Jeremybeach

Hi to all!

I'm currently a freshman at Tulane, and for many reasons it's not working out. I won't go into detail, but point blank, I am not sure exactly what to do. I do know that i ABSOLUTELY want to transfer, but...I'm not sure whether to transfer midyear or for fall...If I transferred for fall, what would I do in the meantime?

I'm confused!

Oh, also...Would you think that as long as you got a really good background as an undergraduate (no matter where you went,) graduate school is where the name really counts?

violadad

Jeremy- I'm going to respond because I really don't like to see anyone floundering. I've read a number of your prior posts.

My first answer is that I think you should stick out a full year. What are your other options? Withdraw after first semester? Study privately? Reaudition for fall as a freshman (giving up any earned credits)? Apply as a transfer for fall admit? Merit aid... you getting any at Tulane? You may not get any as a transfer performance major... it's pretty school specific. Think about that as well.

As a performance major, your options may be limited. Many audition based programs do not accept spring admits, pure and simple. Have you researched your options, or are you going to blanketly apply to a program just to get out of Tulane?

If you leave school now, what about health insurance? Most parental health policies cover only full-time dependent students. Can you or parents provide health coverage?

I have no background, qualifications, or experience to qualify a vocal program, so I won't even try. I will say that for any performance discipline, numerous things have to mesh... private instructor, quality of ensembles, level of peers, atmosphere of cooperation/competition, and most importantly the ability to develop YOU as a person and your skill set as a performer.

I would strongly urge you reflect on what exactly is wrong (specifics, not generalities), be honest and realistic about your ideal program and your abilities, and to sit down with your advisor or program chair at Tulane and try to rectify what you can.

That being said, I am not urging you stay in a program that is not going to develop your skills or meet your aspirations.

Keep in mind your aspirations do have to be achievable.

Good luck.

Regards grad school/undergrad- for an audition based program, the undergrad training has to be of a quality that allows you to compete realistically within the applicant pool of top grad schools for that discipline.

ImperialZeppelin

You had better start working EXTREMELY hard on your audition rep and CD since this is your ticket for your next journey.

Your mental health will also improve once you've made up your mind as to what you're doing and how you will achieve it. Figure out what schools you're going to apply to and focus your energies on that goal.

BassDad

Remember that not all professional singers were undergrad music majors. In fact, I have known voice teachers and coaches who would rather work with people who have a liberal arts degree and natural talent rather than with those who already have highly trained voices but little experience of the world outside of practice rooms and concert halls.

Since you are sure you want to transfer, you are going to have to pick out some schools, work up audition repertoire and you will probably have to record one or more prescreening CD's. While you could try to do some of that on your own, you will probably be more successful if you have professional help. If your current voice teacher is not among the problems, you will need to work with them to explain your intentions and enlist their help going forward. If the current teacher is one of the main problems, you will need to decide whether your best course is sticking with them and toughing it out, switching studios, or dropping the voice major temporarily and finding a private teacher. This last can get somewhat expensive, but will probably cost a lot less than losing a semester's or an entire year's worth of school costs.

Independent of that decision, the basic idea is to make the best use of the time you have this year. You can still take a lot of courses that will be valuable to you if you continue elsewhere as a voice major, or could be used to satisfy distribution requirements or elective credits for some sort of liberal arts degree. It is probably a little late for switching courses this semester, so you may be stuck with a lot of what you already have. For next semester, consider things like the freshman writing course most schools require, some music theory and history, secondary keyboard lessons, beginning Italian (or more advanced if you already speak that language). If those things do not appeal to you, perhaps you are in the wrong major to begin with. Look at the non-musical requirements at some of the schools you want to transfer into and get some of those courses out of the way.

Is there any advisor at Tulane that you trust, be it an academic advisor, a favorite teacher, a member of the clergy, a senior or grad student who has been there for a while? If so, talk to them to get their perspective. Try to figure out exactly what is making you so unhappy in your current situation so that you can avoid repeating the experience elsewhere.

Try to find at least one thing that you like about where you are. It could be a class, a friend, a club or other extracurricular activity, a volunteer opportunity, whatever. That will at least give you something to look forward to while working out the rest of your decisions. Eat nutritious meals and get enough sleep.

Best wishes and good luck.