So I'm starting to think about college

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>Well, I'm only a sophomore in High School, but I'm starting to think about college (it seems both distant and right next door at the same time). I came across this forum, and since Harvard has been my dream since I was very young, I thought I might post up my "stuff," and see if I'm on the right track:</p>

<p>Freshman Year activities:
-Performed in two school plays, and was a major speaking role in one of them (Ed in You Can’t take it With You)
-Founder of the Jam Club – I taught musicians at my school how to improvise in music
-Improv. Comedy Club
-Jazz Band guitarist; rookie of the year in jazz ensemble
-2nd and 4th place finisher at the Talent Show (performed in two different acts)
-Symphonic Band Tenor Saxophonist
-Debate Club
-Speech Team awards: Massachusetts State Champion; National Semifinalist (placed 10th out of 200+ competitors)
-Released CD locally
-Played Tenor Sax in the HFSM all star big band, which included two performances at the Ryles Jazz club in Boston
-Member of Pilgrim Church Philharmonic Orchestra
-Men’s vocal ensemble member
-Performed with the Framingham State College Choir
-Played at the SADD fashion show fundraiser
-Guitar instructor at Guitartricks.com
-worked in church school nursery
-volunteer Sunday school teacher</p>

<p>Average GPA: 4.07 (sem. 1) – 4.13 (sem. 2)</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Employee at Kellerhaus ice cream parlor; member of Gilford Community Band</p>

<p>Sophomore Year Activities (still going on, a lot of stuff hasn't happened yet):
-Senior District and All-state guitarist (top jazz band audition in the state, only one guitar spot)
-Class Treasurer
-The Speech Team Fundraiser (position that is very similar to treasurer)
-Speech Team Awards:
-Debate Club
-Jam Club President
-Released 2nd CD locally
-Played tenor sax in the Rivers Jazz quintet
-Men’s Vocal Ensemble
-Jazz Band guitarist
-Played in charity banquet at church
-Performed in Disney World with Men’s Vocal Ensemble as an “All-Star Performer”
-1 school play (so far)</p>

<p>Average GPA: 4.13</p>

<p>Respond to this as you wish - I know that it can be a little bit pathetic to ask for "how to get into Harvard" advice on an internet forum, but I'm just pondering my future chances.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot!</p>

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<p>Everything looks fine. Just keep working hard in school and take the hardest core courses (math, science, language, english, history/social science) available plus ones that you're interested in (arts, computer programming, extra classes in any of the other categories, etc.). Keep up your activities and keep pursuing your interests. Next year (particularly in the spring), visit as many different schools as you can. Form a list of schools based on the environment you want (small/large, urban/rural, school spirit? sports? party school? geeky?), the academics you're interested in (looking for any particular major? programs? class size? TAs? AP credit?), extra stuff you want (music? club rugby? frats? close to home? far from home? square dancing club?), things your parents want, and cost. Make sure you have two schools to which you are very likely to be accepted as well as a financial safety. You should like these safety schools almost as much as you like all of your others, and you should definitely give them just as much thought. Aim for six or seven schools. I would suggest applying early action or rolling (to a safety, if possible) because it really does reduce stress. Make friends with your teachers and your GC. Even if you have an easy A in a class, respect the teacher and complete the assignments. Always be polite and friendly. Be OK with rejections and don't over-celebrate acceptences; your friends will be annoyed with both. Stay confident in yourself and your abilities. Try to stay calm and relaxed, and enjoy your high school years. Everything looks good to me, so stay on track, and I'm sure you'll end up happy come April of senior year.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice. I've only started to think about this a little bit, but I have found some cool ideas for college.</p>

<p>Music, as you can probably tell, is my biggest passion. I know it's something I want to pursue in my life, and it might even become my career. I don't want to sacrifice a liberal arts education, though. That's why the following has really intrigued me (I've only heard about these things from upperclassmen/parents):</p>

<p>Harvard/NEC dual degree program - You basically go to both schools and get a masters of music from New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of your choice major at Harvard (You finish it all in 5 years). I've heard great things about this program, but supposedly it is extremely difficult to get accepted into it (only 5-6 kids a year). It is even possible to be accepted into both NEC and Harvard and still be rejected from the program.</p>

