Northwestern, Princeton, or Rice????

KrazyKow
Wed, 06 Apr 2005 18:56:22 +0000

I believe there was a quote in US News and World Report a year ago where someone said he liked Princeton because “everything is exclusive there.” It’s a gorgeous little town, but when I visited it felt a bit snobby and not right… plus the engineering departments are all far away on the other side of campus. I do know a violist who is going there (though not for viola performance) and I think she had some difficulty with making friends and dealing with her HS friends being places where they party while she just worked her butt off.

Rice has an AWESOME viola department and Karen Ritscher is wonderful. Did you apply to study with her or Dunham? He’s also very nice, but I’ve been studying with Ms. Ritscher in high school for the last 3 1/2 years and just love her. I know transfering out of Rice’s music school is much, much easier than transferring in, and you may be able to stay in any chamber music groups you were placed in your freshman year. I’ve also been told that many of the music majors there forgo eating and sleeping for practicing, but I think there is some of that in any good music school.

Northwestern’s viola professor is well thought of, I believe, but I don’t know anything else about there.