chance a worried Californian

Faline2
Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:34:59 +0000

you should be very happy with your high school transcript and test scores, and by all means retake your SAT and try the ACT. You have time. Apply to schools with varying selectivity, and make sure you are happy with a school that will definitely admit you that you can afford and all else is gravy. Your ethnicity won’t hurt you a bit at Vandy, which is undergoing intense levels of new diversity and is recruiting from a national footprint now. Nashville is a huge asset to Vandy…a very pleasing city/school setting compared to many others.

By all means have crushes and preferences for schools that are your top choices, but keep an open mind and heart at all times. I would even recommend that you don’t post your favorite list in any order on this board or anywhere ever because admissions are so unpredictable in the Reach group… that is is counterproductive to fall hard for one college. Neither of my sons attended the schools they named (at home) as their top choice as juniors or even early fall seniors. Much changes when you actually see a college and things tend to alter. Even more changes when you see your financial offers, and contemplate the costs of any graduate school education on your horizons in what could be a long ugly recession.

Comment: for your final decisions once you find out where you are admitted and what each college costs…some colleges have lesser selectivity factors in their orchestras with fewer music majors where people who only want to rehearse twice a week can fit in. Re your regional/county oboe, you will need to decide if you want to play in college, and where your instrument might fit in at Vandy, or if you are giving it a rest for college. You don’t have to decide now, but this is a factor for “fit” later on. You would likely get a fantastic oboe teacher at Vandy. Blair is a fine conservatory and auditions for the Symphony chairs are demanding although many non music majors take seats and have a wonderful experience in performance groups on campus. The music scene at Vandy is pretty wonderful for merely attending if you don’t perform. I only mention this because my son who will attend Vandy in the fall will leave his instrument at home although he was section leader and regionally placed in his home state. He wants to try some new things that Vandy offers instead for his ECs and does not believe he has a true performer’s heart. My elder son chose Duke–a college with a less serious orchestra (Nashville has so much talent in music everywhere)…where he fit in for four years playing faithfully and he would never give up playing during college…it was essential to his mental health to play among peers to be happy even though he is no big talent at a conservatory level.
If you love your oboe, you may want to audition and pay attention to that process and how to do it. You can see the symphony play on line on the VU Casts. They are pretty great and I am sure you get a sense of friendship/community in that group no matter what your major is.

Read the Vandy papers online, and watch the videos you can locate online. I wouldn’t worry about starting a new club. I would worry about writing great essays that show who you are and what you might contribute to campus and to academia. Everyone has a story to tell. Tell yours. good luck.