Acceptance to Music School on "re-evaluation"?

Stradivarious37

So, I got a letter from Texas State University (my #1 school of choice) saying that I had a great audition, but my final acceptance is still unknown. And also, to be fair, all of the applicants must be judged fairly. Thus, my audition status must be re-evaluated. My status of acceptance will eventually be given.

Well, my main concern is that does this mean I'm on a waitlist for the school? Or does it mean that there just isn't one decision on the entire trumpet studio yet? I am kinda freaking out since TxState is my ideal school, but I am afraid of waiting too long for an answer. Luckily housing isn't due til mid-May, but I have a private school that's offering me almost $30,000 /year to go. Idk, but I'm stuck in this GIANT worry zone and all I can do is wait, so my question for all of you is: "Have you dealt with a similar issue when being accepted into a music school, and what advice and you give me?"

tpter1 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 874

Sounds like 2 possibilities: a. you're waitlsted; or b. maybe they are waiting on academic acceptance. Many schools accept you to 2 institutions: the music school and its university.

I know it's a stressful time- my daughter is in the same boat. You have done all you can do on your end- it's up to the individual teachers and the university acceptance procedures. You will have a clear answer on time. If you feel it is getting too late, and that's the school you really want and have heard from other schools, you can call and let them know you really want to go there but have been accepted elsewhere and need to make a decision. If they really want you, they will work with you.
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"Character is the backbone of human culture, and music is the flowering of human character". -Confucious

Pete Anderson · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 10:16 am Post subject:

Graduating debt free is a great thing, especially when going into a field that doesn't pay very well. In the end the most important factor isn't where you go but how much you put into it and how much you want it.

jiarby · Heavyweight Member Joined: 08 Jul 2011 Posts: 743

Have you ever heard of someone NOT being accepted? I am sure you will be fine. If they said your audition was good then that is all that matters. I think they will take everyone that comes in unless they are just completely horrible. Nah... they'll take them too!

Don Lee · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 11:37 am Post subject:

jiarby · Heavyweight Member Joined: 08 Jul 2011 Posts: 743

in debt at the "ideal" school (presumably because of no 30K offer)
-vs-
no debt at some other school....

definitely NO DEBT.

It is a bad decision to borrow money to get a degree in something where the job prospects are weak. If you are majoring in performance, then go practice and get good.

If you are getting a MuEd degree, realize that you will be making 30k for a couple years before you move up the salary/tenure spreadsheet. You do not need to borrow 50k to get a 30k job.

tomdug · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 2:16 pm Post subject:

Stradivarious37,

Call or email and ask for clarification. Can you email the trumpet prof? I would include most of the info in your original post. Tell them it's your first choice. A "sorry to bother you" email will not hurt your position. This kind of initiative might speed things up.

Good luck!

Stradivarious37 · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 6:35 pm Post subject:

Well I just received notification from the music administrator saying that my status of "pending" means that I am waitlisted and that there is no way of knowing when I will be contacted if they have an opening. I have already been admitted academically since November, so I don't have that to worry about.

Maybe I will contact the Trumpet professor at least 2 weeks before the housing contract is due if I don't receive any notification. Luckily Texas Lutheran (my second choice) has rolling enrollment, so they basically have very few and far away deadlines.

trombahonker · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 7:39 pm Post subject:

They should tell you on or before April 15th to accommodate NASM requirements. "No way of knowing when" is an unacceptable answer from an administrator. There are deadlines for admission decisions.

~A

Stradivarious37 · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 8:15 pm Post subject:

Scott42486 · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 8:37 pm Post subject:

I'm not sure how good the program at TLU is these days. Texas State is definitely worth it though. I'll talk to one of the guys I know that's going there and ask what the situation with the "wait list" is. Last I'd heard they had two professors with studios there.
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Stradivarious37 · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 8:50 pm Post subject:

TLU's program is relatively well. One of my friends is a Music Ed student there just completing her first year. She said she enjoys everything there.

