<p>Hello! So I applied to MM-Piano programs this year, and I'm having a really tough decision now. Both UMich and NU offered me full tuition scholarship, and I like two potential teachers equally... </p>
<p>Northwestern is very attractive to me because it's in Chicago and strong in both music and academics. But the living expense is very high. </p>
<p>Michigan seems to have a stronger piano program, but Ann Arbor, while great, is to me not as attractive as Chicago. The good thing is that the living expense is relatively lower. But since I need to figure out the living expenses anyway, I am assuming there might be more teaching/accompanying opportunities or other gigs in Chicago area.</p>
<p>My perfect school would be like this : A comprehensive university with a strong music (piano) program, where I could grow immensely as a musician (good teacher, ample performance opportunities, etc) and, at the same time, enjoy the university atmosphere (meeting different people, joining various campus organizations/activities, etc, etc...). So BOTH UM and NU fit in my criteria... </p>
<p>I've already done all I can do - research on schools, have lessons with potential teachers, talk with current students, consult with my teacher, compare pros/cons of each school, and so on...but still can't decide... So would anyone be able to provide some thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!!! I'd be very appreciated!!!!</p>
<p>I think it all comes down to where you want to live, since everything else re. the school and the teacher are equal. It sounds like you are really leaning towards Chicago, but only you know if you can afford to live there. Will you have a car to get to gigs? Do you know people in either place?
For my part, I know of about half a dozen grad students who go to school in Chicago and they love the city because of all that it has to offer; a vibrant music scene and the amenities of a large city. Ann Arbor, not so much, but there you have the whole “college town” scene and that is very appealing to some.
Get out a yellow legal pad and divide it into two columns with pros for each school on one side of the sheet and cons on the reverse. Maybe laying it out and seeing it quantified will help you.
Good luck and let us know which you ultimately choose!</p>
<p>The University of Michigan is a brilliant, energetic, and fun environment. However, it is also true that Chicago is a great city. You have a dilemma indeed. I think all other things being somewhat equal, your best bet is to go back and talk to the students some more and find out if it is really worth it to be near Chicago, ie how many gigs are people actually getting there, and what are the grad students doing when they finish, and base your decision on that. Another important issue is how well connected is your teacher. Will your teacher be influential in your quest for jobs or opportunities once you finish?
Best of luck!</p>
<p>Only you can answer that question, in terms of music Umich and Northwestern from what I know are both excellent programs and have strong piano faculty from what I know, so you prob would do well either place musically. It really boils down to the environment, do you want the college town feel of Ann Arbor, or Chicago with everything it offers? Chicago will be a lot more expensive, but I tend to agree with your assessment, you probably would find more musical opportunities there, paid gigs, collaborating with fellow students, etc…If it was me, I agree with another poster, weigh the pros and cons of each environment on a spreadsheet and do it that way. If living in Chicago would put a huge financial strain on you versus Ann Arbor, then that should be factored in. Also, I suspect if you decide on U Mich you would need a car, and that will add to your expenses for parking, gas, insurance, maintenance, etc…</p>
<p>D went to UM for BM. I know nothing about Chicago or Northwestern. But can provide some info about Ann Arbor. I should admit that I am bias.</p>
<p>A friend of my D’s went to Curtis. Even though he lived two blocks from Kimmel Center (home to Philadelphia Orchestra), he did not go to any concert his first year. On the other hand, D went to UM for her undergrad, went to concerts more than once a week. University Musical Society (not related to UM) did a great job booking renown musicians and groups utilizing many of UM’s performance venues. Students can get $10 ticket on the day of the concert. With every popular performers like Yo-Yo Ma or Berlin Philharmonics, you can get half-price ticket way in advance. D plays piano and one wind instrument but she went to all kinds of concerts in addition to piano and orchestra such as ballet, opera, musical theater, string quartets.</p>
<p>Chicago does have its great orchestra and opera company. Many musicians will include Chicago in their tour schedule. How do you travel to Chicago? How much effort will it take you to go to see a performance in Chicago. How is the concert scene on Northwestern campus when Chicago is so close by?</p>
<p>First off, I wonder if asking the actual teachers what the job prospects are like would be helpful, and if they’d set aside their desire to have you in their studios to give you a frank comparison.</p>
