Would he consider U of South Carolina? My D is not a music major but auditioned and was accepted into the Symphony Orchestra there. Time commitment is 5 hrs/wk rehearsal, 3 concerts/semester, 1 credit course. There is also a General University Orchestra that doesn’t require auditions and is a lesser time commitment. There are a number of master’s students in the Symphony Orchestra and nearly all the members are music majors (not necessarily performance, though) so I presume they are good.
Like your S, my D plays viola and was 1st chair in a regional youth orchestra. Finding a school with a good orchestra that would at least let her try out was important, and she is very happy with her opportunities so far. OOS cost (tuition, R&B) is around $35,000 and with his stats he may be eligible for a merit award.
Of course this is a big school (23,000 undergrads) and unfortunately I know nothing about the quality of the Chem department.
Lots of good suggestions here. If it wasn’t mentioned in any of the other threads you read, you should definitely take a look at U. of Puget Sound as well. My son is in almost an identical situation (wants to major in a STEM field, wants a great orchestra, and is a good but not spectacular student) and UPS is right near the top of his list at the moment. They are strong in the sciences (not sure about Chem in particular) and music is one of their flagship departments – lots of majors, accredited, offers a B.M, etc. They offer both music scholarships to non-majors and merit aid, and you can stack them (just like St. Olaf, which my son is also very high on).
If he does consider LACs, look into Franklin & Marshall (2,300 or so students so not too far off your minimum). I know a pretty serious musician (and science major) who feels it has the perfect combination. He got a small scholarship for music as well. I believe the school is also test optional.
Skidmore’s Filene music scholarship is $12K and they only give out around 5/yr (I think I heard that last year they had about 350 applicants for those 5, though I’m not certain about that). Moreover, with a sticker price over $63K, you’re still looking at a number >$50K without need-based aid, even if you win one.
I completely forgot to include University of Puget sound on my earlier list. We’ve already scheduled a visit, and from everything I’ve read so far I have a good feeling about it. We’ll see how it feels when we get out there. Tacoma is a long way from Durham, NC, but if that’s what it takes…
Just yesterday my son decided to attend a viola intensive at Ohio State for three days in January. Instructors from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Penn State and Eastman School of Music will be teaching and the hope is that he can get some feedback on where he fits in the college orchestra world. (Plus we’ll get to throw in a tour of Ohio State.) I’m off to an orchestra concert now - they’re playing at the local VA tonight - can I count that as community service? But tomorrow I’m going to go over this thread with a fine tooth comb and research all the great suggestions.
I didn’t expect to get such a robust response. It wasn’t until this year that I realized I should probably figure out this whole college application thing, and sometimes I find it completely overwhelming. I’m grateful for everyone who’s taken the time to offer their advice. Maybe this thread will help another parent, too.
Emory University’s symphony orchestra is open to non-music majors (they have about 20-25 percent) and make it a point to be inclusive of the entire community. The Schwartz performing arts center is a major stop for international touring musicians in Atlanta.
Emory has merit aid at both Emory and Oxford colleges; the full and half rides at the main campus are very competitive.
My daughter has some friends at Harvey Mudd who play in some kind of orchestra that the 5c campuses share. These are very high achieving kids academically, and I suspect they are very accomplished musicians. You could look into the 5C colleges and the options there. It seems like Pitzer would be his most likely option academically, but I don’t think there would be any merit. For other readers who have girls, Scripps would be one to consider, too.
But tomorrow I’m going to go over this thread with a fine tooth comb and research all the great suggestions.