TxState does have 2 professors and that would be cool of you, Scott42486! I was actually planning on emailing the professor I had a private lesson with tomorrow about my concerns.

billybobb · Veteran Member Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 198

I'm still stuk on the other school. So are you saying a school will pay you 30K just to go there yearly as an undergraduate? And tuition is also paid? OMG!

Stradivarious37 · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 9:33 pm Post subject:

well, the $30K is being given to me by TLU. $18,000 of that 30K was given to me from my audition (the De Capo Award) and the rest is from Financial-Aid grants from the government and the university. Tuition there ranges from $34,000 to $36,000. So basically I would just have to pay the remainder with either outside scholarships or loans. Still pretty expensive.

ADziuk · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:20 am Post subject:

As someone who went through the entire university system up through a doctorate let me offer you some advice.

First, private schools, in general, are for suckers. The education you receive there may be great but it isn't worth the extra cost unless you get a full ride. There are a few exceptions to this if you are trying to study with a specific teacher(Charlie Geyer and Barb Butler come to mind), but in general it's not worth it. Coming out of school six figures in debt will do more to hamper your musical career than any bad teacher, school, etc ever could.

Second, you are primarily responsible for becoming a great player in your undergrad work. You see your studio teacher what, an hour a week? Plenty of great players come from nobody schools, and plenty of bad players come from big name music schools. Your success will hinge on being willing to glue your ass to a chair in a practice room, so don't artificially inflate the importance of your school choice in your head. If you don't get in to the school you wanted, it isn't the end of the world.

Lastly, outside of winning a blind orchestra audition "making it" in the music world is 50% playing ability, 50% politics, end of story. Simply going to a school in a larger city will help you career a lot through the contacts you will make, vs. someone who goes to a school out in a cornfield somewhere.
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rockford · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:56 am Post subject:

Having been around a few tracks I suggest you not wait on some particular school, especially one that has determined you're a wait list category applicant. I agree with a couple of the other posters that music school is what you make of it. The coursework just isn't all that different from one school to the next. Sounds like the private school wants you and are backing it up with substantial funding. While I don't know about the two schools you're talking about my sense is that you'll get more attention at the private school since they are backing you up with cash as opposed to the public one where your application is in a stack along with other applicants who they view (not me) as marginally acceptable. Last thought....while schools do have their decisions to make, don't let the schools make your decisions for you. Make your best decision based on the information you have and good luck.
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NY and Mt. Vernon Bach Bb trumpets and cornets. Bach Artisan C, Bach C cornet, Schilke G, Yamaha Eb/D, piccolo A/Bb, flugelhorn, Monette and Hammond mouthpieces. Peavey Cirrus Bass Guitars. Benz-Genz amps.

gbdeamer · Heavyweight Member Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 1541

J_Mase · Heavyweight Member Joined: 15 Nov 2010 Posts: 525

Since student loan debt has been mentioned, I'll mention my own situation...

I'm out of school, and have been for some time, but am still paying-off my student loans. It's not a bad thing, really. I know the number feels daunting and all, but the interest rate is actually very low, and deferred until you're months out of college.

The interest rates on my credit cards is somewhere between 10-24%, while my student loan interest is abut...like...5%. It's a really huge difference, when you're looking at it in relation to a number with commas.

I honestly wouldn't worry about student loan debt, and just do what you can to get through your bachelors degree. Once you've done that, there are a lot more options open. If you go to grad school, debt is still deferred, and you get to blow-off paying back money for a while. Many people just keep getting degrees, until they land a job that can largely help pay off the money owed to the department of education.
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Stradivarious37 · Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 5:49 pm Post subject:

So, thanks to all of you for your great advice. I just made my decision today, and I am going to be attending Texas Lutheran University (TLU) after all. I do like the school, but Texas State was surprisingly not giving me much financial-aid that didnt involve loans (Which shocked me since I'm ranked 6 in my class). I also figured that I will not receive notification from the school of music anytime soon. I emailed one of the professors concerning the wait-list, but he hasnt responded, and it's been about 3 days.

I figured that unless I were to get a last minute call and a decent scholarship from the music school, then I will change my decision. Otherwise, TLU is my best bet. Besides, I am planning to transfer out of TLU after a year to TxState.

Crazy Finn · Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:17 pm Post subject: