talented musician etc. at wash u

SimpleLife
Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:51:44 +0000

FYI – a little off topic …
One of my younger sons and I visited recently. He’s also a talented musician, but perhaps not at the same level as your daughter. He does not want to major in music, but does want to continue playing in the orchestra and would like to minor in music (or maybe even double major with a BA in music versus a BM). Wash U seems perfect for him so far (he’s still a hs junior), in that it has the broad academic opportunities, selective academic standards, and plenty of music opportunities. Furthermore, from what we gleaned on our visit, the music program is not very demanding – the ensembles don’t meet as often as other music schools’ ensembles, the standards are more laissez-faire as they seem to want to provide musical outlets for as many hard-working academic majors as possible rather than demand perfection (which is perfect for this son’s desires), and we were specifically told that their musical environment is intentionally not competitive, but fun and relaxed. It’s not a hard-core music school, apparently. Again, this makes it perfect for this younger son, not because he’s not talented, but because his main college focus will be elsewhere. For this son, we just loved what we saw at Wash U – in all areas, including the music school and the music school faculty.

However, as the parent of another, older, VERY talented musician (who’s likely AT LEAST at the level of your daughter), I can tell you that this older son would not have been as happy at Wash U as at several other schools to which he applied. He visited Wash U as well, several years ago, and concluded that the music program was not as rigorous as he desired. So, if your daughter wants a competitive, hard-working, perfectionist musical experience, she may not get that there. Just an FYI.

Furthermore, music scholarships at Wash U are small, and based on all the college searches I’ve done with my older music major son, and then this musically interested son, I did not get the impression at Wash U that they’re really shooting for the best and brightest musicians, in a recruitment sense. However, I’m pretty sure that wherever your daughter applies, including Wash U, her musical talent, awards, expertise, and experience will make her all the more attractive as a college candidate. No matter where she goes. It makes her more well-rounded, proves her dedication and perseverance, makes her more interesting, etc. --just like any other demanding extracurricular.

Likewise with “the legacy” and the donated money. I’m pretty sure kids from a legacy family do have a slight leg up. At least that’s what I’ve heard at many college info sessions. The legacy and money could certainly make her more competitive despite her test scores, which are not exactly Wash-U- high, but which are definitely good enough for entry to Wash U. Nobody short of admissions personnel can really answer your question, of course, but based on my own college search experience with my kids, I think she’ll have a good shot!