<p>Tufts/NEC dual degree - Much like the one above, except less competitive and you only get a bahelor of music from NEC. It still sounds really neat, and Tufts is still a great school.</p>

<p>Columbia/Juilliard dual degree - basically the NY equivalent.</p>

<p>These are just alternative programs I've heard about that sound like they would be the perfect thing for me. To actually make it into the program is a difficult task. I still haven't even looked at what I should be looking at - solid schools that have the best of both worlds, as well as safety schools.</p>

<p>As for now, I'll just have to keep it up, and have some fun in high school!</p>

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<p>I'm writing a paper right now, so I can't give a really good response, but I want to give you a couple ideas.</p>

<p>First, go read the articles on the Johns Hopkins (<a href="http://www.jhu.edu%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.jhu.edu&lt;/a&gt;) website for their music Conservatory. They have some good articles on choices available and making the best one.</p>

<p>The Harvard/NEC program is very new, I think. I know a lot of people who have gone to NEC and done very well. I believe the program would be difficult to get into, though, as most dual degree programs are.</p>

<p>If you do a dual degree program, you should be getting a BM, probably. A major in music at, say, Harvard, will still give you a BA. At NEC or any other music school, you will be getting a BM or some similar degree. A Bachelor of Music is the degree you want to keep your eye on, if you want a degree in music. A masters is fine, of course.</p>

<p>I do not believe Columbia and Julliard have a dual degree program. They offer music instruction (lessons) after successfully auditioning. There is also, I think, a program with Julliard where you can get a BA from Columbia and a MM from Julliard. </p>

<p>There are some other schools you should consider. Johns Hopkins has a Conservatory and a five year (BA, BM) program. The University of Michigan, which could end up being a good match/safety, does, as well, and I think Northwestern does, too. These schools all have wonderful music programs at varying levels of competition. The competition, of course, depends on your level and your instrument, with which I am not familiar. They all also offer fantastic educations. A bunch of other schools offer these types of degrees and slightly different ones, and you should take a look at all of them. They include: Oberlin, Boston University, University of Indiana, University of Texas (I think!), Lawrence (It's a small school in MN but has a very good jazz program; I know someone who went here and loved it), and a bunch more. A lot of these last schools could be good matches and safeties for you, depending on how everything turns out later.</p>

<p>You may also be happy at a traditional school in an environment where you can play and learn a lot of music, even if your formal instruction is limited to private lessons, EC groups, and liberal arts music classes. </p>

<p>You have a while, so don't stress out. You will want to think about good pieces (different composers, time periods, tempos, whatever... I don't play much about jazz) for future auditions and a CD. You may also want to set up meetings with music faculty or possible teachers when you visit schools. You can also email music departments for any information/questions. Visiting colleges' websites is a great source of information, and you can look at their audition requirements to get an idea of what you'll be facing.</p>

<p>OK. Now I really need to go do my work!</p>

5

<p>What is your speech event?</p>

<p>What national event has only 200 competitors?</p>

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<p>I'm not absolutely certain, but I think corranged meant University of North Texas, not University of Texas. UNT's music program is excellent but I don't know much about UT's.</p>

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<p>It was Declamaion at the NCFL tournament, held in Milwaukee. It only has 200 competitors because all of the districts in the country had to go through qualifying tournaments a few months prior to the tournament, and only the top 5 kids in each category. Since there are about 40 districts (a little bit more), only around 200 kids qualify and get to compete at nationals.</p>

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<p>"If you do a dual degree program, you should be getting a BM, probably. A major in music at, say, Harvard, will still give you a BA. At NEC or any other music school, you will be getting a BM or some similar degree. A Bachelor of Music is the degree you want to keep your eye on, if you want a degree in music." </p>

<p>This is what the website says about the degree you would be getting:<a href="http://www.newenglandconservatory.edu/degrees/harvard.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.newenglandconservatory.edu/degrees/harvard.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It claims it gives an MM from NEC. What is the advantage of an MM vs. a BM? MM is more prestigious, correct?</p>

