Georgeanne

I was especially intrigued by the double degree program at Oberlin. Are there any experiences from former/current students who have done this program? Any advice or words of warning?

I am looking to study voice and political science.

mamenyu

The double degree program at Oberlin is almost unique in the liberal arts college setting -- though there are similar programs at some larger schools, including Michigan, and Lawrence also has a double degree program. I know some students who turned down Juilliard to go to Oberlin Conservatory because of the double degree program. The program is typically 5 years; it is well respected by faculty at Oberlin in the college and conservatory (one English professor told me that some of his best students were double degree students) and very doable for that reason. It also helps that the facilities are so close together, there are more than 150 practice rooms, and music is highly valued by music and nonmusic students alike. If you are interested in the program, you should try to visit and get a feel for it. Not many conservatory or double degree students post on CC -- but you can get a lot of information about Oberlin's and other double degree programs by looking at the music major site on CC, especially posts by BassDad, whose daughter is a double degree student at Oberlin, and who has written very helpful posts on the subject.

quaere

There are also a few double-degree students posting in the Oberlin 2012 Facebook group, including a voice student. That would be a great place to get your questions answered (non-'12 people are welcome, despite the name).

Georgeanne

Thank you so much for your responses. Any other insight is greatly appreciated!

pianomom

Georgeanne,
Ditto to mamenyu's comments. Our son is a double degree student in his fourth year. When he came as a transfer student, his studio teacher mentioned that she encourages all of her students for whom English is their first language to consider double degrees. The opportunity to get a great education and continue your undergrad applied music study for an additional year can be a wonderful benefit for interested students. He feels that while he has a pretty intense schedule, he still has plenty of time to practice, have a social life, and take an occasional class that does not strictly fulfill a degree requirement. He is not pursuing degrees which include labs, so this makes it a lot less complicated. He is however pursuing double majors within his BA. He also feels that the additional year is giving him extra time in discerning what and where he will study for graduate school. I would recommend starting with double degrees if this truly interests you. One may always drop the additional degree if your interests change. Please feel free to pm me if you have more specific questions regarding the dd program.
Good luck to you in your search.

mamenyu

Here is a link to an article in the Oberlin alumni magazine about the double degree program -- from the Fall 2006 issue, and posted online on the Oberlin webpages. Note that the dean of the Conservatory, David Stull, was a double degree student, as was the head of admissions at the Conservatory, which tells you something about the attitude toward the program.

http://oncampus.oberlin.edu/webapps/...?tab_id=_333_1

dave72

mamenyu's link doesn't work. Here's a better one:

Double Duty Degree / Oberlin Alumni Magazine / Fall 2006

mythmom

Just for the sake of information, Bard and Lawrence U. also have double degree programs in liberal arts settings.

BassDad

After taking several calculus courses, my daughter decided against the double degree program so that she would have more time in the Conservatory for secondary lessons in jazz and on viola da gamba. I understand that this is fairly commonplace, however. Something like a quarter to a third of the students in the Conservatory participate in the double degree program at some point in their career, and perhaps half of them complete it.

Note that Bard does not offer an undergrad degree in voice, if that matters to the OP.

mamenyu

Bard is double-degree only. One of the positive features of Oberlin's program is the flexibility to decide to try it and then not to complete both majors if other interests prove more compelling. Also, the historical performance and jazz programs at Oberlin are very appealing features of the Conservatory.

wedgedrive

Hi all,
How hard is it to be accepted into the double degree program if you are in the college program?

mamenyu

You have to be admitted, by audition, to the conservatory -- which involves a combination of the number of openings and your performance. It's highly competitive.

Georgeanne

Thanks to all!