dhlee7570

I was just rejected from Northwestern for a Music and Bio major. Northwestern was the only school that I applied to that had an outstanding music program. I did get into UCLA which also has a great music program, but I asked about it on the forums and people said it would be too hard to do both.

My question then is: Is it impossible to enroll at a university like UCLA and also get a degree from another college near by for music? I'm guessing this would be even more time consuming and impossible than the idea of a double major. Does anyone know someone who has doubled majored in music and something else at UCLA or a school similar to it?

team_mom

I am so sorry to hear about your disappointment from Northwestern. Had you spoken to the teacher you intended to study with if this was feasible at Northwestern? Many schools say they support double majors, but in actuality it is only if the music students are not instrumentalists or the academics does not include science labs.

But moving forward in your current situation. My understanding is that the majority of people that double major end up dropping one field or the other. That doesn't necessitate, however, that you be one of them. Have you seriously pursued, at an advanced level, both academics and science at the same time for most of high school? And if you haven't read it yet, you may want to check out violadad's great recommended discussion of who should be a double degree student. (He didn't actually write it, he was just the one that sent me to it first. ) You can find it on the Peabody website at http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/doubledegree.

I would add to that rubric- Do you have your most fun doing either of these two subjects? Because as I see it, for the next 5 years, you will probably have little time for fun outside bio and music. You had best enjoy them a whole lot!

dhlee7570

thank you for that great link. It really did clear some things up for me.

violadad

Look at your options within UCLA for music participation as both a major and non-major. Depending on your level, experience, and instrument, you may find programs or options that will allow you to participate within the department (check music dept webpage, music undergrad handbook for policies). Instuction with faculty is dictated by school policy.

It may behoove you to consider private instruction outside of UCLA while pursuing academics.

The discussion here brings up many views. Joint programs????

Consider the points made on all sides, and choose the plan that suits your current needs and goals.

There is no magic plan for all.

Good luck.

BEK

I am empathizing! My daughter just got waitlisted at Northwestern for music performance (flute) and she really wants to attend. Hindsight is 20/20 and i wish we had included a broader array of schools on her audition list. We are now officially in music purgatory.

ImperialZeppelin

Sorry for the rejection. No matter how you cut it, they sting something fierce.

Just one piece of advice/question. A double degree combining musical ensemble requirements and a science is usually well-nigh impossible, unless you can alter the space/time continuum.

Most ensembles meet in the afternoon and most chem, bio and physic labs are in the afternoon too. It makes for a really ugly scheduling nightmare.

team_mom

My heart goes out to all of you that are having a difficult time. We know it could happen to any of us. Good luck with your decisions.

Zepp, I am in complete agreement with you-at a small school. You must be in a big enough school that there are other lab options, and have an administration willing to help you navigate the conflicts-and there are always conflicts. Does anyone know Utopia U? I bet they'd have the perfect double degree program!

dhlee7570

To Imperial: there is actually a specific program at Northwestern to combine the music and college of arts and sciences so people can get a double degree in both colleges. This, as you mentioned, may not be the case at other colleges.

BassDad

Oberlin works it out pretty well. The Orchestra meets in that difficult midafternoon time slot on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Chamber Orchestra and the Wind Ensemble meet during that same slot on Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus Monday evenings. It is pretty easy to move between the groups on a semester by semester basis. That leaves either two or three afternoons per week available for lab courses. Lower level science classes tend to have several lab sections on different days, upper level classes tend to have only a single lab section. With a bit of careful planning and some coordination between the musical and non-musical advisers, it is possible to work things out over the ten semesters it normally takes for the double degree.

The vocal ensembles meet a little later in the day (OC Choir starts at 4:30 Monday through Thursday, and OC Singers starts at 6:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays) or on weekends (Opera Chorus), so it is also possible to major in voice and a science as well. Since the campus is not all that large, it is possible to get from a lab to a rehearsal in less than ten minutes.