<p>So when I was applying this fall, I decided to only apply to the conservatory. Over time, however, I kind of changed my mind and wanted to apply for the College also. It's way past the deadline, but if I were to be accepted to the conservatory, would there be a way for me to apply for the College after I complete one year in the conservatory? Would I still be able to finish in 4 years? </p>
<p>Is it possible for students with double majors at Oberlin to graduate in 4 years?</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure you’d be able to do this since I know college students who have auditioned for the conservatory after a year. However, students enrolled in the double degree program normally take 5 years to graduate (which makes sense because of the work load). You might be able to do it in less than that, but you’d have to plan it out really well and it would probably be more stressful.</p>
<p>Oh. Yeah that makes sense. For other bigger universities and colleges, do students with double majors (one if which is music) usually take 5 years to graduate also?</p>
<p>From what I’ve read, only students with major AP credit (and I think Oberlin limits it at 30 credits) graduate in 4 years. Most do it in 4.5 or 5. As for your original question. It is possible to transfer to a dual degree program after being in the conservatory. Call or e-mail the college office of admissions to see the details on this; I’m not exactly sure of the criteria. [Transfer</a> and Visiting Students - Oberlin College](<a href=“http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/admissions/transfer-and-visiting-students/]Transfer”>http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/admissions/transfer-and-visiting-students/)</p>
<p>As for other universities, students generally take 5 if possible (UMich, Northwestern, Rochester/Eastman). CMU I’ve heard is impossible to do in less than six.</p>
<p>Ohhh. What if I had one major (music) and a minor? Would it still take 5 years?</p>
<p>Nah, that should only be four. Minors aren’t that many classes, and if you’re smart, your minor will also satisfy distribution reqs. Visit the music major forum for more info.</p>
<p>First things first - a double major or a major and a minor is a very different animal from the Double Degree program. In the former, you get one degree - either a BM from the Conservatory or a BA from the College. There is only one set of degree requirements to meet and it is quite possible to do in 4 years. In the latter, you get both the BM and the BA and have two sets of degree requirements to me. It has on rare occasion been done in 4 years, and a bit more frequently in 9 semesters, but the normal time is 5 years, particularly if you are not able to start in the program your first year.</p>
<p>It is very possible to enter the Double Degree program from the Conservatory side once you get to Oberlin. The procedure involves getting a form from the College admissions office (not the Conservatory office) and getting recommendations from two different teachers in the College whose courses you have taken. Some Connies are only scheduled for one elective in the College their first year, so you may need to take this up with your adviser so that you can fit two into your scheule. Make sure they are with different teachers (and preferably in different departments), do well in those classes and you should have no problem getting into the Double Degree program. It is much harder to get into the program from the College side because of the audition process, but it has been done that way as well.</p>
<p>I do not think you can officially combine a Conservatory major with a College minor, or have a double major program that involves both the Conservatory and the College. You may be able to use your electives from the Conservatory curriculum to satisfy all the requirements of a particular minor in the College, but it will not show up on your degree.</p>
<p>Although some students have finished the double degree in 4 years, and it is theoretically doable if you come in with a lot of AP’s that fulfill the breadth requirements, even then you would necessarily sacrifice any flexibility or opportunity to deviate from a very well-planned program. If you want to do the college degree to its fullest, including a senior project, for example, and take some electives along the way, you will find, even with a lot of AP’s, that you have to be on the ball from early on about all of the graduation requirements for each of the degrees; mapping out a semester by semester list of courses needed is very helpful and something you could do using the online catalog even while simply contemplating the double degree option. Keep in mind that in some majors, courses are only offered once a year, not every semester, and that there is a 17 unit per semester limit for double degree students.</p>
<p>Just confirming what Bassdad said - If you’re just in the conservatory you can’t officially complete a minor within the college.</p>
<p>There are a couple of other tricks that can be used to keep the hours to 17. Ensembles can be taken for 0 credit hours rather than 1, yet still fulfill the ensemble requirements both for graduation purposes and for maintaining merit aid. Similarly, primary applied lessons can be taken for 3 credit hours rather than 4 with the consent of the instructor. </p>
<p>Another method is to look for courses that will allow you to satisfy two or more graduation requirements by taking a single class. With a wise choice, one class can be an elective as far as the Con is concerned, while in the College it would simultaneously fill three hours of the required nine in any one of the Natural Sciences, Social Studies or Humanities divisions, three hours of the required nine of Cultural Diversity classes, and count as either one of your two Writing-Intensive classes or as filling the Quantitative Proficiency requirement. You can look in the online course catalog to find these hidden gems. One of these per year can really open up your schedule. Sometimes you need to be careful about how you register for them. For example Introduction to African American Music I and II can be taken as AAST 171/172 through the college, or as JAZZ 290/291 or MHST 290/291 throught the Conservatory, depending on whether you want to use them toward distribution requirements, a jazz major, or music history requirements. The class also counts toward cultural diversity hours and the opportunity to study the history of Jazz with Wendell Logan is not to be missed. He is amazing.</p>
<p>Also note that it is possible to take more than 17 hours per semester, but it is quite expensive in supplemental tuition fees, not to mention potentially exhausting.</p>
<p>A double major and a double degree are two different animals. You can pull off a triple major but you’ll receive only one degree, and do it in 4 years. A double degree will take 5years. Other than killing yourself trying during the regular school years, I can’t think of how a student can shorten the length of a double DEGREE unless they can convince the college administration to accept three summers worth of credits taken at other colleges. And that would mean going to college all year round for four years. Not an attractive proposition, if you ask me, and I doubt if they’d go for it.</p>
<p>In the few cases that it has been pulled off, I think it has been a combination of arriving with lots of AP credit, using all the tricks I outlined above and then some, overloading the schedule every semester and getting some transfer credit each summer. Not the easiest way to get through college and, given the supplemental tuition fees and cost of summer classes, probably not a whole lot cheaper than a standard 5-year program.</p>
<p>^
Amen to that, brother. If it’s not cheaper, then what’s the hurry, I say? Graduating at 22 instead of 21, and having enjoyed your summers, is hardly some kind of punishment.</p>