Applications
After you've narrowed down your top choices in schools, it's time to submit applications. The application process is one of the hardest parts of the college search. Applications take a lot of time and a lot of thought to do them correctly. My top 5 tips for filling out fantastic applications:
1) Give yourself time to fill them out. Applying at the last minute will only stress you out more.
2) Check application deadlines right away. The worst position you can put yourself into is applying late because you didn't know the deadline!
3) If you're applying online, make sure you don't revert to "chat speak". The admission's officer doesn't want to see short hand or smiley faces.
4) If you have to submit an essay online as part of your application make certain you have the essay proof-read by teachers, friends, and family. Most applications are save-able, so do this to avoid strange little mistakes that can creep into essays.
5) College Apps are very intensive. Give yourself at least an hour to fill them out, if not more. The shortest it ever took me to fill out an app was in the range of 45 minutes.
There are a few things you should know while filling out applications. First off, know that some colleges use what is called the Common App. This is an application that you can fill out and send to several schools, verses filling out many applications. Most schools will have additional questions to fill out, so don't expect to just send off your common app and not have to do anything extra when applying.
Next, you should realise that your application is usually the first time an admissions officer will see you on paper. You must force yourself to be professional. Check your grammar especially. If you don't look like the best candidate on paper, make sure to really watch the level of professionalism.
After submitting your applications, you should receive some type of confirmation number/code/etc.. WRITE THIS DOWN! As well as what time and date the application was submitted. And while you have your calendar out, mark the date 4 weeks after submitting the application. When this date approaches, give the office of admissions a call (if you haven't already gotten an answer). Use this script if you're a nervous phone user:
YOU: Hello, my name is [insert name here] and I'm calling to follow up on my application. I just wanted to make sure you've received it and answer any other questions you might have in regards to it.
They may ask you for the confirmation number, and they will probably transfer you to the right person. You may have to repeat this script a few times. Stay professional and courteous--they haven't heard you say this 5 times. The point isn't to ACTUALLY answer any questions or ACTUALLY get an answer. The point is to put your application on the top of the pile, in front of the people that matter.
Remember to stay patient while applying for schools! AND remember to use your resources when it comes to applications and essays. Your English teachers will be willing to read your applications and essays and help you out.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
College Search, Part 1
Hi everyone!
Last week I spent time at my old high school, working as an extra hand for the band director and giving flute lessons and sectionals through out the week. A few teachers asked me to come talk to their senior classes, about the college search, financial aid, and dorm life. After giving those few speeches I realised I'd like to write the information down in this blog, to help students who stumble on the blog as well as parents and teachers.
This will be written in several sections, chronologically. So, with further adieu...
The College Search
The first thing every student should do prior to applying for schools is search for them. Some people already know where they want to go; maybe a parent or friend went to a certain school; other people have no idea. Whatever your situation, you should still spend a good chunk of time checking out colleges. The quickest way to get an idea of where you want to go is to attend a college fair. This is usually held in the fall, and often includes break out sessions where parents and students can speak with admissions officers, financial aid officers, etc., privately. I personally attended two college fairs, one general college fair held at a local college each year, and one music college fair at Oberlin. Both were SUPER useful. The general college fair helped me eliminate some big state schools, and also find out which ones had the programs I was looking for. The music college fair helped me narrow down those schools and get useful program information, such as how many students are admitted into my major, do they have a cut (or retention) program, etc. etc.. College fairs are a great first place to look.
Let's assume you've attended a few college fairs, collected a lot of free stuff, and now have a list of WAY too many schools you might be interested in. What's next? Make a spreadsheet of the schools, listing out important information such as: location, number of students enrolled, tuition costs, room/board costs, if they have your expected major, percentage of students who recieve financial aid, as well as some questions they may be important to you: do they have a large Hispanic population, do they have churches on campus, etc.. Think about what you want in a college, and put those questions and answers down on paper. It's hard to keep track of that much information without some type of organization. I think my spreadsheet at this stage listed almost 30 schools. It's okay to have a large number, since you're going to be narrowing it down from here.
