No big Trustee award for S18 at USC-Thornton, though he did receive a $10,000 music scholarship. It’s a great school, but SOOOO expensive.
D’s offer at NEC was abysmal. I could cry…
Oh no that stinks @SpartanDrew !
You have no idea. Ugh. If someone wanted to place bets on where D ends up in college I would tell you that the Vegas odds are getting crazier day by day! 100 to 1 odds at the moment on the final school choice… :-((
Ugh! @SpartanDrew But maybe the poor offer will help her narrow down the list.
On the west coast, I understand that Cal State Long Beach has a good Jazz program. Don’t know anything about drums though.
We are waiting to find out about scholarships from my D’s top choices. However, they are all in state options and we were told to “please compare the COA, not the size of the scholarship.” At Long Beach, they actually said “you may get $1500 from us and 20k$ from a private but please compare your total cost when making your choice.”
It certainly did @BearHouse
@SpartanDrew Silver linings aren’t all that great…but…at least it might be a stress reducer.
The message to compare your individual COAs (vs. your scholarships) might seem obvious but can easily get overlooked because big, beautiful scholarship numbers can be so ego-boosting and starry-eye-making…so I love that simple reminder to compare apples to apples. Also, it’s not a bad idea to look more deeply into each institution’s starting-point COA breakdowns–many include expenses that may or may not apply to your individual student/situation and might need to be tweaked accordingly (travel, computer/software needs, housing and meal plan choices, etc.). Speaking of travel, don’t forget to factor in potential travel costs (remembering holiday flight rate surges, etc.), possible weather complications and time for farther-away options (will 3- or 4-day weekends be reasonably doable, for instance?)–not only for your student to come home for holidays/breaks but also for you and your family to visit for family weekends, concerts, graduations, etc., if that’s something you’re hoping to be able to accommodate. Lots to consider!
I’m getting more and more nervous as Vanderbilt scholarships come out at 5:30pm CST… just over 30 minutes to go!! :((
Welcome to April Angst. Thank you for the memories @bridgenail . That was quite a thread last year!
I just found this article helpful as we get closer to finding out numbers and feeling a little disappointed in the fact that things may not work out as planned for us. Part of me just wants to say-- Lets just pay for it and get the huge loan. It will be a good investment and it will be where he wants to be. But then I have to remember that it is a Music degree and any degree should not make life stressful. I am sure the last two schools will not be sharing info until later this week so we still have lots of waiting and deciding to do.
Congratulations on so many great admissions results in this thread! And best of luck to those still waiting for further notifications and financial info. While it’s been a while for me, I remember the April Angst (and my son took the entire month to decide). The decision of which offer to accept is a uniquely personal one, of course, but I’ll offer a few general observations for what they’re worth:
- I’m convinced there’s almost never a single “right” choice. So much of success in music is determined by inner drive and passion, and if you have that, I think you’ll be able to thrive and develop in many different environments.
- In my mind, the main things to look for are a community of teachers and fellow musicians who will inspire you and a sense of comfort with the environment.
- Graduating with little or no debt is important to the ability to pursue music full time after college (or graduate school). It is possible to be a self-supporting musician, but it’s hard, and it’s much harder with a significant debt overhang. How much any family is able/willing to pay is part of the uniquely personal decision. But to the extent one is tempted to go into significant debt for the unaffordable “dream” school, see observation 1 above. And the article @musicdm just linked.
- Don’t hesitate to take until the end of April to decide. If the decision is clear earlier, that’s great, and if you’ve ruled out a school, let them know as soon as you can (which may help someone on a waitlist or someone admitted who is trying to negotiate for more money at the school). But when it comes down to the final choices, you should gather as much information as you can and take as much time as you need (within the decision deadlines, of course). Revisits can be useful if they’re logistically and financially possible, but if they’re not, the newly admitted student can usually arrange phone calls with current students, and possibly with faculty, who can help answer questions and provide a sense of life at the school.
- Once your S or D has made the decision, don’t second guess or look back. Focus on moving forward and get excited about the next stage in the journey!
Just got an amazing need based scholarship from Vanderbilt. I think that’s how they do it? I’ve emailed the admissions guy to see how much it changes with fluctuation in income, but does anyone out there know???
Ok here is a question for the seasoned pros out there. Can anyone out there either comment or PM me if you have been successful with appeals or at least matching offers? I’m hearing appeal appeal appeal but then not hearing that there has been a lot of success with that…I don’t want to put a lot of stress and energy into something that will not likely have a positive outcome.
@NYsaxmom - Need based aid does fluctuate with a change of income or number of students in college. In general, if they met or exceeded your EFC it will be similar in coming years - but your EFC could change substantially with circumstances. However, usually if they’re meeting need with grants/scholarships rather than loans, that doesn’t change. You could ask the financial aid office. One of the delights of merit based vs need based - and I put two through college with each kind - is you needn’t worry about actually getting a better paying job or a windfall, which is a relief! But it’s unlikely if they’re generous this year, if your circumstances don’t change significantly, that they will not continue to be generous in future years. (There was one school in the past that had such a reputation, founded or not, but Vanderbilt wasn’t that one.)
I’m envious of all of you who have moved onto the next phase - comparing offers and trying to make a decision. We are STILL waiting for MM admission decisions, ugh. Anybody else still waiting too?
Congratulations to all of your kids!!! There are some really impressive admissions and many exciting choices to be made.
My 2 cents for parents of kids making undergrad decisions - remember that most instrumental music majors will also go on to grad school. It’s just as expensive. Having no undergrad debt is a huge gift allows for more flexibility later.
@NYsaxmom Maybe run the net price calculator with various numbers and see what you come up with. I do know that if the number of children you have in college decreases it could change significantly.
@SpartanDrew Yes, we were successful four years ago when comparing undergrad offers. He started with admissions department and then notified studio teacher that it was his first choice school, but also the most expensive option. They increased merit award by $2K/yr. Then, sophomore year he requested another increase, which was again successful. Senior year merit award was increased as well.
@SpartanDrew One more thing… As the May 1 deadline drew closer, some of the kids we knew received unsolicited increases in merit offers. Wish I could PM you with more info, but I’m a new member.
Thank you all. I do have another child in college and that won’t change as he is part time and will probably be there as long as she is!! I know our income went up a bit in 2017 but have no idea if it’s enough to significantly change the aid. I certainly won’t go looking for a better paying job for a few years!!