Hello guys,
I am a high school senior applying for piano performance majors. I live in CA. Recently I got offers from UCLA Herb Alpert and Oberlin Conservatory. Both of the schools gave me huge amount of merit scholarship as well as financial aids. I like both but I am more inclined to Oberlin. My parents want me to go to UCLA. They told me that it’s not worth it to go out of the state for a conservatory.
Could you guys give me some suggestions and thoughts? A huge thank you.
Oberlin isn’t just a conservatory. It’s a college, and the music conservatory students are well-integrated with other students, non-music classes, dorms and activities. Our family spent two separate weeks in Oberlin when our kid was deciding. We stayed in town and were charmed by the town and the support we saw from students for performances.
I don’t know much about UCLA’s program, only that it was a BA until a few years ago, and of course you are choosing between LA and Oberlin Ohio.
I can tell you that Oberlin grads do very well with grad school, from the experiences of some musicians and composers that I know.
Is the cost of attendance higher for Oberlin?
Or is there another reason they think it is not worth going out of state?
They both offered me full ride
Do you know who your piano professor would be at each of these schools? I would recommend you schedule a lesson with them (in person or remotely) and factor your teacher preference into the decision. It may not be the only factor, but is quite important with a music performance major.
I took lessons with both school’s teachers. My studio teacher at Oberlin would be Robert Shannon and David Kaplan at UCLA
If you have a strong preference with respect to teacher (no need to state it here), I would advise you take that into account as you make your decision. Those are both great programs. Congratulations on having two great options!
I would choose by teacher and then the overall vibe/type of college you prefer. Congrats!
I think the locations and vibes are so different that those differences might guide you. Tough decision because it always involves deciding who you are, to some degree!
Perhaps take a look at the curriculum at each school and compare? One difference is that UCLA has grad students in performance programs and Oberlin does not. That could limit opportunities for performance at UCLA as an undergrad, but not necessarily- it depends on how the program is designed.
Worth asking if that matters to you as an undergrad.