<p>Let me jump in the fray here. Son is a cello performance major at Eastman. Eastman is an excellent school with a great reputation. Son has done very well there and we all feel confident as he enters his senior year that he really does have a career ahead of him. That being said, his success is much more a product of his hard work and his teacher than anything else. A lot of top teachers teach at top schools. And these schools accept top students, but I don't think we can really say that the school attended is the reason that the student is successful. </p>
<p>Let me give you an example. One of the top cello teachers in the country is Janos Starker at IU. He has been there for many years. It is very difficult to get into his studio, especially as an undergrad. Many of the top performing cellists in the world today have studied with him at some point. So IU can rightfully claim that their students have won awards and have top positions in chamber groups and orchestras. However, those students didn't go to IU because it was IU, they went there to study with Starker. And many of them were highly accomplished cellists before they even walked through the door. </p>
<p>It is possible that my son's Eastman credential and the name of the teacher he studies with will get him invited for some auditions, but other than that, I don't know if it will matter all that much that he attended Eastman instead of some other school.</p>