Some questions about JHU/Peabody DD program

marcyr
Fri, 31 Mar 2006 23:13:16 +0000

edad, I laughed out loud at your suggestion that thzxcyl eat at JHU instead of at Peab. The food at Peab tends to be pretty bad, and DS was so annoyed with it that, when he was a freshman, he got himself placed on the Food Committee (or whatever they called it) as the student representative so that he could try to force some changes. Things did actually improve for a while, but then the Manager of the dining hall changed and things went back to square one. After sophomore year, DS moved off campus and started doing his own cooking. I’m embarrased to admit that, these days, he may be a better cook than I am.

thzxcyl, congratulations on your acceptance. Like edad, I suggest living at Peab, at least your first year. You’re more likely to be practicing late at night than during the day, especially if you’re also taking classes at JHU, and it’s much easier to get to and from the practice rooms if you’re living in the Peab dorms. I’m sure there are plenty of pianos available at JHU, but who wants to have to walk halfway across campus at some strange hour of the night? Also, as edad said, the sense of community at Peab is very special, as are the connections you can make. Find and make friends with the Composition majors - that’s the surest way of getting to debut new music. The Comp. majors are always looking for people to play their stuff, and if you perform at a recital you even get paid.

Leave your car at home. As the others have said, parking at Peab is pretty tight and the shuttle seems to be fairly convenient. DS was never able to schedule in any of the JHU classes that he wanted to take, but he was also taking at least two minors at any given time, along with his major. Then he decided to add an extra BM in Ed. as well as an MM, so that totally killed any free time he might have had. Be prepared to work really hard, double degree programs are time eaters. However, as edad suggested, don’t be too quick to give up the double option - if you really want to get both degrees, it can be done, but it will probably take you an extra year. If you have questions about schedules or advising, don’t be bashful, go to the Registrar’s office and ask for help. DS played around with his schedule in ways that apparently had never been done before, but once the faculty approved what DS was trying to do, the Registrar worked with him to make it all happen. I don’t know how flexible the Registrar at JHU is, but everyone at Peab bent over backwards to work with DS.

Good luck, and I hope your experiences at Peab and JHU are everything you dreamed they would be.