Hello All,
My son is a high school junior who is a passionate Euphonium player (in honors band, in New England Conservatory Senior Youth Wind Ensemble, All States since Freshman) who has decided he does not want to major in music but still wants to be
involved in a serious music program in college (play in ensemble and have lessons). He is a strong student 4.0 GPA, 34 ACT so would like to attend a more selective school but affordibility is also an issue for us. We do not meet criteria for need based aid but also can’t afford $70.000/year school. He is interested in science and possibly pre-med and doesn’t want super large or very small school. Do you have suggestions of schools with strong music programs for non-majors that are relatively selective but may provide merit aid? University of Rochester looks good but I’m not sure if they offer Merit…I have to look into that. I know Yale would be great, but of course they won’t offer any merit aid. Same, I’m guessing for NorthWestern and Vanderbilt?.. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Have you run NPC’s at some of these colleges your son’s interested in to determine whether they’re within the range of your affordability or not?
Rochester does offer merit and your son would be a good candidate for fairly substantial merit aid. (I will admit to a bias for Rochester, since my daughter is a senior there with similar interests and stats. She got a substantial merit award four years ago without the additional “hook” that your son has of being a serious musician in a school that values music. I think it sounds like a great fit for him. 
)
NU and Vandy offer limited if any merit for the great bulk of their students. Vandy’s big, competitive scholarships are quite attractive, though, and your son might be a good candidate for them as well.
All of those schools meet demonstrated financial need, so, of course, running the NPC first and then looking into merit options makes sense as a first-step in helping him craft a good list.
Ithaca College. Excellent music program.
Do you know you won’t be eligible for need based aid or are you just assuming that? I’m often surprised by how some students whose parents have high salaries/assets end up with impressive aid packages at need blind schools. Now they probably pay big bucks for advisors who help them-whereas most of us whose kids are eligible can’t afford the advisors but still, it does suggest that making assumptions might end up shorting what is possible.
Some of the Ivies provide financial aid for incomes up to $150k or even more.
Many of the schools suggested above have BM programs in a conservatory or school of music that is part of the school. If your son is not going to be a BM student, I would think long and hard about being on a campus where the best teachers and performance opportunities may go to the BM students. Not always true, but check that out.
It may be better to choose a school that does NOT have a conservatory/school of music/BM degree.
Yes, as you have suggested I have, and unfortunately it is not looking promising. Probably because in the books we look like we can afford it, but then we have nothing left for retirement! We had kids late and are older parents…
Thanks for your response! This sounds promising. Did your daughter have to apply for merit aid or was it just offered to her? We are going to visit in February. I know he wouldn’t be able to participate in ensembles at the Eastman school but the audition only Wind Symphony on River campus looks good and he can still take lessons with a TA at Eastman.
It is true that I don’t know for sure and we will have him apply to some of the real expensive schools anyway just in case but it doesn’t seem likely. Thanks!
I see your point, and have actually called some of the schools to see what opportunities there are for non-majors. I will keep an eye out for this as well. Thanks!
He might take a look at Case Western. Very good for sciences and pre-med. The music department generally has a number of strong players who didn’t want to give up lessons and ensembles even though they are majoring in other disciplines. It looks like the tuba/euphonium prof is also the instructor for the Cleveland Institute of Music which is on the same campus. Case runs its own ensembles, your S would not be competing with CIM students. There are options for a BA, Double Major, Music Minor if any of those fit his aspirations.
I do not know anything about the current state of Case’s financial awards, but his stats look good for admittance. Aid would probably come from the university, not the music department if he is a non-major.