guidelines do not. In our case the Harvard financial aid award based on need was a bigger dollar amount and a better deal than full tuition merit scholarships from other schools. Did not expect it. </p>

<p>4 years in Harvard dorms. 4 years under Harvard’s financial aid. NEC studio during the 4 years costs $7000/yr but NEC automatically gives all Harvard-NEC students a $3000 scholarship (This is the policy but it is all funny money to me, kind of like with car salesmen, what is the real price? $7000 or $4000). So an additional $4000/year out-of-pocket. Harvard makes the Harvard-NEC program do-able for us. Not sure if NEC alone would have been if she had not been 1.accepted to Harvard (one hurdle) and 2.also accepted to the Harvard-NEC program (a separate hurdle). Simply amazing how it all worked out.</p>

<p>We are blessed. We are grateful.</p>

<p>Music was the hook that got her in. The process is like any job interview. Some real person after reading your application has to go to a boss or a committee and say “I really like this person because…” Given you meet some minimum requirements, the message they are going to convey can’t be too complicated. Very fortunate that someone at Harvard decided from among all the uber-qualified candidates that they needed a jazz singer this year. </p>

<p>By the way, she graduated early after her junior year (only needed to double up on English and History to do that). She took a gap year and got out of the grind that is high school these days…with all the crazy AP classes and marching band and musical theater programs, et al., that seem to demand 24/7 commitments…a gap year is a very good idea for a serious music student. </p>

<p>(I really think this whole AP thing is going to implode. The kids are sleep deprived, studying to pass a test, and it isn’t clear that the courses are inspiring any love of learning at all. Only creating another hurdle for kids to jump…How many AP classes in your school? How many did you take?.. and make money for the College Board. But that is I suppose a rant for another thread.) </p>

<p>During her gap year she volunteered with an arts organization, taught music, gigged, composed (released a digital EP she is really excited about), retook the SATs (big improvement), and could concentrate on multiple school visits and or extended audition trips that enabled her to really get to know the place, and for the faculty to get to know her (relationships matter).</p>

<p>Tell your music students to practice and perform their music (passion is important); live an unsheltered, interesting life (so that their essays are page turners); be able to hold up their end of the conversation with an adult over lunch or dinner (and not grunt or be monosyllabic, bored or boring); and don’t forget to study.</p>

782

<p>Excellent post, jazzvocals. I agree with your assessment of AP classes. Thanks for being so forthcoming about the details of your daughter’s financial aid. I think there was confusion because generally people report so-called talent or merit awards here, because financial aid award are dependent on other variables. But your discussion of the differences between financial aid for middle class families at a school with different sized endowments is illuminating. It also serves to show how schools such as those who offered nothing to your daughter lose top students. I also appreciate your discussion, on another thread, of the positives and negatives of amassing CC credits while in high school, a topic that is often discussed in the homeschooling community. Students with many CC credits can be denied freshman status (even if they are quite young-- 18 or even younger) and thus be ineligible for merit award designed to attract freshmen.</p>

783

<p>I know it was a side note, but I also agree about APs. Interestingly, and I don’t know if it’s the start of a trend – I hope it is – but my daughter’s high school (she just graduated), after extensive research and discussions with colleges and universities, no longer offers AP classes. As the research had indicated, it hasn’t hurt college acceptances for the school (or my daughter) in the slightest. </p>

<p>In fact, last year, it was one of six private schools designated by the National Association of Independent Schools as “Schools of the Future.” NAIS noted that it “is leveraging interdisciplinary approaches, partnerships with universities, research, blended learning, and a school-wide commitment to depth over breadth to inspire student learning. Freed of restrictions such as schedule, facilities, and standards imposed by outside programs like APs, NAIS schools can create entirely new ways of doing school.”</p>

784

<p>@StringPop
@glassharmonica</p>

<p>Maybe there is a groundswell…</p>

<p>Interesting post about NAIS. Do you have a link to that article? Took a quick look at their website. Searched a little.Some things required login to see. </p>

<p>Have not searched CC for more on this topic though. I think a group or thread should be made to discuss this more broadly and the folks at College Board, college admissions, and high school administrators be brought over to this town hall meeting.</p>

<p>I raised this issue in an admissions group meeting at Princeton. While I was raising the issued, I noticed a lot of heads turning towards me and nodding agreement as well.</p>

<p>The rep basically said they understood the issue, did not want to be part of the problem, hoped that their review of applications tried to understand the whole person, but could not offer any solution. Skillful answer…expressed some empathy for whatever that is worth.</p>

785

<p>@jazzvocals et al. I am very interested in this conversation. I am going to start a new thread for this discussion. For lack of another name, I will call it Schools of the Future.</p>