A List of Questions to Ask About Colleges
Here is just a brief list of the questions I asked when at this point in my college search.
1) Name
2) Location (and how many miles away from home)
3) Tuition
4) Room/Board Costs
5) Do they offer flute performance?
6) Do they offer a jazz major or minor?
7) Who is the flute instructor?
8) Would I study with him/her right away, or would I start with a graduate student?
9) Do they have a cut program?
10) How many students at the university? In the freshman class? In the School of Music? In my music classes?
11) Is there specialized living on campus (fine arts dorms, honors dorms, etc. etc.)?
12) Are there any learning communities I would be interested in?
13) How large is the campus?
14) Do I need/Am I allowed a car on campus, and if so, how much is parking?
15) Can I see myself at this school?
Narrowing Down the List
So now that you've made this wonderful list, it's time to narrow it down. For me, the first to go were schools without my major. Second, schools without a jazz program (since I knew I wanted to either double major or minor in jazz). That probably cut my list down to 20 or so. I then cut schools I couldn't see myself at, and schools that were less then 100 miles away from home, since I wanted to go "away" for college. Now my list was dwindling down to 15 or so. When my list was down to 15, I made three new lists to put the colleges on: "Reach Schools", "Challenge Schools", and "In Schools". The lists are just what they sounds like---Reach Schools are schools that I would love to go to, but had fierce competition and would probably not get into, Challenge Schools are schools I would have to work at to get into, but had a good chance, and In Schools were my backup schools, schools that I was positive I would get into. I divided my schools into these three lists, and realised that I had a lot of reach schools, a few challenge schools, and NO in schools. I decided to pick a few schools to put onto my "In Schools" list. I chose local colleges that, worst case, I could attend for a year and then transfer. Once these lists were made, I started cutting schools. On my reach schools list, I had schools like Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College, Eastman University, Curtis Institute, Julliard, SUNY Potsdam, etc. etc.. BIG music schools. I started chisling down the list based on how many students they took, and cost of tuition and living.
I kept two schools from each category on my list.Starting with reach schools, I took out the schools I felt were WAY out of my reach. These included Curtis, Eastman, and Manhattan. Next I took out the schools I REALLY couldn't afford such as SUNY Potsdam. Then I had my list of two reach schools. Mannes and Julliard. I did the same thing for challenge schools, and ended up keeping Ohio University and CCM. Lastly, I took care of my in schools, opting to only keep the University of Toledo on the list. Finally, after a few months of research, I had my top 5 schools list.
Last week I spent time at my old high school, working as an extra hand for the band director and giving flute lessons and sectionals through out the week. A few teachers asked me to come talk to their senior classes, about the college search, financial aid, and dorm life. After giving those few speeches I realised I'd like to write the information down in this blog, to help students who stumble on the blog as well as parents and teachers.
This will be written in several sections, chronologically. So, with further adieu...
The College Search
The first thing every student should do prior to applying for schools is search for them. Some people already know where they want to go; maybe a parent or friend went to a certain school; other people have no idea. Whatever your situation, you should still spend a good chunk of time checking out colleges. The quickest way to get an idea of where you want to go is to attend a college fair. This is usually held in the fall, and often includes break out sessions where parents and students can speak with admissions officers, financial aid officers, etc., privately. I personally attended two college fairs, one general college fair held at a local college each year, and one music college fair at Oberlin. Both were SUPER useful. The general college fair helped me eliminate some big state schools, and also find out which ones had the programs I was looking for. The music college fair helped me narrow down those schools and get useful program information, such as how many students are admitted into my major, do they have a cut (or retention) program, etc. etc.. College fairs are a great first place to look.
