Well, I have posted before about our daughter. She was accepted at all 5 schools she applied for Music Education: Fredonia, Potsdam (crane), Univ Akron, Ohio State and Nazareth. So after a lot of consternation, she locked into Crane and was looking forward to going and we sent in our deposit, etc. Then Covid happened! Now there is a valid concern that the SUNY Schools will not be open in the Fall (at least person to person like a Music Ed student would need). My wife is convinced Cuomo will not open SUNY schools in the fall without a vaccine. I am not so convinced. Anyway, now our daughter is panicking and is giving NAZ another look. She did get a significant amount of financial aid from NAZ (although still about 9K/year more than crane).
She does not want to do a GAP year or semester and wants to start in the fall 2020 like a lot of kids do. NAZ indicated that they plan to open in the fall since it is a private school but those plans are fluid and they still need to adhere to NY state health guidelines. Anyway, we need to decide by June 1 and are really in a quandary.
Are there any thoughts in NAZ vs Crane? She did like NAZ but thought it was a little stiff for her…But if it is better for music Ed we do not want her to sell herself short and go to a potentially better school.
Thanks for any input to walk me back from the ledge.
Dave
My sympathies. What a time to be a young person - or their parents!
Can you get info from both schools about their placement for music ed grads? In the end, even if by a non-standard path, we have to assume that our young people will graduate and get jobs in their fields. I would be looking at that job placement as a major factor in the current environment.
Every school is likely to be operating under far from normal circumstances for the near term - I don’t know if looking simply at the short term - what fall will hold - is the best view. I would be trying to look longer term - will the diploma from one school ultimately be of more value for future job prospects than the other? It may be that it is better to accept restrictions for fall that are less than ideal if the end result is a more “valuable” (for lack of a better word) diploma.
Having said that, I know nothing of Nazareth. I do know, through the years, that Crane and Freedonia have had excellent reputations for music ed. I don’t know anyone currently in either program, so can’t be specific.
Good luck. There are often families on this board with kids at Crane and Potsdam. Maybe they will chime in.
It’s hard right now but I agree with the idea of looking at the long term. Online classes will be much improved over the emergency remote versions. Lessons can be virtual. So that leaves performance as the missing element,I guess. We are all dealing with uncertainty but many of us hope that the schools kids are committed to will make a way for things to work.
Thanks for the responses. Over the last 6 months, we have been doing a TON of research into music schools and Fred and crane are always mentioned. Especially in these forums and they are mostly positive. We preached to our daughter that we really should focus on keep that college debt down and save it up for grad school. And we live in NYS and the SUNY schools are so good. So those are the main reasons she liked Potsdam and she did get a good vibe there.
But the issue we have now is my wife really wants her to go to NAZ for a variety of reasons such as more opportunities in the area, more things to do, closer to home, etc. Honestly, those are things I really do not think about and am really keying off what our daughter wants. But my wife thinks NAZ is a better option. And our daughter likes NAZ too but I think she likes Potsdam better but is concerned about missing the fall.
Anyway, I see very little if anything mentioned in these forums about NAZ music school specifically education. I know this is just one forum/site but I have noticed it in other places as well. I am just not sure what to make of that.
Anyway, I agree with you about the long term thinking. We have a friend who went to NAZ for the exact same thing and LOVED it. Super passionate.
We are kinda up against the wall at this point as to where to go. June 1st is in 2 weeks and we have no idea if any colleges will be open. And perhaps SUNY will open. However, based on what I have been reading (and a feeling I have) distance learning will be the plan for the Fall. And for a music ed student, this will likely not be ideal due to performances and such. She can use this semester to get her lib arts stuff out of the way. I suppose we can look at it that way. But I hate to see her dreams crushed like this.
I know it feels like that, but her dreams are not crushed! Whether classes are in person, online, or hybrid, there will be ways to do lessons, music classes, maybe even performance. And while it seems the virus may be with us forever, over the long term (hopefully after this year) things will be okay. I hope she chooses as if there was no virus, but that’s me.
Hi Dave, I’m sorry you’re in this situation! The SUNY schools, at least Purchase where my sons are,(my oldest is having his “virtual commencement” today), are looking at lots of options, including “floating block” classes, starting later in the fall and having only a short holiday break, starting remotely for some majors and allowing others, (pitched for the conservatory programs), on campus to allow for more distancing with necessary in-person instruction etc. Really, right now, everything is on the table.
It is unfortunate that your decision MUST happen in 2 weeks, as things are so changeable week by week. I don’t know much about NAZ, but I think it is safe to say they will have a different teaching/campus model next fall as well, even though private. And location-wise, if opening and restrictions are based on regional numbers, Crane up in North Country seems like a good place to be. If your D is having second thoughts based on other factors-location etc., that is valid, but I’d discourage changing schools based on speculation about how each will handle the public health guidelines, given they are both in NYS.
Best of luck to you and your D! And know that whatever she decides will work out just fine!
Another person with two cents and some time to share: There is no sure way to know that Nazareth will open in-person or virtually in the fall. It really doesn’t matter if it’s private or state-run. What matters is the virus. My kid is going to Eastman and all kinds of scenarios for the fall have been presented, with the caveat that none will be locked in on until nearer September when we know what the virus is doing. Northern New York State is a pretty safe place to be, as far as the virus goes, if that’s a worry. (But of course, most schools–especially the privates–have students coming in from all over.) But, schools in areas of California that have very little covid activity have made an early decision to have fall online classes. My point: Every single school in the world is a crap shot—at least as far as how classes will be held. I think all of us will need to look at our children’s education long-term, because there is no reliable short term.
Pottsdam is a very fine program, as is Fredonia. The SUNY’s have the benefit of systems and I know that if online learning is ever needed in the future (and it may well be, given this virus may come back in 2021 and again in 2022), I am sure the SUNYs will be well-set up.
All of that said, if Nazareth is the place she wants to be, awesome. But she should be prepared for all the same craziness there, that every other school is dealing with. I don’t think any school, anywhere, will completely escape it.
It will be interesting to see how this generation of young people are shaped by this pandemic.
Thanks for the feedback all. Well we are officially a NAZ family. They gave us a decent amount of financial aid. She feels like it is a better fit for her and will have more opportunities inside and out than Potsdam. I am not convinced since crane is well respected in the area of music Ed and she will have more debt at graduation. But it is her dream and my wife and daughter have overruled my concerns. Lol. I will admit the Naz campus is quite nice so we will see.