Updat: Suggestions for quirky music-crazed D

Parents Forum
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<p>A year ago I posted a query about college suggestions for my quirky, opinionated, music-obsessed D, and at that time I received some great ideas. Now it's a year later, and we're finalizing that college list and making our last round of summer visits - so I'm back for some fine-tuning.</p>

<p>To recap: D is now a rising senior at a competitive suburban high school. Unweighted GPA is a 3.75 (school weights very slightly, so her weighted GPA is about a 3.8) with a schedule of honors and AP classes. Her ACT score was a 29 (SAT scores were a tad lower, so she's submitting ACTs only.) As the title suggests - above-average student but no powerhouse by CC standards. She should have great teacher recs, too.</p>

<p>ECs aren't plentiful but there's depth/passion there - she works for her school's radio station (on air broadcasting and as the promotions director -her real love) and she will be a Gold Award girl scout by the end of next semester (her project involves organizng rock concerts to raise "donations" of toys and musical instruments for preschools.) Lots of community service hours as well. If attending concerts by obscure up-and-coming bands were a sport, she'd have earned the letter long ago. Think edgy, off-beat (not tattooed or pierced, just the attitude), with a dry sense of humor.</p>

<p>She's looking for a medium-to-large sized urban college (or even a large state university) but no LACs (I tried, but in general, no luck..) Right now she's interested in business/marketing but realizes that could change. (Her dream is to some day work for an indie recording label, but bless her little pragmatic heart, she's also developing other contingecy plans.) She does not want to remain in-state, so knock out any Michigan schools (<em>sigh</em>). Financial aid would be much appreciated but is not required.</p>

<p>Current colleges on her short list: DePaul (her safety, I think, which she absolutely loves), Loyola (Chicago), Northwestern (reach only - probably too preppy for her anyway), Ohio State, Northeastern, Boston University, and Emerson (the outlier - visited, liked the kids, afraid it may be too restricted in focus.)</p>

<p>Schools she's already rejected: Visited NYU, loved it, but decided on her own that it's too expensive; University of Georgia; Wisconsin (lukewarm, don't know why); and just about every LAC I dragged her to. </p>

<p>She's also thinking about the University of Miami (talked to them at a college fair and came away interested in their music business program) and maybe Drexel.</p>

<p>So - any other suggestions? Recommendations? Warnings? Thanks!</p>

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<p>I was going to suggest U of Miami. My son sounds so much like your daughter. Into the edgy music scene and concerts are his life. He is at UM and he is planning on minoring in the Music Industry major. His dream is also to work on an edgy music label.</p>

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<p>Scout, I don't have any expertise, but your D sounds really great. I think the radio station & music promotion is very interesting. Also, it's not something done to build a resume.</p>

<p>How about Montclair State U in NJ? <a href="http://www.montclair.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.montclair.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>They have a broadcasting department, a great music department, communications /public relations majors. Also, it's only 12 miles west of Manhattan. I didn't attend, but they were known for holding great concerts. Just off the top of my head, I remember seeing Joe Jackson there. Also the Boomtown Rats. (I'm dating myself.)</p>

<p>My BIL was a DJ on their radio station, and he had freedom to choose his own format. He did a big bands show & a punk show. Their performaing arts department is well regarded, too. So there is a great vitality on campus with artists both attending & visiting.</p>

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<p>My daughter already has a graduate degree in obscure up-and-coming bands. She has an old friend who sounds very much like your daughter at Boston University, and (at last report) she was happy and engaged in her business program and radio activities there. For what it's worth, she decided to go top BU at the last minute because her COA after aid there was much lower than at NYU.</p>

<p>She also thought hard about Drexel, which frankly sounds perfect for your daughter. It is working hard to build up its music business program. It's medium-to-large size, urban, and although regional attracts pretty strong students. It's also cheek-by-jowl with Penn and Center City Philadelphia, so the amount of student-oriented stuff going on far exceeds what Drexel could generate on its own. Finally, one of the great advantages of Philadelphia for someone like your daughter is the strength of its all-ages indie rock scene. Thanks to the efforts of one heroic promoter, there is no shortage of relatively cheap, high-quality all-ages rock shows, and most of the venues he uses are actually walking distance from Drexel. (If you saw the last episode of The Gilmore Girls, it included a shout-out to his church-basement shows as one of the legendary places for bands to play on the East Coast; all the others were 21+ clubs.)</p>

<p>One indie-rock mecca not already on your list is Austin, Texas. Texas OOS might be a reach for her, but I'm sure she would love being there. My daughter thought long and hard about applying there, for that reason only.</p>

<p>If you want to keep trying with an LAC, how about Reed? Also a reach, but it's in Portland, and that's another place that indie kids love.</p>

<p>And the last, most obvious place is LA, which has a college or two in or around it. I know nothing about the music/business programs at any of them, but I'm morally certain they exist.</p>

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<p>Not sure if anyone mentioned this in this or earlier thread, but check out "Schools That Rock" from the library--there's quite a bit of detailed info about which schools have degrees in the business of music, along with info about which towns have the best music scene. There's a bit of the book on Rolling Stone's website but not anywhere near what's in the actual book. Agree about UT Austin. I just met a young man (can you tell I'm a mom?) in NYC who works for a CD packaging company--he also photographs performances at South by Southwest and he said that's his absolute favorite week of the year.</p>

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<p>Don't know if it matters to your D, but Boston is much more "under 21" friendly than Chicago. Until very recently, we lived in Boston, have our D going to college in Chicago and lived there last year, so we speak with a bit of authority. Chicago is much more oriented to young adults in their 20s and 30s. Fake IDs for the under 21 set are very useful. </p>

<p>Boson, OTOH, has so many under 21s that there is a club scene oriented to them.</p>

