Programs for Music Double Major - with "no-gap" funding

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>I'm writing on behalf of a high school senior currently attending a boarding school with a strong strings program. She has a full-ride viola scholarship. Her hope was to attend a college with a strong strings program, where she would get a BA in an academic subject and probably a BA in music. She is from a single-parent household with no money. She has an EFC of 0.</p>

<p>I do not think she got the best advising from her high school in terms of where to apply. This, compounded with the problem of her having been ill with pneumonia at the end of the calendar year and not completing all of her applications, left her with less-than-ideal options: every school to which she was accepted to gave her maximum scholarship aid (close to full tuition, either in merit aid, financial aid, or a combo.) But in each case there is a $10K to $12K gap (the room and board part.) Her mom has been advised that, because she will not qualify for plus loans, the student herself will be offered the $10-$12K loan, on top of her Stafford loans. I do not think the additional $40-$50K in debt is wise for this student, who will already have a $30K debt in Stafford loans upon graduation.</p>

<p>Her boarding school has offered her to stay on an extra year with full scholarship (although the student feels more than ready to be in college.) I am going to advise her to take her boarding school's generous offer and apply strategically only to schools that 1) offer automatic scholarship aid for students with certain SAT scores (her scores aren't at this level, but I think they can be, with prep.) and 2) schools that cover full need. </p>

<p>Suggestions? Additionally, the student would dearly love to be in a rural or countryside-like area. (I had immediately thought of Temple University, but her mom pointed out that it is the exact opposite setting she want.) The family lives on the west coast, in the Bay Area, so west coast would be preferred for transportation reasons, although no location would be ruled out.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>She MIGHT want to check out Pepperdine. I think that they can be generous to the right student. Worth a look. </p>

<p>Oh yeah…and MALIBU, baby!</p>

3

<p>She might want to check out SUNY Potsdam (Crane School of music). They do give generous scholarships both academic and music plus the scholarships seem to take into account a students EFC. (SUNY Potsdam came through with the lowest overall COA for son including financial aid.) Shelly Tramposh, the viola prof, is well respected by her students and does get them into good grad schools. Also, SUNY Fredonia gives generous scholarships both music and academic. Both schools would qualify as rural. Another one to look at would be Baldwin Wallace outside Cleveland. BW benefits from a relationship with the Cleveland Orchestra. It is more suburban but does give both academic and need based scholarships.</p>

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<p>Oberlin fits the bill. She would have the option of doing a double major in the college alone to get a single BA in music and another subject, or of doing the dual degree program to get a BM in music and a BA in another subject. Note that with the former option, she would not be able to declare a music major in the college until she had been there a year, but she could immediately audition for lessons with conservatory faculty. Oberlin does not gap their aid and usually tries to limit loans to the Stafford maximums. If she went the dual degree route, she would be eligible for money from both the college and the conservatory and the funding would cover five years instead of four.</p>