<p>DD is a freshman at the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins. Their requirement is one humanities class per semester. There are humanities classes (related to music, such as languages) offered at the conservatory or if you want more selection you can take classes at the JHU Homewood campus (3 miles away via shuttle bus). There are no requirements for math or science but if desired you can take them as electives at JHU Homewood.</p>
<p>The Oberlin requirement is for 24 hours of classes taken in the college and that would normally translate to eight classes. There are some 4 and 5 credit hour classes, as well as ExCo classes for 1, so it can vary quite a bit. Apart from a required freshman writing class (which is waived for those with high enough standardized test scores) the liberal arts electives can be anything taught in the college for which a student has taken the prerequisites and for which there is room in the class. Note that there are some classes (Intro to African American Music 1 and 2 come to mind) that are cross listed in both the Con and the College. In some cases, it is possible for a Con student to register for those classes using the College code and have what is essentially a music class count toward the 24 hours. I believe up to five hours of ExCo classes can be counted toward the 24 and there are a lot of musical options there. Someone who wanted to could use all or nearly all of their 24 hours of liberal arts electives on classes that were about or very closely related to music. Alternatively, they could use them all to concentrate on one or two non-musical subjects, or to get a smattering of many subjects.</p>
<p>My son’s a soph in Music Comp at Boyer (Temple). Yes, there are GenEd requirements, but I (personally) think that’s a good thing. The broader his education, the greater the experience he can draw on.</p>
<p>May I inquire of the OP how the “guaranteed 1/2 tuition scholarship” came about for a junior in high school? Parents who work at some institutions get reciprocal tuition at other schools, and sometimes kids are given scholarships as awards while still in HS (my D was given one as a soph at Awards Night- turned it down because the school didn’t have what she wanted), but usually these things are not decided until college application time.
If your son really likes one of the schools on the list and is accepted, great, but if he really loves another school, please don’t discount the idea of him working while attending college and contributing to the finances. It can be done, and successfully too.</p>
<p>Mezzo’s Mama: Guaranteed 1/2 tuition is due to my profession. I am a United Methodist clergy and OCU, Baldwin-Wallace, Boston U, etc. are United Methodist colleges with guaranteed benefits to clergy dependents. And for our older D - these schools added significant merit aid and work-study. So, another school would have to put together a pretty good package to compete. </p>
<p>S has been talking to voice teachers/professors in our area and has pretty much decided not to apply to stand-alone conservatories for undergrad. He would rather save his money for grad studies. Of course, this could change before he actually applies next year.</p>
<p>@operalvr
so happy to read yr post! D decided on a LAC w/ great music school because she wanted a diverse academic opportunity (although life in the opera world is her dream) as well as social…hopefully her options will work out for her!</p>
<p>Thanks for the explanation megpmom; guess I should have been a PI, “mysteries” intrigue me!
BU’s program is very graduate student heavy, with many PhD candidates, so naturally, performing opps go to them, which isn’t a bad thing. Plus the cost of living in Boston makes quite a dent in the budget.
Do look at B-W though, because their brand-new conservatory facilities are gorgeous and the music school is well integrated into the college itself. Safe, quieter college town, campus right in the middle of it, with Cleveland only 20-30 minutes away. B-W does make it easy for their students to get to concerts and events at Severance Hall, and the combination of the regular bus/rapid transit train system means that the kids get to the “city” often. They are also known to be generous with work-study funds.</p>