<p>Son accepted at both and he loves music, along with varied academic interests -- a true LAC kid!! He also hopes to play varsity ice hockey...help!!</p>
<p>Are the academic differences between the schools dramatic or a shade of gray?</p>
<p>Is there enough going on at Bowdoin musically to keep him engaged or is Wes clearly a run away winner here? The music "facilities" at Wes were disappointing to him -- does the quality of the faculty and music choices, etc. outweigh the facilities perception to him at Wes?</p>
<p>My S also didn’t like the practice rooms at Wes, but the music scene is vibrant. I don’t as much is going on at Bowdoin but there are other wonderful activities and the ocean.</p>
<p>I think it’s a wash.</p>
<p>Your S should go to the one that calls to him more.</p>
<p>My S picked Williams for its music major and now is a Classics Major. He’s still happy to be there, but they change what they want. My D went to Barnard as a Classics Major (haha now her brother is) but is graduating as an American Studies Major with a specialty in American jurisprudence.</p>
<p>If the vibe of the school welcomes and inspires them, they’ll find their niche.</p>
<p>I can’t say much about the Music program at Bowdoin though I went there (they do have a fabulous nationally known music festival on campus each summer)…but ice hockey is BIG there!! Great school for that…lol</p>
<p>I have to disagree with Mythmom for the first time in a long time. From the OP’s other threads on the subject, it doesn’t sound like it would be a wash academically, at all. OP’s S was actively considering JHU (Peabody), NYU, Columbia as well as taking a a gap year in order to qualify for Oberlin’s conservatory. It doesn’t sound like he’s going to walk away from music entirely.</p>
<p>Wesleyan, among small New England colleges (remember these were traditionally all-male institutions up until the 1970s), was an early adaptor of the performing arts as an integral part of the liberal arts curriculum, thus accounting for the age of some of its facilities (film majors routinely refer to the original Kevin Roche designed movie theater as, <em>The Old</em> CFA Screening Room, in order to differentiate it from the two brand new screening rooms.)</p>
<p>Music pervades, the Wesleyan campus despite its tired, old mid-1970s facilities (honestly, some of us Old Cards have to laugh at the idea of a <40 y/o building being “old” – but, we’re not Williams, I suppose. LOL) Everyone from the disc jockeys at WESU to the president himself – to returning alum – seem primed to jam at a moment’s notice.</p>
<p>Seriously, if were a matter of Wesleyan vs. Oberlin or Peabody or NYU, I’d be a lot more reticent about offering an opinion. But, Wesleyan vs. Bowdoin? That’s not a wash.</p>
<p>jw: Thank you for the back handed compliment. We can disagree. My S felt there was too much emphasis on “world music” at Wes and not enough Bach, and he found the practice rooms very discouraging.</p>
<p>I loved the spirit of Wes. I think it would have been a match for my D and she regretted not applying, though she had a stunning time at Barnard.</p>
<p>Our dear cousin attended and became a leading light in the lesbian rights movement and we are very, very proud of her. She wanted S to go Wesleyan, and indeed, he might have.</p>
<p>…the most passionate responses have come from folk connected with Oberlin and Wesleyan"</p>
<p>That could simply mean few people from Bowdoin hang out on CC. Bowdoin is really small, so smaller group of potential CCers. </p>
<p>That “greater area” of the midwest has schools that are pretty big on ice hockey (Bowling Green, Michigan), but as far as I know Oberlin is not part of that scene, and I’m not sure they even have a team. If they don’t, and that’s important, then some things start making a little more sense.</p>
<p>I am a singer (of European art pieces, not world music), and while I did see that more of an emphasis was on World Music at Wes, the voice teachers I found there also looked <em>amazing</em>. I don’t know if it’s because the World Music program gives Wesleyan’s Music Dept more prestige in general, so it attracts great teachers in all disciplines, or because Wes just has great teachers in general, but I was not disappointed despite my initial feelings about the World Music emphasis, the facilities etc.</p>
<p>That said, I wonder if Wesleyan has any plans (when they get the money, of course) to build a nicer concert hall or practice rooms? Music is much more important on Wesleyan’s campus than athletics, it seems to me, so I found it strange that the gym was so beautiful and the practice rooms and concert hall were so “minimalist” ;)</p>
