<p>As many of you anxiously wait for news on acceptances, I hesitate to even pose this question. </p>
<p>S heard from all of his schools and has some excellent options for the fall to study music ed/sax. One of his options is Ohio State. We were caught off guard on this one...S thought is was his worst audition, and, since they want to net just 2 freshmen on the classical side, he was not expecting an acceptance letter. </p>
<p>Now we are catching up on the research. We know the school's reputation, and S will go back in a couple of weeks for a lesson with the professor. Assuming they click, OSU would be one of his top choices. </p>
<p>My concern is the size of the school. I'm told that music students are fairly self contained and that even the introductory general education courses don't necessarily have 100's of students in a lecture hall. He was also accepted to the Arts Scholars program. </p>
<p>We're told that since music schools are universes unto themselves, the size of the overall campus shouldn't be that much of a concern. At the beginning of the process, we eliminated schools because they were too big. But OSU is a short drive, so he applied and auditioned there. </p>
<p>I would appreciate any thoughts on the subject, and any suggestions of specific things to look for on our next visit to the campus. </p>
<p>Some prefer large, some small. Logistics: distance from dorm to music building, performance/rehearsal venues and practice rooms may be a concern for some. Class times vis a vis getting from one end of the campus to the other can be an issue. Wife was a “food and nuts” major at UCONN and every year her classes were spread all over creation. The School of Allied Heath where the bulk of her classes were was well off the beaten path. D had similar concerns with her specialization, and did not choose U New Hampshire because of it. </p>
<p>Larger equals more diversity, and while it is true music majors may “hang” together it can be equally true that social groups can be distinct and encompass students from non-music classes, dorms, suitemates. Son was at a much smaller conservatory within a university setting and chose to take the bulk of his non music academic coursework within the university, not the conservatory, yet his circle of friends was completely music centric.</p>
<p>Larger may yield more distractions, and at the same time offer more opportunities.</p>
<p>This is really a “know your kid” choice.</p>
<p>Some specific Ohio State threads and post links:</p>
<p>D is a junior at Ohio State. Although the campus is large on paper (acreage wise), only a small percentage of that is used by the undergraduates and most of it is lumped together. Is your son eligible for Honors or interested in one of the Learning Communities? That helps with the dorm situation.</p>
<p>We have been very pleased with OSU. They are on a quarter system now but changing in Fall 2012. D is studying today for finals. I can ask her in a few days about music.</p>
<p>Oh, is your S interested in the marching band? They have one there. ;-)</p>