<p>D is in the process of filling out her application to USC Thornton School of music. She is not sure what the "Statement of Objective" is. It is located in the Music application supplement. Any idea what she should include on this? Is it a one sentence response or a well thought out essay on objectives in musical life.....or...something else entirely? She/we are not sure how to proceed!</p>
<p>When unsure, the best thing to do is consult the source. I would suggest calling the admissions folks at Thornton and asking them directly. The page [USC</a> Thornton School of Music : Admission](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/schools/music/admission/]USC”>http://www.usc.edu/schools/music/admission/) contains two phone numbers and an email address.</p>
<p>Please, if you really need to call the school, your D needs to make the call. A parent inquiring about what to write on an application, any part of it, will be viewed negatively by the admissisions office and this is not the type of attention one desires! If she is tied up after schooll with activities and gets home late, the guidance office in the HS usually will permit her to use their line to make a college-related call, or she could use her cell phone during lunch or a study hall-again, the guidance office provides a quieter atmosphere in which to conduct business.</p>
<p>I found it! I thought I would post it in case someone else wants a brief explanation also. Mezzomom, thanks for the idea about calling from school. I was ready to call USC myself just to “help” D get everything done. Thank goodness I read your post before I did that! Note to self…stop helping!</p>
<p>Statement of Objectives
Applicants are encouraged to prepare a brief statement of their professional goals, as well as their purpose in applying for the particular program.</p>
<p>You’re doing fine, MuppetMom! Another note- when they say “brief”, it means a paragraph, not a one-liner and not a novella (This from the mom of a D who thinks that the hardest part of a writing assignment is paring it down to fit the criteria!). Keep copies of everything because she can often use them on other applications. But, remember, if something is used for more than one school, check to MAKE SURE that the name of the school is correct!! It sounds so simple, but each year, admissions offices are treated to the humor of, " I just know that School A is a perfect fit for me…"- but it is being read by School B. Another one for the circular file!</p>
<p>Yes, certainly the applicant should ask the question. It had not even occurred to me that a parent would do that. If the parent and student agree that the parent is going to help with some of the grunt work, the parent should only do the background stuff. Make copies, look up minor details like email addresses or phone numbers, keep records, drive them to some of their appointments so that they can sleep or do homework in the car, compare notes with the other parents and students here on CC, that sort of thing. </p>
<p>I understand how busy the last couple of years of high school can get, and I did indeed help my own daughter with such tasks. Still, anything admissions-related that involves direct contact with someone at the school really should be handled by the student. There are financial aid issues where both the student and parent(s) may need to be involved, but that sort of thing usually happens after the admissions decision has been made.</p>
<p>I agree with Mezzo’sMama that “brief” does not mean a one-liner or a novella. It could be handled in one well-crafted paragraph if your daughter’s writing tends to be terse. Many schools use two separate questions to deal with the issues of career goals and “Why this school?”. Unless Thornton specified a hard upper limit for the length of the response, I do not think the people reading her application would mind a focused half page or so if your daughter tends to give longer responses to open-ended questions. This is one way for her personality to come across to those making the decisions.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s the end of the world for the parent to contact the admissions office. I did - for logistical purposes - scheduling auditions, visits, etc - (although the meetings with professors were scheduled exclusively by my son.) And if I had some questions I knew my son wouldn’t ask. Usually the boring kind. I left all contact with professors to him - except, somehow I too ended up corresponding with a few (usually because of a contact in the music world who suggested I get in touch with them for advice.) I never had any interchange with a professor where I was trying to ‘sell’ my kid - I was always just trying to find out about the program and the fit. I don’t think anyone minded or felt I was being too pushy a parent. But maybe I’m misleading myself!</p>