My parents are divorced so technically only my mom supports me, I think I may get a bit more financial aid from that. My dad isn’t super wealthy but he promised to pay for my college. I’ve already looked at HYPS’ financial aid policy and I think I would qualify for close or at least a majority of the tuition on aid. Tuition budget or location isn’t something we’re super worried about.
Maybe. Many of the more generous colleges require financial information from both parents.
Will your dad pay $80,000 a year? The schools you listed above require financial info from both parents…not just the one with whom you reside.
could you elaborate on what you mean by this? I’m pretty sure HYPSM don’t have VPA programs, only musicology as a major to study (so like music history, theory, etc.). I am thinking of applying as music (not performance since the top schools often don’t have that) with maybe a humanities double major.
Yes, that’s not a concern for us. He put some money into a fund for my college education pretty early on and there’s enough. He really wants me to attend a good college and tells me to not worry about the money and just focus on the application.
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A 1550 SAT and a 4.0 unweighted GPA are better than passable. Try to look at the characteristics of these colleges. What might draw you to one over the others. Use your SCEA or ED card for that school…if you find it.
I will definitely do that! Thank you for your suggestion! I would be extremely grateful with any HYPS acceptance, so should I apply based on whichever one doesn’t have my instrument? Or how should I go about deciding where to REA if fit/other factors are the same?
I see, I understand that those stats are good but I think for the schools I’m aiming at they’re average (at least compared to my demographic and the people that apply from my school). Do you think it’s a good idea for me to contact the orchestra conductor to find out more about the school or to ask him to advocate for me in admissions? If so, when should I do that?
I’m not sure the orchestra director has any influence on admissions. They might. But I would say, it’s worth contacting them to find out what opportunities are available for you. You could also see if the school has an applied teacher on your instrument and if they might give you a sample lesson.
We found that the music department chairs were very helpful.
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Great, thank you!
And I will add…I think it’s wonderful that you want to continue your music in college.
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Thanks! I never thought music would take such a big role in my life when I started playing in third grade, but now I can’t imagine a life without music!! It’s crazy to think how much music has shaped my life
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If your dad has saved up $320,000 you will not be getting financial aid. Is your 4.0 unweighted? All A’s?
These schools are not BM music performance schools. I would honestly stop focusing on which schools need your instrument. Just do the applications and the music supplement in whatever form is accepted by each school. I would widen your search to
Little Ivies - Wikipedia and Colleges That Change Lives – Changing Lives. One Student At A Time. (ctcl.org) and various colleges and universities that posters on CC can recommend. Vassar is often mentioned. Many good ones are on those two sites.
ps at Harvard you find your own teacher, get credit and funding though
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So I dont think that Ivys and small Ivys look for numbers of specific instruments. There are many kids who apply with amazing supplements and say they are going to participate in music and then don’t. I think you are overthinking this a little in terms of worrying about numbers of each instrument. Pick the school you are most interested in, if they offer meetings and trial lessons do that and make a wonderful supplement. Make sure to involve your precollege teacher with the choice of pieces and to get high quality recordings.
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In your original question/post you mentioned Northwesterns good music school and that Yale admitted 7 kids for your instrument. I don’t know what programs HYPSM has or doesn’t have as it wasn’t on our radar but if they don’t have music programs why would you think your instrument would be a hook into the school?
Your participation in the music program and the accolades you might receive from playing in honor bands, all-state, summer programs will certainly be good EC to have on your resume/application but I would not expect it to be more than that. Music programs also will give good opportunity for leadership (section leader, band leader), Tri-M honors program which has a community service component, opportunity to branch out to other instruments (S23 plays tuba but also bass trombone for Jazz).
UT-Knoxville was on S23 safety listing but given the Music and Architecture programs it was a deep consideration as they’re pretty strong in both. We met with the music director. VERY nice guy, very good program but effectively if music was going to be a secondary/minor then - we’d love to have him but we’re not going to do anything to get him.
And all the above assumes you’re doing these things because you WANT to do them not because you think it’s what a college is going to be looking for. Choose EC that you’re passionate about and that will show through on the college application.
Not sure what your experience is with music but intensive classical instrumental music at this students level is definitely a spike for ivys and little ivys. Meeting with teachers and music departments, putting together outstanding music supplements and highlighting music achievements is a bigger addition for these kinds of schools to fill their high level ensembles.
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The OP is finishing 11th and is already one of the top players in high school in the US on their instrument. Having that kind of achievement in music can help a lot in acceptances to top rated colleges that do not have performance music majors, but do value their student performing arts programs. Of course, the student needs to meet the bar in all the other areas, but it can mean the difference between being one of the many highly qualified kids wait listed but not accepted, vs being the one who got in.
Frankly, it actually can mean less at colleges that have schools of music, if the applicant is not planning on majoring in performance music. Those colleges don’t need non-major musicians. They can pay the school of music kids to play in the band, play in the pit orchestras, and they’ve already got a great symphony, from the school of music. My kid got paid all of $40 to sub in a pit orchestra on campus this year, but they would’ve done it for the fun of it without any pay.
The admissions officer for my kid for their tippy top school, when I had to speak with them about a tuition mix up during soph year, specifically asked if kid had continued to play on campus (they had, in spades), and then said that the admissions committee had been hoping that would be the case. That and some comments in the admissions file, which kid was given the opportunity to see, made it obvious that their proficiency in music had been a big factor in acceptance. And that school has no performance music major, not even performance classes on kid’s instrument, and most other instruments, if not all.
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My point might not have come across as accurately intended but you’re saying basically the same thing. The music thing is a great EC to have and like most EC’s different schools will look at them differently in terms of desirability.
But in terms of admittance to HYPSM are you suggesting that it’s enough of a “hook” for a kid in the top 5-10% academically to put them over the edge to admittance? I would guess no, it’s not. And this is the genesis of the OP’s question. Then again the admittance process to those schools can be shrouded in mystery.
Yes, I think that we are saying that it is. If a kid is within the pool of acceptable students for acceptance for these schools then high level music ECs and showing interest in continuiing them in college is enough to get them over the edge. If you look at all of the students in NYO, NYO2, the major precollege programs that are not attending performance based programs, they attend Ivys and little Ivys almost uniformly.
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Ok, agree to disagree - I don’t see someone in the top 5-10% of their graduating class as being in the “mix” academically at those schools. Nothing related to music whatsoever.
I was however curious about your statement about the orchestra. I did a very quick spot check of Boston Symphony’s brass section and a lot of Julliard & Berklee graduates but did notice a higher than expected non-music related schools (Rice, Michigan, etc) though many of them do follow up with Graduate degrees from a music school. Live and learn!