Let's assume you've attended a few college fairs, collected a lot of free stuff, and now have a list of WAY too many schools you might be interested in. What's next? Make a spreadsheet of the schools, listing out important information such as: location, number of students enrolled, tuition costs, room/board costs, if they have your expected major, percentage of students who recieve financial aid, as well as some questions they may be important to you: do they have a large Hispanic population, do they have churches on campus, etc.. Think about what you want in a college, and put those questions and answers down on paper. It's hard to keep track of that much information without some type of organization. I think my spreadsheet at this stage listed almost 30 schools. It's okay to have a large number, since you're going to be narrowing it down from here.
A List of Questions to Ask About Colleges
Here is just a brief list of the questions I asked when at this point in my college search.
1) Name
2) Location (and how many miles away from home)
3) Tuition
4) Room/Board Costs
5) Do they offer flute performance?
6) Do they offer a jazz major or minor?
7) Who is the flute instructor?
8) Would I study with him/her right away, or would I start with a graduate student?
9) Do they have a cut program?
10) How many students at the university? In the freshman class? In the School of Music? In my music classes?
11) Is there specialized living on campus (fine arts dorms, honors dorms, etc. etc.)?
12) Are there any learning communities I would be interested in?
13) How large is the campus?
14) Do I need/Am I allowed a car on campus, and if so, how much is parking?
15) Can I see myself at this school?
Narrowing Down the List
So now that you've made this wonderful list, it's time to narrow it down. For me, the first to go were schools without my major. Second, schools without a jazz program (since I knew I wanted to either double major or minor in jazz). That probably cut my list down to 20 or so. I then cut schools I couldn't see myself at, and schools that were less then 100 miles away from home, since I wanted to go "away" for college. Now my list was dwindling down to 15 or so. When my list was down to 15, I made three new lists to put the colleges on: "Reach Schools", "Challenge Schools", and "In Schools". The lists are just what they sounds like---Reach Schools are schools that I would love to go to, but had fierce competition and would probably not get into, Challenge Schools are schools I would have to work at to get into, but had a good chance, and In Schools were my backup schools, schools that I was positive I would get into. I divided my schools into these three lists, and realised that I had a lot of reach schools, a few challenge schools, and NO in schools. I decided to pick a few schools to put onto my "In Schools" list. I chose local colleges that, worst case, I could attend for a year and then transfer. Once these lists were made, I started cutting schools. On my reach schools list, I had schools like Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College, Eastman University, Curtis Institute, Julliard, SUNY Potsdam, etc. etc.. BIG music schools. I started chisling down the list based on how many students they took, and cost of tuition and living.
I kept two schools from each category on my list.Starting with reach schools, I took out the schools I felt were WAY out of my reach. These included Curtis, Eastman, and Manhattan. Next I took out the schools I REALLY couldn't afford such as SUNY Potsdam. Then I had my list of two reach schools. Mannes and Julliard. I did the same thing for challenge schools, and ended up keeping Ohio University and CCM. Lastly, I took care of my in schools, opting to only keep the University of Toledo on the list. Finally, after a few months of research, I had my top 5 schools list.
Monday, August 15, 2011
10 Things You Should Know Before Becoming a Music Major
There were a lot of things I didn't know before I started college, and now that it's the beginning of a new year and high school seniors are trying to figure things out, I wanted to post a list of 10 Things You Should Know Before Becoming a Music Major.
10. Get used to people not understanding your major now. Family, friends, roommates, teachers...at least one person in your life will question your choice in majors. If you're determined enough, you can deal with it. If it really bothers you that much, you might consider switching majors.
9. Being a music major is more then just playing in band. If all you did to prepare yourself in high school was play in the band, you should start getting ready now. You'll have to practice solos independently or with a teacher, scales, etudes...all things to make you a better musician. You also should start studying music theory and sight singing and dictation. If your high school offers a theory class, take it. If you don't have a private teacher and money allows for it, get one. Your senior year is crunch time to prepare for auditions.
