UK student interested in UCLA ethnomusicology

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm a student from the UK and I've recently been thinking about university, I'm a little older as I went through sixth form before going to a music course at my local college (UK college, nothing to do with university) it's a popular music course and I'm doing pretty well in it, especially on the performance side where I've gained a lot of distinctions.</p>

<p>I got a B in a level maths and have some pretty decent GCSE's. I play electric bass, and I'm saving for an upright bass and going to take lessons and try and improve my theory (only started learning theory September last year and the course isn't very heavy on it). I've been playing bass for about 3 years now and I'm getting better pretty fast though I've been getting lazy a bit lately (planning on stepping it up a gear now), I never played and instruments or had much to do with music apart from listening to a lot of it before I started playing bass. I listen to a variety of styles and have tried my hand at them but there aren't many people to help here.</p>

<p>I looked at a few places and I'm definitely applying to some american universities mainly in California as I've been there a couple of times and really liked it. Just wanted to know everything I could about what my chances are on getting in and what could help as I'd really like to go to UCLA because it looks amazing.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your help.</p>

2

<p>What are your career goals? UCLA has a fine program, and Ethnomusicology is an interesting topic, but there are really only two jobs for ethnomusicologists: 1. Be a music librarian or 2. Be a professor of Ethnomusicology. So you better have a career plan B in mind as well.</p>

3

<p>Hmm, maybe rethink this, if it’s possible I’d go, but I’ve come off the high of researching the place and been checking out tuition etc, and it’s insane, slight chance I could afford it on a wing and a prayer if I was amazingly lucky but I’m doubtful, if I won the lottery or something, then we’d be talking, any advice on more affordable universities in california with decent music programmes?</p>

<p>In terms of career goals it was the usual of maybe session work/performing musician sort of thing, pretty much a long-shot sort of thing, thought there’d be some decent opportunities in LA, and going to university was to serve the purpose of broadening my musical horizons as well as getting the university experience that I always wanted, and with UCLA having such a big campus I thought that was a pretty good place to go, plus the campus looked awesome and I heard the ethnomusicology degree was really good.</p>