<p>That might accomplish two things – good intel from people who should be amply familiar with the network of paying gigs – PLUS letting them know that covering living costs is an issue – which might net you a TA/fellowship offer or offer help breaking into the performance/corp circuit.</p>
<p>NU is not really a whole lot closer IMHO to Chicago than Ann Arbor is to suburban Detroit where there are myriad corporate and private functions that pay well. (I have friends in a duet who subsist entirely on such.) </p>
<p>Chicago is definitely more vibrant in many ways, but may also be even more competitive in terms of breaking in on the performance circuit. </p>
<p>And from a teaching standpoint, UMich has 26,000 undergrads, many whom would never be able to access a UMich SOM studio but many who like to continue lessons. NU by comparison has about 8,500 students, I believe (I could be wrong. It’s been several years since we toured/considered NU, and my son felt UMich was more of a fit).</p>
<p>My son attends UMich SOM and there always seems to be someone willing to pay him for various ad hoc work in the things he’s good at (video, post-prod, design etc.). I also agree with Pointegirl – UMich overall hosts more than 440 live performances each year.</p>
<p>Either way, you can’t go wrong, and hopefully someone with NU connections will chime in lest this seem “overly Blue” in bias However, that alumni network of UMich is actually something that can benefit an artist, come to think of it ;)</p>
<p>^^Pointgirl, it’s at least 40-50 min. to the loop area from NU taking public transit, and anywhere from 1/2 to SEVERAL HRs driving, depending on traffic and parking. That said, there are more frequent trains than the train/bus connection between Detroit and Ann Arbor; plus NU runs a shuttle I believe.</p>
<p>A lot of this also depends on how well connected your teacher is and how they share these connections with their students. Talk with some of their current students.
I do know that Martin Katz at U Mich is about as well connected as a collaborative pianist gets.</p>
<p>D was fortunate enough to have a few coachings from Mr. Katz. She said his knowledge was down right encyclopaedic. (or is that now termed Wikipaediarific?)</p>
<p>Having lived in the not too distant past in both Ann Arbor and the Chicago area, I will comment on proximity of Ann Arbor to Detroit and Northwestern to downtown Chicago. Evanston, where Northwestern is located, is very close to downtown Chicago, and the university runs a shuttle from the Evanston campus to Chicago. I don’t know how often the shuttle runs or how long it takes, but it should be fairly easy to find that out from the Northwestern website or with a phone call. Driving from Evanston to downtown Chicago takes about 20 minutes if the traffic is light (that is a big “if” however), but parking is a hassle and I would think the shuttle would be easier. Ann Arbor, on the other hand, is 45-50 miles from Detroit. While the drive is easy, there is no public transportation that I know of between Ann Arbor and Detroit and the drive to downtown Detroit takes about 50 minutes, at least in my experience. Chicago and Detroit are vastly different cities. But Ann Arbor is a lovely college town with a lot of cultural offerings for its size. Hope this information is useful.</p>
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<li><p>Considering the related expenses (insurance, gas, maintenance, etc) I will not buy a car…but the public transportation in Chicago should be convenient. </p></li>
<li><p>My current piano teacher lives in Ann Arbor, so that is a big plus…</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Without a part-time job (teaching,accompanying, church job, etc) I could afford NEITHER… That’s why I’m hoping there would be more opportunities in Chicago… But thank you so much for your reply and your suggestion! I’m making a list of pros and cons and quantifying those factors…Thank you!</p>
<p>Thanks for your suggestions! I do want to learn more about the connections the teachers have, but I don’t know if it’s appropriate to ask their students. But yes I am indeed trying to get hold of more students at both schools so I could get more information. Thank you!</p>
<p>McGill (3,750 scholarship)
U of British Columbia (full tuition)
Indiana (16,500)
Rice (full tuition)
U of Washington (non-resident fee waiver with additional 8,750 scholarship)</p>
<p>Thanks for your comments. As far as I know, the rent in Ann Arbor is not cheap neither. And you’re absolutely right about expenses on cars. Since I’m financially independent, I’m hoping there might be more opportunities available to help me cover living expenses…</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing your thoughts about UM! I actually live very close to Ann Arbor, have attened several UMS concerts and was very impressed. I really like Ann Arbor. But on the other hand, I feel like I should probably move to somewhere else. I’m an international student and will probably go back to my home country after school, and my current school is in a small college town. This’s one of the reasons why Chicago is more attractive to me…</p>
However, that alumni network of UMich is actually something that can benefit an artist, come to think of it ;)</p>