<p>All things being equal, D3 would prefer to stay at the school where she did her undergrad. That was her original plan. She is changing studios (and even instruments) and is very sure about the new teacher. In fact, it is her dream to learn from this teacher. Her current teachers, whom I genuinely believe have her best interests at heart, agree with her choice. And if she stays she can remain in contact with her current teachers and their studios. There are numerous advantages to staying beyond that she loves her current school and the teachers: she is sure about the orchestral and chamber scene; she's already finished the theory sequence. She really likes the professional development component of her present school and knows that it will be an advantage to her in developing her career. She also has a great living situation, which is not to be discounted, although of course not a reason to choose. </p>
<p>However, although her current school offered her a good scholarship, she would still need to borrow tens of thousands more to cover some tuition and living expenses to complete her degree. That would be acceptable, IMO, except that she has already taken on the maximum Stafford Loan debt allowed for undergrads, which will continue to grow in the background. We parents can't help her financially any more, having taken on as much debt as we can bear at this point (we still have one in college, and have used up our savings, mortgaged our house, and cut into our retirement to send our four to undergrad.) We are tapped out.</p>
<p>She did apply a few other places and was accepted but knows very little about the teacher, the culture, etc. These schools offered her full scholarship plus some living support. Between that and gigs/teaching, she could graduate without increasing her debt. Obviously, from an outside perspective it makes perfect sense for her to change environments for grad school. And if she were studying something with less of a physical component, I could completely agree.</p>
<p>The tricky thing is that for the past 6 years she's been working to develop a style of playing that is healthy and tension-free. Having a lower educational debt is important, but an injury could end her career. It happens all the time to performers on these instruments. I feel the stakes are high -- she has on one hand a teacher she knows will help steer her in a career-growing and physically safe direction...and on the other hand, unknown (to her) but fiscally prudent choices. Of course she is doing some legwork talking to current and former students in these programs and trying to meet the teachers, if possible, but there is very little time to decide and she's still in the midst of challenging undergrad work.</p>
<p>Would it work to stay in the same city and with the same teacher, but with one of the other schools in the same city that offered her a schoarship?</p>
<p>@Glassharmonica I have no wisdom to add that would help you but do want to say thank you for sharing here and elsewhere, because it really is helpful. I certainly had no idea how complex the transition to grad school could be and am definitely taking mental notes…certainly it isn’t over with acceptance to an Undergrad program…it has in fact just begun. I completely sympathize with your D’s situation- wishing her the very best as she makes this difficult decision.</p>
<p>DS and his lovely wife just hit 30. Both did their undergrad at a conservatory within a university on the east coast. They did their graduate work at the same NYC conservatory. They play different instruments. He got some scholarship money for both undergrad and grad; she, not so much. Together, they have a ton of student loan debt. We’re talking a healthy six figures.</p>
<p>Last time they were here visiting, we got to talking about the value of their education. They live in NYC and work at a variety of steady music jobs, teaching and whatnot, as well as freelancing and subbing. They had a few rough years, but are doing as well or better than many of their peers, including non-musicians.</p>
<p>But the debt is killing them. They feel they can never turn down any opportunity to make money. They feel they cannot start a family. They believe it will be a very long time before they can own a home. She told me that if she were to do it again, she would have not attended the conservatory in NY. In her words – “it wasn’t worth it.”</p>
<p>I have another son who is finishing his BM next month. Many of his friends have applied to grad school. But, based on his brother’s experiences, he is taking a year to carefully plan what to do next. Technically, he has a job. He’s been a tenured member of his Midwestern city’s orchestra for the past two years, but it’s per service and not enough to live on. And he has nowhere near the debt his brother and sister-in-law do. </p>
<p>I’m not trying to be grim here. This is just one family’s story. But I don’t think it’s unique. You/she really need to carefully gauge potential ROI on your investment. The impact of your/her decision will be felt for years.</p>
<p>RunningtheBasses,
I know that many will read your post and agree with you on this. And I understand the concern around Debt and it is awful that your son and his wife are under so much pressure financially given that as artists they are contributing so much. But I also want to put their situation in perspective. I know Doctors who have been in a similar position. I remember a friend of mine who is an MD telling me she had finally paid off her medical school debt. Her son, a friend of my youngest, was in middle school. One tends to think of doctors as being wealthy but that is only true if you go into a specialty. If you want to do primary care, as she did, it can be another story.</p>
<p>As for owning a home, I think the climate is changing and many 20-30 somethings are not in a position to own a home and may never actually be home owners in their lifetime. That is not necessarily a bad thing. The days of people’s home being their most important investment are long gone and it is unlikely the real-estate market will ever be as profitable as it was in the later half of the 20th century.</p>
<p>I think medical school debt is quite different. Our medical schools are limited in how many students can be accepted. There are no unemployed doctors, and even primary care doctors make a good salary which is steady.</p>
<p>Music schools have no cap. They can admit as many music majors as they want to. There are plenty of unemployed musicians. Most of those who are employed have unsteady, low income. I think it’s OK for the parents to take on some debt, but I don’t think the student musicians should.</p>
<p>My parents grew up during the Depression and owning a home was the American dream. My son is a high school senior and was very clear that he has no interest in aquiring high amounts of debt for college. He wants to be free to choose whatever course he wants in life, not have to accept every job that comes along or put off owning a home. I live in NYS and even with our high taxes, it’s still cheaper for us to own than rent. </p>
<p>Glassharmonica, your daughter sounds like an intelligent young woman. I think it’s smart of her to gather as much information as she can, but I don’t think the choice should have to be between large debt and potentially career ending programs. Can she take a gap year before grad school so she can choose where she wants to go if the less expensive option she’s considering isn’t up to her standards?</p>
<p>My point was not that music majors have it any worse than medical school graduates or anyone else. My point was that the effects of inordinate amounts of debt are felt for years, regardless of one’s field of study. </p>
<p>I would not presume to tell anyone how they should or should not fund their education. Not everyone is “to the manor born” and loans may be the only option available. The purpose of my anecdote was to share a perspective from young adults who chose the student loan route (in spite of my frequently voiced concerns). They now express regrets about doing so. </p>
<p>The OP and her daughter seem to be taking a reasoned approach to investigating the value of pursuing a more costly, but seemingly better, educational option. The value of something, however, is a combination of merit and worth. The merits of studying with a knowledgeable and familiar teacher are obvious and not really debatable. The worth…well, that’s not as obvious and is very much tied to personal circumstances.</p>
<p>Hence my DIL’s comment. Her grad study had great merit (she’s a smashing cellist), but far less worth to her in the long run due to the debt she incurred. </p>
<p>I do think it’s terribly limiting for grad students to have an April 15 deadline. I suppose the schools have their reasons for this. But to have less than two weeks to decide while you’re in the midst of schoolwork, senior projects, senior recitals with no time to be traveling around for sample lessons or for getting a better feel for each school–well, it’s just pretty unreasonable. With such a short time period it’s difficult to make an informed well-thought-out choice–you can only scramble to scrape together a decision. </p>