It’s nice to hear that all the parents are letting their kid lead on this. It can be hard to know what is the “best fit”. Here are a few opinions:
There is probably not ONE school for success. There are usually a few good options (or two) that your kid will need to think through. Sometimes if you (or they) think that there is the elusive perfect fit…that can add a lot of pressure. When you are looking at schools like Oberlin, Eastman, Jacobs etc for vocal performance, your kid is going to be in excellent hands and grow at any of these schools.
Making these kind of decisions (which schools, which teacher) will continue to be necessary as your kid moves forward…what summer program, what grad school, what city after college, what job offer (as there may be two competing professional offers at one time). My D still needs to make these decisions. So it is a good time to be a sounding board for your kid as you allow them to build decision-making skills and gut instinct skills so they can trust themselves to make decisions in the future. A decision doesn’t nessarily have to be “right” just thoughtful and comfortable.
Some kids agonize over their decision and others make a decision quickly. Both styles are OK. As a parent, it is great to be available to listen, ask lots of questions and not to have too strong of an opinion. Trust me, some time in Freshman year, they will be SURE they made a mistake…and it’s best if you can remind them of why THEY made the choice and help them stick it out. It often goes away pretty quickly (being invited to a fun party usually washes away the worry!).
So good luck as your kid makes the decision quickly or slowly. It’s all good as long as they finally make that choice…be it for the teacher, the environment, the hot peers (lol), or whatever. They are very young adults…so I really do believe it should be an environment where they can imagine having some fun with their “people”. All schools will challenge them so the environment is important.
I haven’t spent time at Oberlin but am curious what you think about what it would be like for a student who is politically and socially progressive but not uber liberal. The stories abound about the radical vibe!
sorry! Accidentally deleted reply and can’t remember what I wrote:) Oberlin I general didn’t seem liberal to us! Just moderate. Safe little town and campus.
@compmom yes, there is that option and it was even mentioned in the letter. Not sure what the odds are of getting in that way compared to external candidates, but definitely something for S24 to consider.
Thank you all again for such great advice!! Baribassmom, I would love to PM you, but I am embarrassed to say that I am not sure how to do that! And, yes, TigerLily52, you can include these in the acceptance list!
Highly recommend Timothy LeFebvre at Oberlin if you’re looking for someone to do a trial lesson with. My daughter didn’t end up there (it’s wicked expensive and their policy is typically to cover the gap to EFC/SAI) but she had a trial lesson with him and enjoyed his style. Laid back, communicative, kind, and knows his stuff. Good luck with your decision!
Yes - definitely a fair question. I am in the area and spend a lot of time in/around Oberlin. In short - she will be fine. There are definitely social/political causes that may not be of interest to her, but the music community is pretty agnostic in that way, and there are many other ways to get involved/be social on/around campus. Although it is a small town, the college itself is significant and it forms its own community. Also I think the culture has evolved a bit in recent years given some lessons learned by the admin.
This is a very nice touch! And if it does happen I believe it’s likely for only the top recruits. I would consider it an indication of just how much he’s wanted - and likely how many opportunities may come his way. Congrats to him!
Nice week over here, during our high schools big annual show, the visiting artist- renowned jazz musician - happens to be one of D24 teachers next year and she got to perform duet feature with him. Was really nice to see them play, trade and everything. Made me feel even better about next year.
Hi! Great to see you @bridgenail and a lot of familiar names here from a couple of years ago. March Madness indeed! DD has applied/auditioned for a transfer, so we’re doing a whole other round. Fingers crossed!
Just heard from the first of three schools we’re waiting on. Son (MM Violin) was accepted into NEC with a Dean’s Scholarship of $21,000/year. It doesn’t have any other financial aid information due to the FAFSA delay, but they still want a response by April 15th. One down, two to go!
If you have any questions about Jacobs, feel free to message me or shoot them out here. I have had 2 kids attend there–one for voice and one for jazz guitar. It’s looking like my youngest will likely be there next year in voice too. I also managed the Jacobs parents FB Group for a couple years. I don’t know everything–haha–but happy to help if needed. Best of luck to your son with his decision!
I may pick your brain, too! My son is currently trying to decide between Jacobs, UMich, and Eastman for music ed/piano. A little different, but still happy to get as much info as possible to make an informed decision! Thank you in advance!
