<p>Hey everyone! I play violin and am a senior just getting my results back from colleges. This year I haven't been too lucky with admissions. I've been admitted to three schools: Lawrence U, University of the Pacific, and University of Puget Sound.</p>
<p>I was aiming towards Oberlin, but I received my rejection a couple days ago. I'm not sure whether or not I should take a gap year or to go to one of these schools.</p>
<p>If I do take a gap year, chances are that I'll end up taking 2 years off and enter as a transfer student after taking GE at a community college. My teacher wants me to take a gap year, but I'm not sure it is a wise decision. My parents aren't so happy with me pursuing music so it could be very awkward at home (or at least more so than it has been already) and they are reaching the age of retirement so I would have a lot less money to attend any school I would be admitted to. </p>
<p>I think my question is, is it worthwhile to take a gap year and possibly go to a higher level school rather than to go to your safety school? I know that this question can not be answered easily, but any help or advice that I could receive on the subject could help me immensely. </p>
<p>Also, does anyone know anything about Lawrence? Honestly I really don't know much about the school, and am starting to push it out of consideration.</p>
<p>I think you got into three terrific schools, any of which will serve you well as an undergraduate musician. I know people who’ve attended all three schools, and I’ve heard nothing but good things. Academically, University of Puget Sound and Lawrence are on a par with Oberlin - any differences are negligible. I think you’re overdramatizing your rejection from Oberlin. These are three great acceptances.</p>
<p>Have you visited the schools? If not, that should be the first thing on your list of things to do. And have sample lessons with the violin teachers, if you haven’t already.</p>
<p>I agree with spirit- go to college and enjoy it! All three are very good and you can’t go wrong. I know students at UPS and U of Pacific. They wouldnt transfer for anything. I also have a friend who’s daughter has Lawrence at the top of her list (current Jr.) my own D - now a college soph- didn’t get into her top choice and tells me all the time how happy she is at her uni. Your life is what you make it. Go live it!</p>
<p>I agree with all the above posters. A year or two or four at your non-first-choice school can be far more valuable than a year doing nothing.</p>
<p>One thing about going to a community college for your general education classes is that for music students it really doesn’t help as much as you would think. My son has a friend who wants to transfer to a university as a music major after he graduates from junior college with an Associates Degree in liberal arts. The thing is that it will still take him at least 3 more years (maybe 4) to get his BM after two years of jr. college - so he will have lost a year OR MORE towards his BM. Most BM degrees require far less than 2 years of general education classes, and most conservatories require very few general education classes at all. There is also a certain sequence that many courses have to be taken in, and at most music schools that may include as many as 7-8 semesters of some classes (which means that you have to go to a music school for 4 years regardless of any community college classes you may have under your belt).</p>
<p>The jr. college route is great for people who are not prepared (academically or financially) to enter a 4 year college, but if you are prepared, then it wouldn’t make a lot of sense as a potential music major. I’m not knocking the jr. college experiance, I did that myself, it worked out for me, but I wasn’t a music major.</p>
<p>If you go to a safety school, and you want to call it a “gap year” (or two), then fine. But do it at a school with a real music department, enrolled as a music major, so that you do not get a year or two behind with your music studies. You can transfer later, or you may find that you love the safety school and want to complete your degree there.</p>
<p>At this point though, if I was you, I would just hold off on the conservatory experiance and go to one of the other colleges you were accepted at, and do the conservatory thing for graduate school. It would be much better to have a BM from a University and a MM from a conservatory than an Associates from community college and a BM from a conservatory - considering it may take about the same amount of time either way.</p>
<p>^Congrats, Happystar. I also want to add that a “gap year” under these circumstances with the programs available to you does not really add up – you’d make more progress (I suspect) attending one of your accepted programs and then attempting to transfer than going the CC route – as a previous poster suggested, those courses just don’t transfer in for a BMus degree.
Also, I believe I have seen many many positive comments about the Lawrence program on this thread. Don’t let your disappointment over Oberlin cloud your judgment – or enjoyment of your acceptances! Best wishes!</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone for all of the advice. Perhaps I was being quite a bit over dramatic. Minus the quite a bit. My teacher has told me for a very long time that musicians can only be successful if they attend schools like Julliard, Oberlin, Eastman, etc., so I’ve been thinking in that same way for a long period of time. I am very grateful that these schools have accepted me. Thank you all so much…I think I will go to one of these schools and be very happy. </p>
<p>@ SpiritManager - I have visited UoP and will be visiting UPS soon. My parents have decided that they want me to stay close, so they will not let me attend or visit Lawrence sadly. </p>
<p>@BassDad - Yes all of my acceptances are as a violin performance major.</p>
<p>It’s a pity about Lawrence. Perhaps you could take a parent along to visit? They might be surprised & impressed. It’s really supposed to be a wonderful school.</p>
<p>The nice thing for them, however, in your staying on the West Coast, is that maybe they’ll get to attend some of your concerts.</p>
<p>My son’s teacher had told him the same thing about our state university, that he will never have a successful career if he goes there. He has several acceptances other than the state school, but they are giving him the most money. In talking to more people, it appears that if you work hard at that school then you have very good chances at top grad schools, which he wants to do now. His teacher now regrets telling him this because for awhile it looked like the only school we could afford, and she didn’t realize the damage she was doing by telling him this.<br>
My advice, is to go to one of the schools you were accepted at, and also go look at a lot of the resumes of teachers at many top schools, and a lot of the top performers in your field also. Their undergrad degrees may have been at a state school, but their graduate degrees may very well be from a big name school. You could work hard at one of these schools and end up at Oberlin as a grad student.</p>
<p>Oberlin may not be the best example for grad school. The only grad degrees that they offer (apart from five-year programs in Conducting and Opera Theater restricted to Oberlin undergrads) are in Historical Performance and Music Education. Both of those programs are pretty small.</p>
<p>Congratulations and be happy! I have also heard great things about all 3 schools.</p>
<p>We looked into Lawrence and were so impressed. Daughter could not go there due to distance and some health problems, but it would have been up there with Oberlin.</p>
<p>Like Oberlin, great music program in the midst of a liberal arts college. Check the website and look for the music performance building on an island in the lake!</p>
<p>Lawrence gets great reviews everywhere I have looked.</p>
<p>Spirit Manager knows the West Coast, and I have also read others on this forum sing the praises of the other two schools where you were accepted.</p>
<p>I seem to be running into a lot of students this week who are looking at the glass as half empty. In your case, it is 3/4 full!!</p>
<p>Happystar – your parents’ change of heart re: having you go “far away” to school – If you’d have gotten into Oberlin, would they still feel the same way?
If not, I’d try really hard to encourage them to at least TOUR Lawrence.</p>