<p>For those of you auditioning at Oberlin, did you receive email or snail mail information regarding your audition in advance of the big day?</p>
<p>I have called Oberlin twice about D's March 10 audition, and they insist that emails have been sent to D, but, if that's true, D has not received them. I have advised them of this, but we have had no response.</p>
<p>Strangely, the person I spoke with was civil but not at all helpful, and would not reveal what information was allegedly sent to D.</p>
<p>What is going on at Oberlin? Anyone have a similar experience? Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>My son received an email from Michael Manderen, Director of Conservatory Admissions with the schedule for that weekend. It was dated December 2, 2006. It says an updated version of the schedule will be provided on arrival.</p>
<p>Piano/MT Mom--
D sent email and Oberlin replied confirming March 10 audition date, but not a scintilla of other info was tendered.</p>
<p>Is there a tentative schedule for the audition date? Location info, maps, etc?</p>
<p>I'm extremely puzzled by Oberlin's minimalist approach. D has played 3 other auditions already, and each school sent a schedule, location info, maps, and other helpful items.</p>
<p>We were told to park in the lot just south of building 19 on that same map. If they have not told you where to park, you can probably get away with parking there long enough to ask at the check-in table.</p>
<p>Red Herring wrote: "I'm extremely puzzled by Oberlin's minimalist approach. D has played 3 other auditions already, and each school sent a schedule, location info, maps, and other helpful items." </p>
<p>Gosh, on this site parents are rushing forward to help you by saying that there's a website full of info, maps and extensive lists of where to stay, available to all lookers. Others with the same March 10 audition reported an email promising more information would follow...and if I get this right, you reported here, "not a scintilla of addtional info was offered." If that was the same email text, two parents clearly had different responses to it!</p>
<p>Perhaps Oberlin has found that paper info sent long before date simply gets misplaced in homes. I agree that early Feb is about right to reserve hotel rooms for March l0 in some cities, but in Elyria there are always rooms available. Plus, the Oberlin website lists some Bed and Breakfast accommodations right in town, with people who share a feeling for the college community. These can provide very cozy experiences without the 15 min. drive to and from motel rooms in Elyria (Elyria's kinda ugly, Oberlin is pretty). </p>
<p>Anyway, I hope for the best on your daughter's audition weekend. I can't explain if you found the first person you spoke with by phone rude, but I am sorry. It could have been a financial aid student handling phones for an on-campus job. If so, that person needs better training, certainly. Try not to let things like this put you off. </p>
<p>In person, Oberlin Conservatory and the college are wonderfully humane, kind, down-to-earth, and top-shelf musically and academically. Just imagine if Julliard were located on the campus of Swarthmore, and all the students befriended and learned from each other outside of classtime (enriching both!) and you'll be able to picture Oberlin. Come to town looking for that. I hope you find it!</p>
<p>Good luck to all of you that/have auditioned at Oberlin. Just don't let the "look" of the Conservatory Building get to you. DD commented, "Dad, it looks just like the Black Gate of Mordor from LTOR, only it's grey!"</p>
<p>Mamenyu, you remember correctly. We used to call it "the radiator." It has a smaller matching building called "King" diagonally across the street. </p>
<p>Within the Conservatory building, there's a beautiful Japanese pond-- a favorite spot on campus for many.</p>
<p>To get a complete picture of Conservatory offerings, in addition to the concert hall at the Con building, please be sure to also look into Finney Chapel for the massive pipe organ. Many concerts occur there, along with a fun evening starting at midnight, the "Organ Pump" where organists take turns playing on the great pipe organ and everyone else rests or studies on the chapel pews. </p>
<p>Finally, there's the very largest concert hall, a whale-shaped building located next to the Oberlin Inn. </p>
<p>All of these surround Tappan Square, the central greenspace that unites the campus. You can walk from one place to the next easily (l block or two away).</p>
<p>I just pm'd you a copy of the email my D received confirming her Feb 10 audition date. It has a detailed schedule for the weekend; I would expect the March schedule to be similar. The only thing that's not specified is her exact audition time. To my surprise, they want us there Friday afternoon at 3:30 for orientation even though the audition itself is Saturday (they also have orientation Saturday morning for those who can't make Friday). </p>
<p>If your D e-mails Michael Manderen <a href="mailto:Michael.Manderen@oberlin.edu">Michael.Manderen@oberlin.edu</a> (since the e-mail schedule is from him) and tells him she never received her email with the schedule (and maybe even paste in the Feb. schedule so he knows exactly what she's talking about), maybe that will do the trick.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for your helpful, generous responses. What a wealth of knowledge and information there is here!</p>
<p>Several of you sent me a PM with the tentative schedule for the audition weekend, and that is exactly what I needed. D never received this from Oberlin.</p>
<p>I've now booked the tickets and made all of the arrangements for D's March 10 audition. We are both excited.</p>
<p>Thanks again, and good luck to all!</p>
<p>P.S. For those of you who have already been through the audition process at Oberlin, is there anything that you wish you had known beforehand that would have been helpful?</p>
<p>Tell your daughter not to worry about the theory test given with her audition. It is for placement only and I think it is a complete waste. My son had to take another theory placement test online over the summer and then two more theory/aural skills placement tests during orientation in the fall.</p>
<p>Good luck. Oberlin is a wonderful place, very nuturing.</p>
<p>Don't be put off by the fact that the faculty at the audition are not especially warm/engaging. Son found them to be the most undemonstrative (poker faced) of the 5 auditions he's had so far. </p>
<p>That varies from teacher to teacher. Daughter found both classical bass teachers there to be of the warm/engaging variety at her audition. I do not know which way the viola teachers lean during auditions, but I did sit next to Peter Slowik at a Conservatory Parents' luncheon and found the conversation both animated and quite enjoyable. The other viola teacher there, Karen Ritscher, came over to our table for a few minutes and she also seemed very nice.</p>
<p>Son auditioned for jazz. Another local kid (teacher's son) who auditioned for jazz piano a few years back -- and was accepted -- had the same impression (used the term "poker faced"). Son is a sax player but sax faculty wasn't present at the audition. He did have a lesson last April with jazz faculty Marcus Belgrave who he found very warm and encouraging one-one.</p>