<p>Oberlin obviously has a conservatory, so I’d give it the edge (musically) – I don’t think anything can really top that, haha.</p>
<p>not to put too fine a point on it - but sometimes, it helps to have just a little more information. the CFA was a big deal when it was first built. most people think it is made of concrete or cinder block. In reality, it is eleven different buildings composed almost entirely of load-bearing limestone walls. that means, there are no steel beams holding up anything which is sort of what the ancient Greeks did when they built their temples.</p>
<p>Of course, they hadn’t quite perfected modern sound-proofing methods when the ancient Greeks were composing music, so that’s why the practice rooms are below ground. And, there’s been a lot of experimentation inside the recital hall to improve the acoustics (the ancient Greeks hadn’t quite gotten around to discovering the benefits of wood paneling, either.)</p>
<p>So, CFA isn’t perfect. But, on a rainy day (of which there are many in Connecticut) when those increasingly ancient, stone walls absorb the gray light and the marbeling turns dark with moisture, it’s not hard to imagine Dionysus, god of wine, grapes and ritual madness, smiling to himself. Just a little.</p>
<p>yeah I don’t really understand all the ragging on the CFA. the buildings aren’t shabby, they are of an important architectural style, and i think it’s really cool that the buildings themselves are so spare to keep the focus on what is created inside them.</p>
<p>that said, the facilities are just fine (i think the practice rooms are nice…), so i don’t think that should be a concern.</p>
<p>If your son is a really good hockey player, then Bowdoin is the stronger program. If he is not so good, then Wesleyan is the choice because they are lousy and he’ll have a greater chance of playing. He can play music at either school but he may not be able to play varsity hockey at both. </p>
<p>Lots of blah, blah, blahing about world music versus classical music, facilities and their condition, modern sound proofing. history of arts at Wesleyan, etc. Yikes!! ***. </p>
<p>Whether your son likes his college experience has less to do with whether he goes to Wesleyan or Bowdoin and more to do with things you can’t foresee and that are beyond your and his control. Many people on CC are too deeply invested in the fine minutia of this school versus that school, this program versus that program, etc. Relax and flip a coin. Also see below. </p>
<p>Can’t speak for the music facilities themselves as practice spaces, but I can say that the set of exposed concrete CFA buildings at Wesleyan, sitting like ruins from another age, are some of the most handsome academic buildings I have ever seen. These buildings–spare, aloof, but mysterious–will be treasured in the future, I have no doubt about that.</p>
<p>Gotta say the practice rooms at Wes tend toward mildew, unless they’ve taken up the carpet. My S is a violinist, and the first thing he looked at anywhere were the practice rooms and Wes’s were not the best.</p>
<p>The school is wonderful, particularly its people, but those practice rooms are a bit problematic. </p>
<p>It’s probably not a problem for most students, but if a student is planning on spending, oh say 2 - 4 hours in a practice room, then it does start to matter.</p>
<p>Welllllll…he finally made his decision 5/1 AM…Wesleyan!!! Despite the music “facilities” concern, he ultimately decided there were more musical, theater and overall arts opportunities at Wes vs. Bowdoin. Further, he felt there were more music success stories from Wes vs. Bowdoin as well…Bowdoin’s music facilities were so nice in comparison (he got lots of info/feedback from Bowdoin folks), it made his decision more difficult…come on Wes, work on those practice rooms!!!</p>
<p>I also think a big factor was that he perceived Bowdoin to be a continuation of his prep HS years and he wanted something different…Wes is certainly “different”!!!</p>
<p>Thanks to all for input/feedback, etc…I think he made the right decision for him and isn’t that what matters???</p>
the CFA was a big deal when it was first built. most people think it is made of concrete or cinder block. In reality, it is eleven different buildings composed almost entirely of load-bearing limestone walls. that means, there are no steel beams holding up anything which is sort of what the ancient Greeks did when they built their temples.</p>