Campus Culture

FiddleMom
Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:48:39 +0000

This is my second time around with college admissions for one of my children. My first daughter was looking at a very different major & desired a small campus environment. We’ve been through the transition thing before, but my second daughter is a very different personality. I actually think my second daughter would benefit from a small campus environment but since she will be a music major, we’re looking at music schools on larger campuses. Being in the music school will turn the experience into a smaller campus feel, in that she’ll have regular interaction one-on-one and in small groups with her applied studies professor, but she’ll still have the large campus experience in her other courses, dorms, etc.

We are scheduled now for an Inside MSU visit. On that trip we’ll definitely stop in to the West Circle dorms and walk down Grand River Ave. to get the feel of distances.

One thing complicating the choice is that MSU hasn’t offered any scholarship, unless something comes through with a music scholarship this week- I’m pretty sure they are due out this week. We will be paying all costs out of pocket because we are not eligible for any financial aid. The other main school she is considering is definitely an academic safety and she has been offered very attractive academic and music merit awards. She is quite interested in the music dept. and if she takes the honors program option, it could become a good, easily affordable choice for us. Even more attractive when one considers the cost of summer programs in music that ambitious music students choose to do to help build their resume and network!

It will work out fine at either school, it’s just that I want her to go in with eyes wide open and knowing what to look for. I’ve had too many experiences in my own life where I didn’t ask enough questions and could have avoided heartache had I done so. As much as she thinks it’s a pain to go through this inquiry process I think the more she knows before making a decision- as much as one can know on this side of a decision- the better informed her decision will be.