@Bearhouse - from what I’ve read on Grown and Flown - UC Santa Cruz, Davis etc. have become the new Berkeley, USC and UCLA’s. It has gotten terribly competitive down to these UC’s. In fact, I have read of more than one student with 4.2+ gpas, crazy high SAT’s (e.g. 1400 to 1500’s) that did not get in - so your D is not alone. It funny - but we moved back to CA last year so that our other D (the non-musical triplet) could go to a CA college - but since she’s not a superstar academic, it’s not going to happen. Thankfully she discovered aviation so she will likely go that route out of state. Otherwise, I’d be biting my nail about now.
SpartanDrew - that’s interesting that this thread started a year ago today! I feel a bit like that dew eyed newbie that posted the 40% Frost post. Except, reading your experiences in the last month or so has lifted the pink cloud a bit. I feel more informed going into it - and considerably sobered.
Who do we have on here that has a junior musician? I know DrumDad - anyone else? We should come up with a thread name to carry forth the torch. I happen to love SpartanDrew’s thread name - but maybe we can be equally creative and descriptive?
Like Yertle - I come on here everyday to see how you are all doing with the decisions.
What are some of the biggest surprises that you all have experienced thus far? (both good and bad)?
I have a junior musician! and I check in on the senior kids’ news daily too 
@tripletmama the new thread with similar name has been started by @akapiratequeen!! I did a double take at first when I saw it thinking it was this thread renamed lol. Which it kind of is!
One thing about these long threads- and there is a new one for next year- is that a lot of great info gets buried for newbies unless they read the entire thread. Which is tough. And there are fewer threads in general on the forum which also affects new people. I know the chat room aspect is fun but a lot of connections can happen via PM”s. I just wonder if there is a better way to serve those seeking information.
it’s really not that difficult to navigate and find info you might be looking for. I could easily search through @GoForth journal this year when I was looking for thing specific to dates on prescreens etc. Anyway, I think there is enough info on here that at the very least if next year’s parents are looking for something they can PM people from this thread to ask.
Maybe the search function will help-? If it goes to posts about specific topics within the thread.
I do think some posters on this thread might want to think about posting their own thread for a question they have.
I always envisioned that each willing person would have a journal. With other thread topics as normal, plus journals.
I think someone needs to write a book! It would be nice to have an index with the different schools and experiences of each person. I know it changes and different for each major but it is still good to go through. I do have a question and maybe it was answered already. If we are certain that we do not want to attend an acceptance should go ahead and take it off the list officially. I hate to do that so soon but at the same time I feel there is really no sense in keeping it on especially if they can distribute the merit award elsewhere.
D ha so formally declined 4 of her 8 acceptances. And she should honestly decline 2 more but one is her best COA and I don’t want her to take it seriously for the list just yet but do want to free up scholarship money for others. I’m hopeful we will have some answers within the next week.
@musicdm, a nice email to the studio teacher in contact or the dean of admissions will suffice. It worked for my D.
@tripletmama I agree. The UCs are nuts. But she was admitted to UCI and UCSB which are both more selective than Santa Cruz. However, UCI and UCSB music departments have pull on the admission process. My D was admitted early to UCI with the Honors and Regent students. She was nowhere near the academics for those honors.
So for future music students applying to UCs. UCLA, Irvine and Santa Barbara appear to have pull in admitting the students they want even if you are in the lower quartile for grades/scores. Santa Cruz does not.
We are still waiting on two decisions. Sad trombone sound. What an anticlimactic way to begin April. We go for a campus visit next week. D is going to NYC with her theatre class later in the month, and I will meet her there at the end of the trip to visit either 1,2, or 3 schools, depending on how those last two decisions go. So it appears we will be right down to the wire this year, just like we were last year with S.
sad trombone sound is right!!! I can’t even believe that. Keep us posted!
I second @SpartanDrew …and I can have the sad trombone sound as that is what my son who lives with us plays :))
We too are waiting to hear from one school and then hear back from appeal at another. Was really hoping we’d be done by now
Hey guys, in case you missed it I started a new thread specifically on appeals. Please post your experiences on it whether you are a parent of a kid currently in college that has already done this or those of us in the midst of it now. It will help us who are going through it now as well as those in the future.
I can’t find next year’s thread (by akapiratequeen)? At any rate, in following suit with GoForth’s vision, I started a Journal of our daughter’s tours, pre-screens, etc. called “A Jazzy Journal…” which I realized that given our daughter’s history of changing genres may not be descriptive in a few months
Did you all know that there is a live piano that seems to be on the overhead speaker in the Amsterdam airport? I thought it was canned music - but I think it’s actually passengers who stop to play. What a wonderful thing! Loving it. (except kids have managed to find it - so not so much right now). We are on our way to Glasgow (where my hubby is from) for a few days following by a work trip for me in Capetown - never been there - looking forward to it!
I hope to read about decisions here soon. Our daughter’s first tour may be announced today. She finds out if she gets the Berklee Women in Jazz Scholarship - which would be her first longish college tour if she gets it. I’ll post the results over on “Jazzy”.
Good luck to everyone in the midst of decisions. The end is in sight!
Hi @tripletmama — here’s the link!
@tripletmama we passed through Amsterdam a few weeks ago but we were rushed through so quickly we had no time to notice a piano. There was an upright piano near our gate at Heathrow back in September. We sat and watched people walk by. One guy stopped. Poked at it a bit, maybe to see if it was in tune. He finally sat down and played–beautifully.
ONLY 3 more weeks and few days until it’s all done!
ENJOY these last few months…before you know it your home will be much more quiet…I still miss my D’s singing filling our house.