<p>Hi all. I was accepted to CCM, and accepted the offer. Of course I am so grateful to have been accepted, however, my family circumstances have just turned 180 degrees and I don't think I'll be able to afford it. I'm an international student, so now my parents want me to consider a school in Australia (where I'm from) where it'll be cheaper etc etc. I really want to go to CCM, it has better training than the schools in Australia, and everything about it is perfect... but we can't afford it. Should I go to Australia or take a risk and go to CCM with student loans? I think some of my relatives will be able to contribute $10,000 a year, but the rest will be on me (and my mom who might co-sign a loan with me). My heart is set on CCM but my brain says to go to Australia. Graduating with student debt in this job field is obviously not good... any opinions? Another huge difference apart from money is Australia will be 3 years as opposed to 4 years in the US. I feel like I'm causing more money problems in the family.</p>
<p>Sometimes reality gets in the way of dreams. </p>
<p>You are wise not to overburden yourself with serious debt. Do your undergrad training in Australia, and consider CCM and others in the US for a Masters. </p>
<p>A prior similar discussion about finances <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/899510-all-because.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/899510-all-because.html</a></p>
<p>Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Maybe you can check with CCM financial aid office, if you say your family circumstances have changed. I know it’s not need-based for internationals but there might be something for you. I think if I were you, I would contact them or have my teacher contact them to see if they have any solution for me now, maybe some talent money that was turned down and if they don’t try to find out if I might defer my admission to the next quarter (maybe while taking classes at local uni or conservatory) and apply for the Global Award (up to 12k academic merit money with good SAT scores) or something like that. I dont think music is eligible for the co-ops. Is music your only major ? See maybe if they have any other form of work-study. Go to your fulbright office becasue they also normally have a list of private scholarship you can apply to and they should be able to give you advices. But I don’t think borrowing that much money ((36k-10k)*4) is your solution.!! Good luck !</p>
<p>Before you completely change direction, talk to CCM. Perhaps they have some options you haven’t considered. I don’t have any answers, but I do have some questions.</p>
<p>I would need more information before I would make any suggestions one way or another. Are you a dime-a-dozen instrument? Soprano? Violin? Flute? They have a tougher row to hoe.</p>
<p>What are your future goals? Do you hope to stay in the US after graduation? Some instruments have different sounds, different styles, regionally. It might make sense to start where you want to end up.</p>
<p>Is it too late to enroll in a local school? Would it delay your education significantly? </p>
<p>Are there appropriate teachers and programs in your area that can take you to the next level? Studying for 3 years at a lesser level will not necessarily get you into the grad school of your choice. On the other hand, if the education offered is similar in quality, buy by price!</p>
<p>CCM isn’t as expensive of a school as some, because it is a state school. Can you swing enough money to attend for a year? Maybe CCM could help you come up with funding after that. Is there any chance your family finances could swing 180 the other direction next year?</p>
<p>The general prevailing wisdom is that it is foolhardy for a musician to go into significant debt. Jobs are scarce, pay is low. Once in awhile, though, you get what you pay for.</p>
<p>Are you mature enough to go to college and be serious? Practice? Network? Make your teachers proud? NOT spend your weekends getting wasted and blowing opportunities and showing up late or not at all to rehearsals and gigs? Perhaps those are “mean” questions, but if you can answer them honestly, it will give you better direction. Answer based on past history, not future hope. </p>
<p>I’m not advocating debt, only acknowledging that sometimes it’s a gamble worth taking. As they say in the Georgia Lottery, “You have to play to win.” We took on significant debt for our son. We didn’t do it whimsically, and our kid did not have an attitude of entitlement. The jury is still out on if it was worth it (That is to say, he has not landed that coveted full-time with benefits career yet), but he has had a moderate share of successes that have off-set much of the money we’ve spent. I guess we’ll never know if he would have had the same success at a local, cheaper school. </p>
<p>Does your private teacher have an opinion?</p>
<p>We weighed the options, talked to teachers, and chose what we felt would give our S the best chance. That answer is individual and will be different for everyone.</p>
<p>I wish I could give specific advice ,but here is my thought:</p>
<p>1)It can’t hurt to talk to CCM about your situation. One thing I have learned about the whole admissions process and such, is that what you hear or even read on a website may not be the ultimate truth (and yes, folks, that applies to CC itself…I have seen a lot of posts on here about things that I know the inside story of, and what is posted is either paritially or totally incorrect, on the other hand there is wisdom here, too). There is the general vibe out there that admissions people are sort of part of ‘the enemy’, but from talking to some directly, and from other people have told me, most of them are pretty sympathetic people who really love to try and help (I am sure there are road apples of people out there in admissions, too, as there are in any place). I would recommend calling and talking to someone and then following through with an e-mail or letter to the person.</p>
<p>At the worse they will say there is nothing they can do. Sometimes, too, they might know of other financing options, sometimes they know of foundations or people who might be able to help…</p>
<p>2)If you do decide to go locally, that isn’t the end of the world either. Yes, CCM is a good school, it is one of the top conservatories, but I have to agree that ending up with well over 100k in loans seems kind of daunting. Depending on your instrument/area, it could be that the undergraduate is not really the critical element, that as has happened in many things in music, it is grad school. It is quite different going to grad school then undergraduate so you could very well go to a local school in Australia and then move on to some other program overseas, in Europe or the US (and it could end up being a free ride in some cases, depending on instrument/area and talent).</p>
<p>What is your instrument?</p>
<p>I did my undergraduate studies in Australia, then post-grad diploma in France, and now I’m off to Juilliard (with random bits of study in Russia along the way!). I guess I could have done undergrad in the US or Europe, but I don’t regret it; I’ve learnt important things from studying in a range of places.</p>
<p>A few questions (apart from the all-important instrument one above!): If your parents are paying for your undergrad. will they pay upront? If they can, that would be a huge advantage to staying in Australia and leaving with no HECS debt. </p>
<p>Do you realise that the three year degree in Australia is simply a Bachelor? To get a Bachelor with Hons is the standard 4 years. I think US graduate programs will look more favourable on your transcript if it has the 4 full years with Honours, as that seems to be equivalent in their minds to the US programs.</p>
<p>Which Australian conservatory/university would you be thinking of going to?</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>