Preliminary Visits as a Junior

binx
Sun, 14 Jan 2007 12:17:04 +0000

Responding to Thumper and Allmusic - Juilliard was terrible about all that administrative stuff. It affected me negatively about the school, and I really wanted S to choose a different one. We met their rep at an arts fair, and I truly don’t understand why she was even there. Her attitude was arrogant, and her answer to every question was, “Well, you’ll need to visit and see for yourself.” It definitely turned me off.

H and S went to visit the school junior year. We tried unsuccessfully to contact the teacher in advance. Juilliard refused to give us any contact info. They asked us to write to them and see that he got the letter. We never heard back, and don’t know who’s fault. It is equally possible that it was the teacher’s fault. We had heard he was extremely busy, teaching at 3 schools and his full time NYPhil job. So S applied there never having met or had a lesson with this teacher. The reason was, over and over, people were telling us and him the school and specific teacher would be perfect for him.

After he was accepted, they had a really hard time keeping our situation straight. We tried hard to send clear instructions about which address to use for what. But they sent bills to my sister (which she refused to pay. ) Sent S visa applications - twice. We really had to keep track of things ourselves.

Now, 3 years later, I have to say S’s teachers were right. The teachers, both instrumental and classroom, are top notch, and the education he is getting is phenominal. But the administration at the school stinks. I joke about the school being run by artsy people who have no organizational skills. It is definitely a sore spot, but in actuality, affects my S very little.