Sometimes it is difficult to advocate for the generosity of a specific school. Or Admissions odds, There could be 50 kids auditioning for 2 spots on an instrument. Or there could be 5 high schoolers auditioning and the teacher doesn’t pick any at the undergraduate level.
The offer to a particular performer can be specific to a need on a particular instrument that year. And / or that student was the top of the applicant pool. Plus there could be financial need and other variables (academics, test scores) that are in play.
So as they say . . . . Practice and Hope. But don’t hope more than you practice,
Hang in there. I wish I had some words of wisdom…but I don’t…honestly the waiting is the worst…and there’s nothing you can do about it but wait. We’ve all been through it so you have our empathy.
And if the waiting isn’t bad enough, you MAY be fortunate enough to get one acceptance early on…with no offer of money yet or a little scholarship…and then 3 weeks will go by with nothing else…and you’ll lay in bed thinking … is this it!?! Do I tell my kid no…or do I stretch to send him to that one school. Try to wait until the end. You may be lucky and get a lot of the information quickly…but it can be right at the end too.
Good luck…and I hope an acceptance with money comes soon!!
How are the acceptances rolled out? I have heard of people getting unofficial notification before April 1st, and my older, non-musician child received official acceptances before April 1st, but I really don’t know what to expect.
@GoForth you could always post a new “are we having fun yet?” thread for this year. We are in waiting mode as well, though we have two acceptances in hand, which helps with the stress. No merit offers available yet, though. I hear you on being reluctant to say anything that might reveal your kid’s identity. I realized that just offering info for the pre-screen and acceptance threads could identify my kid given his probably unique mix of schools so I haven’t done that.
March waiting is rough! For me it was, anyway. So much energy spent, for so long, preparing for getting through auditions, then…wait…
For S, I think those first few post-audition weeks were a relief. He was busy with school and less stressful musical activities, and was finally able spend more time socializing and enjoying Sr. year. It got angsty again for him in April, since most of his friends knew exactly where they were going and he was still waiting on all the info. His final acceptance/award didn’t come until May 2, (Eastman waitlist), and he was about out of his mind at that point, but he managed to get through it!
great info. Thanks for the post. I know a friend who played that game with her son with asking for matching merit aid from other schools to the top choice school. Not in music but academics. It worked.
I feel guilty. We are not planning out summer programs, frozen by the waiting, imagining getting advice from prof at final choice U what to do for the summer. What is happening?
Haha…you’re joining the big dog club now…woof woof!
Frozen while waiting for decisions is part of the game. Nothing ever lines up perfectly. And summer festivals won’t either. It’s not uncommon for your amazing kid to get “frozen” out once or twice in college.
Having a flexible, faithful, self-starter mind-set is important in music. And I mean faithful in the sense that opportunities always come to those who try. If he is a self-starter (meaning will reach out) and can be flexible (meaning not black and white about having to be in certain type of program), he should be able to find some opportunities to continue to make music and be engaged in frozen summers. And when your kid has to do this (as opposed to entering an exciting program found by dad or a teacher or peers) they are learning important skills and resilience.
And there is still time for summer programs…something may pop up. But if not, don’t worry. Many kids spend their final summer closer to home. Mine did.