8. Auditions. Any music major can tell you horror stories about them. Start preparing early. Like, now.
7. Being a music major is hard work. If you aren't dedicated, you're not going to succeed. Consider a different major.
6. Talk to your band teacher if you're considering going into music education. They can tell you about the course load, student teaching, etc.. Band directors are great resources, they've gone through college. Use them!
5. If you're thinking about music performance, you should be studying with a private teacher, even if it's just for your senior year. If money doesn't allow for it, talk to your band director about getting some coaching from him.
4. Music majors have to juggle a lot of credits and a lot of different classes. Realise that you will be taking a heavier course load then your peers, and that you might have to opt out of some social experiences.
3. Get used to practicing now. As a performance major, I'm expected to practice at least 3 hours a day. Music ed majors have a less strict requirement, but you should still practice every day while in school, on top of classes, ensembles, and friends. Sometimes you'll have to make hard decisions between practicing and other things, like hanging out with friends, watching movies, and even sleeping. Remember, you're going to school to be a musician. Music has to be your number one priority.
2. Being accepted into a program doesn't mean you get to slack off. A C- is failing in a music class, so you have to stay on top of your academics. Remember that you'll have to audition again for seating in ensembles, and jury at the end of the quarter. The work never stops while you're in school, and probably not in your professional life either. Get used to it now.
1. The most important thing to consider is who your applied lessons teach will be. Will you be studying with a graduate student or the professor at the university? Are there multiple teachers for your instrument? Who will you study with? If you have time, it is very helpful to take a private lesson with the teacher. Many will try to let you get a private lesson in on audition day. Email the teacher and try to set something up. If you don't like the teacher, you're not going to get a good education.
Good luck to everyone who is preparing for college auditions this year and trying to figure out what they want to do for the rest of their lives! It's a hard time, but it's worth it.
10. Get used to people not understanding your major now. Family, friends, roommates, teachers...at least one person in your life will question your choice in majors. If you're determined enough, you can deal with it. If it really bothers you that much, you might consider switching majors.
9. Being a music major is more then just playing in band. If all you did to prepare yourself in high school was play in the band, you should start getting ready now. You'll have to practice solos independently or with a teacher, scales, etudes...all things to make you a better musician. You also should start studying music theory and sight singing and dictation. If your high school offers a theory class, take it. If you don't have a private teacher and money allows for it, get one. Your senior year is crunch time to prepare for auditions.
8. Auditions. Any music major can tell you horror stories about them. Start preparing early. Like, now.
7. Being a music major is hard work. If you aren't dedicated, you're not going to succeed. Consider a different major.
6. Talk to your band teacher if you're considering going into music education. They can tell you about the course load, student teaching, etc.. Band directors are great resources, they've gone through college. Use them!
5. If you're thinking about music performance, you should be studying with a private teacher, even if it's just for your senior year. If money doesn't allow for it, talk to your band director about getting some coaching from him.
4. Music majors have to juggle a lot of credits and a lot of different classes. Realise that you will be taking a heavier course load then your peers, and that you might have to opt out of some social experiences.
3. Get used to practicing now. As a performance major, I'm expected to practice at least 3 hours a day. Music ed majors have a less strict requirement, but you should still practice every day while in school, on top of classes, ensembles, and friends. Sometimes you'll have to make hard decisions between practicing and other things, like hanging out with friends, watching movies, and even sleeping. Remember, you're going to school to be a musician. Music has to be your number one priority.
2. Being accepted into a program doesn't mean you get to slack off. A C- is failing in a music class, so you have to stay on top of your academics. Remember that you'll have to audition again for seating in ensembles, and jury at the end of the quarter. The work never stops while you're in school, and probably not in your professional life either. Get used to it now.
1. The most important thing to consider is who your applied lessons teach will be. Will you be studying with a graduate student or the professor at the university? Are there multiple teachers for your instrument? Who will you study with? If you have time, it is very helpful to take a private lesson with the teacher. Many will try to let you get a private lesson in on audition day. Email the teacher and try to set something up. If you don't like the teacher, you're not going to get a good education.
