<p>My daughter has been accepted to the Music Ed programs for violin at both The College of New Jersey and Rowan. Rowan is offering a far better fin aid package. At this point we are very torn about where to go and she is avoiding making a decision. Does anyone have thoughts on which of these programs would be a better choice? She has taken tours, sample lessons, pretty much done everything that should be done in making a choice. Any thoughts or experiences people may have are appreciated. We are running out of time. Thanks.</p>
<p>Sorry - can’t help you with the particular schools.</p>
<p>Does she have a preference if the cost were identical?</p>
<p>If so, why? And what is that “difference” worth to you, if you put a price on it?</p>
<p>My D’s favorite school was going to end up costing about $10k more per year to us than her second choice. I made a chart comparing various things about the two schools that were important to her, eg:</p>
<p>violin teacher
orchestra
core curriculum
physical campus
second major
languages offered
location
ECs offered</p>
<p>etc.</p>
<p>We marked a + in each category for what she thought was a good thing about that school, a - for a negative.</p>
<p>It turns out that the only thing she liked better about her first choice was the location (closer to home). That her second choice was equal or better in all other categories. And we decided that location might be worth a little bit, but not $40 k. </p>
<p>By writing it all down, it made the decision a lot more concrete, and it was nice to be able to have it spelled out for us during those days of second-guessing (which will come, no matter what decision you make.) It was also nice to have “answers” at the tip of her tongue when someone asked why she was going where she did.</p>
<p>TCNJ has a much better reputation as a college and does have a well regarded music program. However, Rowan is still a good school and improving. Rowan is probably the better school on the jazz side so if that is important to your daughter may help the decision. I think my son’s High School Music Director would suggest TCNJ if you asked him.</p>
<p>Good luck! The suggestion to do +s and -s is a good one.</p>
<p>Which one has the better rep for Music Ed? Rowan is the old Glassboro State teacher’s college (I believe), so I wonder if Rowan might have a better Educational program? This is simply conjecture on my part - Rowan was crossed off my daughter’s list before we ever got there because she was told the vocal dept was just too small.</p>
<p>TCNJ is a bit more selective academically. Rowan is roughly twice the enrollment. With a better $ offer from Rowan, she might be closer to the top of the food chain (musically, academically, or both), which could be a plus or minus depending on her strengths. </p>
<p>Do both programs get you in observation classes and practicums early? Will she need a car at either for off-site work or outreach? Geographic placement and logistics of student teaching semester: can she live on campus, or will she need to find an off-campus alternative housing. (A number of programs cast a wide radius in assigning student teaching positions.) Just food for thought.</p>
<p>If she’s comfortable with both programs and instructors, either go with the less expensive and save the money for grad school, or if the disparity between costs is not that great, choose the one that “feels” right.</p>
<p>Both are good programs. TCNJ may have a slight edge.</p>
<p>I sing in a community chorus that has recently gotten several TCNJ grads as members, some of them music ed majors and some performance majors, and I have been favorably impressed with all of them. Someone is doing something right with the music program there. The ones who are music ed majors do not seem to be having too hard a time finding employment in that field. Here in New Jersey, TCNJ tends to be regarded much more highly than Rowan and somewhat more highly than Rutgers for its academic programs. Should there be any chance of a switch in majors away from music, it would probably be the better school.</p>
<p>Rowan is at the other end of the state, so I do not bump into their graduates as regularly. I have visited the school when my daughter had a summer program there but do not know much more about it. If the program at Rowan is close in quality to that at TCNJ at a much lower cost, there is a lot to be said for graduating with as little debt as possible.</p>
<p>Both schools strike me as the kind of places that empty out on the weekends so I think someone attending either would probably want their own transportation as soon as possible.</p>
<p>VeryConfusedDad-
I sent you a private message.</p>
<p>BassDad - I know the quality of singer our HS has been sending to TCNJ recently, and I can’t imagine how they’ll sound after 4 years of training! To the OP: I haven’t heard of anyone that made the TCNJ choice from our area that was unhappy.<br>
I wasn’t aware of the commuter campus rep. Again, our kids only seem to show back up at the HS at the appropriate holiday times. Our HS is about 45 mins from campus, but there is no public transportation option.<br>
The reason my daughter was originally interested in Rowan had to do with the choral director. I don’t know if you’re from NJ, but if your child participated in AllState Orchestra last year, the choral director from this past year is based at Rowan. He is an amazing composer/director/musician.<br>
I’m sure I haven’t helped here, but I’m trying to share as many facts as I know - Hopefully you can put them in your fact pile.
Good Luck!!!</p>
<p>Hi all, we ultimately decided on Rowan. Thank you for helping us get our thinking straight.</p>