Hello! I am wondering if anyone has received merit scholarships from Boston Conservatory. My daughter got her acceptance today but we are wondering about scholarships. Also does anyone has any insight in the school or dance program.
We got nothing. I’m so sad. I hope they will do a review, as there is no way.
Same here.
No help here either. Not even the perfunctory note about student loans… it’s rather odd. My daughter loves the program… :-/
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You’ll get the perfunctory student loans. Not much more, even upon appeal. Unless, of course, you’re one of the lucky ones. I will say there’s not a lot of nickel and dime-ing. All the extra dance (jazz, tap, ballet) and voice you could want - all on campus and accessible. Great mental and medical support (therapy, massages, PT, etc) And the connections are priceless. I truly believe it will help pay for itself with the alumni network alone. We buckled down and did it (are doing it.) It’s not easy, but D is working, we’re stretching and it’s really a top notch program. We’re getting what we’re paying for - which is a lot!
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BoCo does sound wonderful! My D was accepted to the new Contemp Theater program, though, not dance. I know it’s new, but do you think some of what you described also extends to that program? (maybe not the PT etc, but the network and general rigueur?)
My daughter was accepted to CD too! I know voice is not included. She loved the audition process and felt connected to the program immediately. They seem to do a lot of innovative things. It is probably her top choice right now, but unless they move on fin. aid, it’s not an option.
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@risdgrad88 @starbuck71 Yes, unfortunately BoCo does not have an endowment like the Ivys or even state schools. They are working on this, but probably too late for our family. Believe me we tried everything (you can definitely appeal) but ultimately bit the bullet and did it. We have no regrets even though it is a stretch for our family. I appreciate that the price is the price - there aren’t a lot of nickel and dime fees for lessons, studio rentals, etc. My daughter is MT and she has a lot of crossover with the Contemp Theater kids - they’re in the shows, same classes, etc. The school is well connected in the industry and productions come to them for casting (this is true of many, maybe all schools, but it is very prominent at BoCo.) There’s a high concentration of theaters in the area and many kids audition and get industry work off campus. Students are members for life of the whole Berklee job listing database - I do believe that will be a great perk, in the long run. And certainly the connections she is forming with her talented classmates will lead to many collaborations after graduation. Again, true of all schools, be especially prominent at BoCo. I hope this helps - please feel free to PM me or ask away with any questions. If interested, I can connect you with my daughter or she can connect you to more of the CT students.
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@Dancer32 my daughter has two BoCo dancer roomies. They absolutely love it and all support each other, going to cross-department shows, etc. Let me know if you want connections 
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Oh my goodness! What a wonderful reply, this helps sooooo much. I am sure my D would love to connect with some current students . I will PM you (if I can figure out how to do that…)
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She’s done a few videos on the BoCo orientation and school days if you want a kid’s-eye view: https://youtu.be/tjJhlKE4dWE
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Thank you!
Got the financial aid package. It is nothing more than the same tiny federal loans we’ve gotten elsewhere. Nowhere remotely near what the estimated cost calculator said. Feeling very depressed about this. We’ll try asking for financial aid review, but were told scholarship decisions are final. Asked for a review already at Emerson. I feel like all of her hard work and academic success just did not get her anywhere. Really hoping she gets off the waitlist for Molloy/CAP21 and that they have some better financials. It’s all so disheartening.
It is quite an adjustment to realize that academic profile just does not matter at these performing arts programs. Although it doesn’t help your finances, your kid should be able to test out of some of the basic classes and jump right into juicier electives. Smarts will pay off, in the long game. Wishing you much success.
Unfortunately, there is no way she can attend unless there is an adjustment.
My D got a small talent scholarship, we did appeal and they said that was all they could do. Will be a stretch for us, but frankly the other option she has (a BA school) is more money and even with the merit we got from the other school, BoCo will end up the same financially. It will all come down to whether she wants that BFA or BA. Very tough decision ahead!!
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We still haven’t gotten a financial aid statement from BoCo (they said it was “in the works”). Can I ask if the merit scholarship came with the acceptance letter or did it come later with the FinAid package? (just wondering if we can hold out any hope…)
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Yes, with the acceptance came a Talent Scholarship of $10k (she applied EA). The financial aid was supposed to come at the end of February and we just got last week (after asking Financial Aid). It was basically two lines, the Talent Scholarship and $5500 in Student Loans. We went back to them and that’s all they are able to do it looks like. This wasn’t included in the acceptance packet that we got in the mail.
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It sounds like we would have heard about merit aid already then. Thank you so much for sharing … now I won’t pine away waiting for the aid letter I expect ours will be loans too.
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We live in Florida and my son was accepted and really wants to attend BOCO as a piano/composition major. But it’s sooo expensive! It looks like about $55,000 per year for an out of state student. He has a full ride and nearly full ride to two excellent music colleges in Florida …so am I crazy to actually consider BOCO? I’m also very concerned about more possible COVID-related shut-downs. Any input is appreciated…have to decide soon!