Good luck to everyone who is preparing for college auditions this year and trying to figure out what they want to do for the rest of their lives! It's a hard time, but it's worth it.
My Week at Band Camp
The past few weeks I've been pretty absent from my blog. I've been super busy, doing a lot of practicing and working. This work included one week as the Flute Staff Member at a band camp for Oak Hill High School.
I should start off by explaining that I have never marched. I went to an arts school from 6-12 and we didn't have a sports program, and we definitely didn't have a marching band. When I got to college I had no urge to march for the Marching 110 (The Greatest Band in the Land!), nor did I have the free time required to be a member of this ensemble. I also do not play an instrument that the 110 marches, and didn't feel like learning a new instrument.
So, getting this gig as a staff member at a marching band camp was new, different, and exciting. I didn't know what to expect, since I've never attended band camp as a camper and have never worked one as staff. The drive there was nerve-wracking--first off, I had to leave at 10AM, since I live 250 miles away from the camp. The ride there was long, and I was nervous to see what awaited me at camp. The camp grounds were small, and there were no pictures online. The camps I had attended as a child were incredibly rustic, with showers that never got hot, no air-conditioning, and a lot of mosquitoes. I never slept in a cabin or lodge, always in a platform tent with a cot and a bathroom a few hundred feet away. While this sleeping situation was fine when I was 7 I was really hoping for a bathroom within a few feet of my bed. Don't take me wrong---I like camping and being outdoors. BUT I also enjoy a comfy bed and a warm shower once in a while.
Arriving at the camp I was glad to see I wasn't the first staff member to arrive. The campers weren't there either--they were taking a bus from the school, about an hour and a half away. I switched out of my flip flops and into tennis shoes, got out of my mini-van and walked over to introduce myself to the other staff, who I learned also attended OU and marched in the 110. Within a few minutes we were talking easily, and more staff began to arrive. I felt good knowing that everyone seemed to be friendly, and we sat waiting for the campers to arrive.
The students arrived with an instrument bus, three school buses, and a trailer being pulled by a pick up truck. Talk about intimidating! Watching all of these kids, some only a year younger then myself, get off of the buses and form their cliques I felt like I was back in high school again, only this time I was the lonely kid who didn't have friends. The band director called us over, introduced himself, and we got our first task: oversee move in and make sure the kids didn't fight over beds. This seemed easy enough. We entered the dorm, a large building with 2 rooms for the boys and 2 rooms for the girls, plus a bathroom with showers in each room. There was also a large lobby where the students were expected to keep their instruments, and a kitchen for the staff's use. The dorm had air conditioning and seemed pretty clean, so I was a happy camper. I picked to stay in the back dorm with one other staff member and 20 some girls.
Move in was uneventful. The older girls took care of the younger ones, and we really didn't have any problems. Next on the agenda was dinner, which was ok, and then marching rehearsal. This was the first of several marching rehearsals, and after a few minutes I caught on and was able to help, fix mistakes, and read drill charts. I was grateful that I had watched the 110 perform a few dozen times. It was still day 1, and I was having fun.
That night we had sectionals. It was my first time meeting the 4 girls I would be mentoring for the next week. We had a good time. We got to know each other a little bit, worked out a few sections of music, and I learned what they needed help with. It was my first chance since entering college to work with a group of students for more then an hour or two, and I was glad to give it a whirl. Throughout the course of the week we worked hard, learned how to tune, learned new fingerings, and worked up the music for three half-time shows. By Friday I was very proud of the work my girls had accomplished.
The rest of the week went by in no time. Highlights included our sectional time, the water balloon fights, and giving my nightly speech to the girls in my dorm (which they later dubbed my flight attendant speech). It was an amazing learning experience for me and I'm so glad I signed on to do it. The pay was terrible, and I ended up with sun poisoning, but it was a great time that I wouldn't trade for the world.
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