College Discussion - View Single Post

BassDad · 03-26-2007, 11:20 PM

jtz50,

Welcome to CC. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but the outlook is not good.

I can't find the numbers for the conservatory alone, because the detailed info that used to be on peacock.adm.oberlin.edu is in the process of being moved elsewhere. The combined college plus conservatory numbers for fall 2006 admissions were as follows:

Offered a spot on the waiting list - 846
Accepted a spot on the waiting list - 600
Admitted from waiting list - 33

The con will only admit from the waiting list if the yield on a particular instrument is well below expected. I think you would do well to have him put his name on the waiting list just in case, but to also look at those other options a lot more seriously. If we are talking about an instrument like tuba or bassoon, the numbers are small and anything can happen. A spot may open up if just a couple of kids to decide that they want to go elsewhere. If we are talking about a popular instrument like violin, piano or voice, the pool of accepted students will be relatively large and the odds of getting off the waiting list are much worse.

I very much doubt that a letter would help, since most of the admissions decision is based on his audition. The teachers there are well aware of what can be done to edit audio recordings, so they tend to be very critical of recordings unless they know for certain that they are unedited. I would only recommend sending it if the recording demonstrates a much higher level of playing than his audition did. I can't think of anything else that you could do to improve the odds at this point (anything legal, that is.)

EDIT: On second thought, I did think of one thing that might help. If your son has not had direct contact with the faculty member(s) for his instrument, either at a sample lesson or at a live audition, then it may be worthwhile to try to set up a lesson. The teacher may or may not be willing to do this, but there is no harm in asking. One of the things the teacher looks for in sample lessons or auditions is how easy it will be to work with your son. That is much easier to tell from a live contact than from a recording, and it could give him a slight edge. Note that this could be rather expensive and it is not very likely to change the outcome. I would only recommend trying it if you happen to be in the area for some other reason.

03-26-2007, 11:20 PM	#2
BassDad Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: NJ Threads: 11 Posts: 1,830	jtz50, Welcome to CC. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but the outlook is not good. I can't find the numbers for the conservatory alone, because the detailed info that used to be on peacock.adm.oberlin.edu is in the process of being moved elsewhere. The combined college plus conservatory numbers for fall 2006 admissions were as follows: Offered a spot on the waiting list - 846 Accepted a spot on the waiting list - 600 Admitted from waiting list - 33 The con will only admit from the waiting list if the yield on a particular instrument is well below expected. I think you would do well to have him put his name on the waiting list just in case, but to also look at those other options a lot more seriously. If we are talking about an instrument like tuba or bassoon, the numbers are small and anything can happen. A spot may open up if just a couple of kids to decide that they want to go elsewhere. If we are talking about a popular instrument like violin, piano or voice, the pool of accepted students will be relatively large and the odds of getting off the waiting list are much worse. I very much doubt that a letter would help, since most of the admissions decision is based on his audition. The teachers there are well aware of what can be done to edit audio recordings, so they tend to be very critical of recordings unless they know for certain that they are unedited. I would only recommend sending it if the recording demonstrates a much higher level of playing than his audition did. I can't think of anything else that you could do to improve the odds at this point (anything legal, that is.) EDIT: On second thought, I did think of one thing that might help. If your son has not had direct contact with the faculty member(s) for his instrument, either at a sample lesson or at a live audition, then it may be worthwhile to try to set up a lesson. The teacher may or may not be willing to do this, but there is no harm in asking. One of the things the teacher looks for in sample lessons or auditions is how easy it will be to work with your son. That is much easier to tell from a live contact than from a recording, and it could give him a slight edge. Note that this could be rather expensive and it is not very likely to change the outcome. I would only recommend trying it if you happen to be in the area for some other reason. Last edited by BassDad : 03-26-2007 at 11:35 PM.