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<p>As a performer, the main difference between the MM (Master of Music) and BM (Bachelor of Mussic) is that you get an extra year to work with your teacher, prepare for auditions and use the school facilities before being turned loose to sink or swim in the real world. </p>

<p>In academic circles, someone with a Master's may get a slightly better salary than someone with a Bachelor's degree doing the same work. Some colleges and university require a PhD or DFA degree for tenure track faculty positions and the MM puts you one step closer to that than the BM.</p>

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<p>What I don't understand is that the NEC/Harvard and NEC/Tufts are both 5 year programs, yet the Harvard yields an MM from NEC, while the Tufts yields a BM from NEC. I'm assumig that the workload is much heavier in the Harvard/NEC prgram, which probably why it only accepts the best of the best (only 5-6 kids). I just seems odd that the Tufts/NEC program would result in a "lesser" degree.</p>

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<p>That's exactly what I meant, BassDad! I knew it had something to do with Texas.</p>

<p>With the MM vs. BM question, I think it generally depends on what your plans are for the future with music.</p>

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<p>The NEC/Tufts program is less intensive than the NEC/Harvard program.<br>
In the program with Harvard, you are taking the normal full load at Harvard plus adding a studio class at NEC. The studio lesson is only an hour per week but you will need to average at least 3-4 hours of practice per day to satisfy your teacher. The net result is kind of like taking a full load at Harvard while working 20 to 30 hours per week. You also have to pay full tuition to Harvard plus $6K per year to NEC for the first four years. Then in the fifth year, after you have graduated from Harvard, you complete the normal MM curriculum at NEC.</p>

<p>In the program with Tufts, you spread the course work for each school over five years. About 25% of a BM degree consists of liberal arts electives and about 25% of the requirements of the BA degree can be satisfied by music history and music theory classes. Therefore you need to do 75% of the work at each school because you are using some of the same classes to satisfy requirements at one school and electives at the other. That translates to about one extra course per semester over a normal workload.</p>

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<p>That's the very thing - my life is music, and it is my deepest passion. But the only problem is, I also love chemistry. Sacrificing my love for science or my love for music, in my inexperienced mind, isn't an option. That's why I really like the idea of dual degree. </p>

<p>I don't want to sink in too deep right now, because I'm only a sophomore, and I have no idea about "my chances" at Harvard, Tufts, NEC (or any other school for that matter) yet. </p>

<p>Right now, I've got to go get some guitar time in.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

14

<p>You've got plenty of time, but it is never too early to start choosing and practicing your audition material. </p>

<p>My daughter was in a similar situation, wanting to double major in music and math or physics. Even though Harvard is your dream, you might also want to consider some of the schools and combinations of schools that she investigated which happen to have jazz programs and chemistry:</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins / Peabody (read their article at <a href="http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/692%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/692&lt;/a> for a discussion of double degree programs)
Oberlin (They just got $5 million for a new home for the jazz dept.)
Carnegie Mellon</p>

<p>Although these do not have quite the same prestige factor with the general public, you will find some of the top jazz programs in the country (along with a chemistry department of some sort) at the following:
U. Miami
U. North Texas
Rutgers
U. Pittsburgh
Temple
U. Rochester / Eastman
U. Massachusetts at Amherst
William Paterson University</p>

15

<p>Dec at BCFLs only had 200 cmopetitors?</p>

<p>I was up there for extemp, that is a clean city</p>

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<p>I'm not familiar with "BCFLS." My team basically only does in state tournaments, aas well as the Columbia invitational and the National Catholic Forensic League National tournament.</p>

<p>All the categories had around 200 entries - but like I said, all of the districts had to go to qualifying tournaments months before the actual National tournament. I know in the two districts in MA there were about 40 kids, but only 10 kds get to compete at nationals (5 from each district).</p>

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<p>what's the title of the CD?</p>

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<p>The CD isn't signed or anything, I release it individually, and have a local music store selling it. The first one I did was entitled "Beginnings" and the second one, which I released this year, is entitled "Movin'."</p>