<p>Both towns do have a diverse music scene, but Boston also has Berklee. Your D might look at whether she could take any classes there if she enrolls at either BU or Northeastern.</p>

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<p>Here is a list from the Princeton Review for schools with the Best College Radio:</p>

<p>Emerson
St. Bonaventure U
DePauw
Ithaca
Siena
Oberlin
Brown
Seton Hall
Guilford
Knox
Puget Sound
Evergreen State College
Carleton
Whitman
Howard
Skidmore
Reed
Alfred
Swarthmore
Manhattanville</p>

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<p>I have to put a plug in for Loyola New Orleans.</p>

<p>It is the only Jesuit university with a College of Music. There is an excellent Music Industries major in which the students also take classes in the College of Business.</p>

<p>In terms of facilities, the website gives the following overview:</p>

<p>-Acoustically-treated faculty studios and individual practice rooms. </p>

<p>-Two computer-assisted piano laboratories designed to allow class instruction on individual electronic piano keyboards. </p>

<p>-An electronic music studio with the latest in electronic instruments, computers, and synthesizers.</p>

<p>-A state-of-the-art recording studio designed to produce professional quality recordings of individuals or ensembles.</p>

<p>-A computerized music theory laboratory with workstations designed to give students access to the latest composition and music theory software and electronic equipment.</p>

<p>-A multi-media training center with 15 multi-media stations, each consisting of a powerful computer with large LCD monitor, MIDI keyboard and interface, VCR, 8-track digital audio tape recorder, 16 channel audio mixing console, 24 channels of computer-based recording, state-of-the-art software, plus a teacher station with overhead video projector, sound system, laser printer and other audio equipment. The facility provides training in music theory, musicianship, improvisation, music technology, MIDI, analog and digital audio production, Internet and web site design, interactive graphics, video production, music education, and instructional design and delivery.</p>

<p>The university is mid-sized and New Orleans is in much better shape than it appears from TV reports (I've visited three times since Katrina). </p>

<p>Here is the College of Music website:</p>

<p><a href="http://music.loyno.edu/facilities.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://music.loyno.edu/facilities.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Also check out the universitites you are considering at <a href="http://www.studentsreview.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.studentsreview.com/&lt;/a>
at each school click on the student comments. I think you can get some good insight into the students opinions of the school overall and what to expect at different colleges. It is another resource in the overall scheme of things.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the (quick) replies. I especially appreciate the feedback about Miami (D is visiting in the fall) and Drexel. D has heard about the more restrictive (age-wise) concert/club scene in Chicago, which is one of the reasons why she is considering Boston and Philadelphia. (I keep trying to tell her NOT to pick a college based on the availability of concerts, but did I mention that she's very stubborn, too?)</p>

<p>She is interested in UT because of South by Southwest (again, picking schools based on concerts) but I'm not sure she could get in, not that I'd tell her that. She does have a copy of "Schools that Rock", neumes, which is actually how I got her to consider Ohio State (good review.) That, and the fact that Van's Warped Tour originates in Columbus.</p>

<p>And thank you, StickerShock, for the comment about my D. To be honest, I wasted some time early on obsessing over her grades and scores (poor child, to be the only offspring of a recovering valedictorian!) It took me a while to REALLY accept the CC mantra - love the child you have. Hey, without my D, my life's soundtrack would have been much blander!</p>

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<p>Hey, Jazz Drum - I never considered New Orleans (and I'll bet D hasn't either!) Loyola sounds interesting; thanks for the head's up. I'll forward the link to my daughter.</p>

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<p>If you're considering New Orleans, look into Tulane also. S did an apprenticeship this past year for their radio station, WTUL. He has been to many concerts and it is a great music town. Not sure about how much indie though. He had to do one semester (Katrina) at Univ of GA and he did mention there was a bigger alternative music scene in Athens than in NOLA.</p>

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<p>If BU and NYU were contenders, what about GWU? There is a lot of overlap in terms of size and stats. While DC is not NYC or Boston in terms of music, the school is so diverse that there's lots of interest in music.</p>

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<p>I will second Loyola New Orleans and (if she is an accomplished musician)
take a look at Cal Arts in So Cal.</p>

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<p>I was also going to suggest both Loyola and Tulane in New Orleans. Good chance of merit money at Tulane as well.</p>

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<p>I've heard Belmont in Nashville has a really good Music Business program and one of the best college radio stations. It's not a big state U, but it's in a big music city...</p>

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<p>Also, Tulane and Loyola students can cross-register. I don't know what the extent/limits are.</p>

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<p>i was going to suggest the university of georgia.. they have a great business school (terry) for her majors in marketing....</p>

<p>athens, ga also as named the top music college town! if she really enjoys indie... i think she would really love it there.</p>

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<p>If concerts are that important to your daughter then picking a college based on availability of concerts nearby makes sense to me. We moved from Boston to WA 2 years ago. I used to take my kids to concerts all the time (currently ages 11-15). It's SO much harder here. All the groups we want to see play in BARS here. Very frustrating. I think we'd almost prefer to have NO music scene at all here as opposed to knowing that our favorite groups come to town but are impossible for us to see.</p>

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<p>Thanks again for the tips about Tulane, Belmont, and Georgia (we did look at Georgia - D liked the music stuff but was lukewarm about the school itself. Go figure.) Looks like I can add a few more schools to her spreadsheet of possibles!</p>

<p>eg1: interesting comment about the accessibility of concerts. We live near Detroit. Despite all the bad press and awful stories one hears about the city (much of which is true), you can't really complain about the concert offerings: a pretty wide variety of music in venues that are almost always open to all ages. D has yet to miss a concert due to her age (although there have been times when her dad accompanied her, due to the scruffiness of the neighborhood!)</p>