College searching...

[Lord Pyre]

I've been part of this community for a long time, and I respect everyone greatly! We're all family here! And everyone's great at giving advice, and I'm having problems right now, so I figure it can't hurt to ask.

In grade school, I was ahead in my studies, so I got to skip a grade, graduate early, and started college early. So after high school, I planned to go to a small 2-year college 20 minutes away to earn my associates degree before going off to a 4 year institution. Being homeschooled, I took a few math courses at this college to basically see what it's like to be in a classroom before dumping myself right into this crazy new atmosphere. When I started going to college full time, I was told that because I'm a music major, it might be difficult to get my associates in the 2 years, because of all the music classes that get in the way of my general classes. So I took a winterim class last year, and a summer class this year to help out with that. And now it turns out that because I've worked to get those extra classes, I'll actually get my associate's THIS semester, which really surprised me. So I can actually go off to a 4 year college in Spring!

Just one problem. I have no idea what college to go to... I've been searching on and off for a year, but every single college looks the same. I'm looking for a place with a good Music Theory and Composition program, but even that didn't narrow my search enough. So now it's crunch time, and I still am not much farther than I have been, throughout all my searching.

So I'm not asking you guys to tell me where to go (Ugh, I'm getting enough of that as it is...), I just want some advice to figure out how to decide. I need to choose soon, to apply and get everything in order, but I'm still at a loss. All I've decided for sure is that I want a Theory and Composition program in the college, and I want to stay in the West/Midwest side of the US, which doesn't narrow much at all... Any advice would do nothing but help!

[ollie]

Originally Posted by Lord Pyre

Any advice would do nothing but help!

Heh, you haven't heard what I have to say yet.

First, and most importantly, check out the Colleges That Play Heroscape link in my signature. You need to make sure you'll get some 'scape in, right?

Second, visit as many colleges as possible. You get a much better sense if you can get on campus, talk to the students you'll be spending a lot of time with, faculty you'll be working with, etc.

Third, try and identify resources that'll give an overall sense of what the college is about and address those specifically. For example, it sounds like you are not a traditional student and so the Colleges That Change Lives might be worth checking out; for another perspective the Princeton Review 373 Best Colleges is worth a look. If you care about environmentalism then the Sierra Club Cool Schools list, and so on. [Disclaimer: the college I work at features in all three of those resources, which is why I'm familiar with them. I'm not trying to subtly influence you to come to my college. But you should. It's great.]

Good luck!

[Jandarforever]

Be sure and check out UW-Stout in Menomonie, if you haven't already.
Aside from being in Wisconsin, it has a very high percentage of students landing jobs when they graduate (somewhere around 90% is what I heard). I don't know how that would work if you're a music major, but I do know that employers are impressed with degrees from Stout.
And I'm sure there are students who'd want to play 'Scape--I'm one of them.

[Lord Pyre]

Thanks for the tips! While searching, to narrow it all down, I've just been looking at school certified by NASM. http://nasm.arts-accredit.org/index.jsp

But wherever I go, I WILL be sure to check for 'Scapers around the area...

I kind of want to get outside of Wisconsin, though. I've been here most of my life, and I just want to explore, if you know what I mean. But my parents don't want me to leave Wisconsin, because I don't have a lot of money, and they can't pay for me. I dunno, this just seems way more complicated then it should be, I think...

[Agent Minivann]

This doesn't necessarily say anything about their music program, but I really like the band that plays at University of Arizona basketball and volleyball.

[rednax]

Majoring in music, eh? I like you better already. As someone who hasn't even reached high school yet, I have no advice to give, although wish you luck on your endeavors.

~Rednax

[ElvenEnvy]

I know Lawrence University in Appleton, WI has a big emphasis on their music conservatory. As a private school it's a little quite pricey.
If your set on going out of state I know Minnesota state schools have reciprocity with Wisconsin, so you can go for just a tad over in-state costs. There's also a program called the Midwest Student Exchange that some states take part in to reduce fees for out-of-staters. It might be tough to get a reasonable costed out-of-state education outside of the midwest though.

[S1R_ART0R1US]

If you were majoring in some form of engineering, I'd probably be able to help more.

I think it's very important to consider the environment of the school you're going to: liberal or conservative, partiers or straight edge. A lot of the benefits of college is the people you meet there, so make sure they're people you want to meet.

[Lord Pyre]

Originally Posted by rednax

Majoring in music, eh? I like you better already. As someone who hasn't even reached high school yet, I have no advice to give, although wish you luck on your endeavors.

~Rednax

You didn't like me before?! Thanks for the wishes!

Originally Posted by ElvenEnvy

I know Lawrence University in Appleton, WI has a big emphasis on their music conservatory. As a private school it's a little quite pricey.
If your set on going out of state I know Minnesota state schools have reciprocity with Wisconsin, so you can go for just a tad over in-state costs. There's also a program called the Midwest Student Exchange that some states take part in to reduce fees for out-of-staters. It might be tough to get a reasonable costed out-of-state education outside of the midwest though.

Yeah, I've looked at Lawrence, and then looked away...
But I have been looking at a few MI schools, but my favorite there (McNally Smith) is private, so no monetary help from that.

[Lord Pyre]

Originally Posted by S1R_ART0R1US

I think it's very important to consider the environment of the school you're going to: liberal or conservative, partiers or straight edge. A lot of the benefits of college is the people you meet there, so make sure they're people you want to meet.

Well, I didn't think too much of that, but if it's helped you, I'll think about it a bit more.
I didn't consider it a problem, considering my conservative girlfriend is off in a very liberal area, but she's doing fine!

[chas]

Way back in the Seventies, my mom found a computer survey available by the publisher Harcourt, Brace, and Jovanovich, which allowed you to search for a school by setting the parameters yourself. Since it was all mainframe in those days, you sent in a printed questionnaire and they mailed you the results. Everything from location and male/female ratio to academic concentration. It was useful to narrow down the search for me. You may laugh to hear that I wanted to travel out from NYC, and ended up at Beloit College (Wisconsin) Class of 1973!

See if they still have an online version of this. If not, I'm sure someone has a more modern search program now available on the net, but you could take this idea and run with it.

BTW, to continue my own story, I and a pal of mine toured the school and had pretty much decided, when we stayed over night at the Beloit Hilton (not exactly a part of the Conrad Hilton chain of hotels). That night we watched the Tonight Show, where Johnny Carson was reminiscing that night with Ed MacMahon about their good old days in radio in Wisconsin. He mentioned being in a local parade in Beloit, and we decided it was an omen. And it was a great school, at least back then.