<p>Of course cost is a factor,schleen,it’s the generalizations I object to. “Only for rich people”, or “not worth spending the money on…” Nothing is right for everyone, and that’s one of the delight’s of living in a free society.
Numbers can be deceiving, so while they might for some be a place to start, be aware that there is lag-time, sometimes a couple of years, between the time the requests are sent out, filled in, sent back, compiled , recorded and printed. If you have questions, take them right to the Admissions Office of the school- I found that a good time to address specific issues was on audition days. Perhaps I was lucky in that, but there was always someone around to talk to during the times the kids were testing or off in a group meeting.
Remember when you’re looking at those numbers in books or on web sites, that they may be less than accurate. There may be up to two years of “lag time” from the time the requests are sent to the schools and the time they are published. And, at least in music schools, many in top-tier choose not to participate.
I continue to have a real problem with the “from what I’ve heards” regarding individual schools. First, is that nebulous missing person again, the ones who are oft quoted but never seen- why would anyone take that as gospel? And there are many,many factors which come into play with each acceptance letter and then with each financial award, and, as I said earlier, they vary from department to department, within instruments or voice type,males vs.females, studios, teachers,etc. There are also larger factors such as the economy on a national, state and local basis, capital building campaigns, donor funding, etc. Even a sudden rise in the cost of energy can heavily impact the amount of “discretionary” funds available. Trumpet, you cited CIM and NEC as “being among the worst giving money” (sic)- I would really like to know the sources of your information. Do they work for the schools, are they financial analysts specializing in college planning or are they parents whose kids didn’t receive as much as they thought they should from those two institutions? My D does attend CIM and while I don’t feel it necessary to disclose the nature of the awards she received from the school, I can tell you that I could not ask for a better or nicer group of people to deal with. Our family situation does not make for an easy to understand, cut and dried, financial aid application, but the FA director went out of her way to explain things and smooth the way for us. She did everything she could to enable my D to attend CIM and I believe that we would be better served here to talk about the “people behind the offices” at the schools we discuss. Those things aren’t printed in books but they are what make a school a place where we feel comfortable leaving our kids when we drive off and where we know they will be treated as individuals, their talent nurtured and allowed to flourish.
A lot of us have been through this already, but I don’t want to have those about to embark upon the road become hung up on numbers, lists and questionable statistics. There is a danger in losing the human side of things and I feel that in the arts-related fields, numbers are only a small portion of the picture.</p>
<p>When my D auditioned at Eastman we were told that every student accepted there receives a merit scholarship at some level. She got one at about half tuition and that was roughly about the same level as those she was offered by NEC and BoCo.</p>
<p>It’s a stretch for all of us this year but she’s hoping to get an RA position which would pay full room and 90% board and, of course, will help greatly in the future.</p>
<p>Consider a great public university music program, like the one at the University of North Texas.
They have a generous scholarship policy with in-state tuition for most recipients.
UNT also has a website just about organ studies that gives plenty of details
- Goggle “UNT Organ Studies”</p>