Future Status: Secured

Well, it's decided-- I will be enrolling at the University of Miami in the fall as a Vocal Performance major. And I must tell you, it's all very exciting.

I came back last Wednesday from an impromptu visit to the UM campus, and I've gotta tell you-- it's a great campus at a great location... with a great climate... and a great program. What's not to like? It's also out of state, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't itching (at least a little bit) to go to undergrad out of state. Earlier, I may have mentioned that I definitely wanted to go to grad school out of state, but I neglected to mention I wouldn't mind taking undergrad, either.

I hope that anyone who reads this who was hoping I'd go to Colorado State University (which was where I was most likely headed before I got the full-ride scholarship offer... it is, by the way, guaranteed as long as I maintain a 3.0 GPA) understands that this was an offer that I simply couldn't refuse. As far as college rankings go, UM is listed at #29 nationally as a music school, and I have been overall impressed with the teaching staff there (the head of the vocal department herself called me personally and talked to me for a solid 20 minutes over the phone-- that says something to me.) Saying good-bye to CSU is very difficult for me, because I have really familiarized myself with the program and instructors, and I know that I would get a good education there. However, I also know I'll be getting a good education at UM as well, and the winter there will be much less painful that the charmingly bone-shaking winters of Colorado.

(Another note about location-- I've had a lot of people tell me to be careful, because Miami is a "rough" city. UM is actually located in Coral Gables, which is considered by many as the nicest suburb of Miami, and I asked a few students when I was there if they ever felt threatened as far as their security goes. They laughed at the thought. I can't help but think that it's a similar situation to southern Thornton-- I was warned I'd get shot at THS.)

And looking ahead four more years into the future, I'm thinking of the San Francisco Conservatory for my MM. That or the Manhattan School of Music. Or grad school at a non-conservatory university.

But that's stuff I'll worry about in 2014. For now, I'll enjoy the security of knowing what my future looks like for the next four years.

Until later, my faithful blog readers (all four of you), I bid you adieu.

The Wonderful World of Colleges and Scholarships

So, I haven't blogged in a while, and I've been pushed by numerous people to do so. Apparently my life is so exciting that if people don't hear about it enough, they get very upset. And I can't have that happening on my watch. So, I'll be sure to keep everyone updated. :D

Really, the main thing discussed in this blog are my college plans. They can be elaborated upon much more in a full blog than in a Facebook status... or even a note. I feel like the blog offers me a greater area of elucidative analysis.

So, anyway, six out of the nine colleges I've applied to have accepted to me, and five of them have offered me significant scholarships.

The contenders:

CSU is in first, having offered me $2000 for academics, $3000 for vocal abilities, and $1000 for joining the honors program. This may not seem like a lot, but since CSU is a state school with a tuition of only about $6500 (according to Cappex.com, at least, excluding room and board), that is very significant. Nearly a full ride. Which is great.

DU is in second, having offered me $17,000 for academics and $10,000 for vocal abilities, making for a very good package. Unfortunately, since DU is in fact a private school and costs a lot more ($35,000 a year, not including room and board), the $27,000 award falls about $8000 short. Granted, it's a great scholarship, but my college fund doesn't quite allow for it.

Coming into third place is DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, which has offered me a whopping $19,000 for academics and an additional $5,000 for vocal abilities. DePauw's tuition, however, is still $33,000, so they're falling short as well.

Rolling on into fourth is Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, which offered me $18,000 for academics. Again, it costs about as much as DePauw, and I didn't actually send them an audition, so they're not very likely. Which is sad, because my beautiful stage wife KT goes there.

At fifth place is St. Olaf College, which only had the decency to offer me a $6500 annual academic award-- hardly enough to make a significant dent in their $35,000 tuition. So they're pretty much out of the running, especially considering I neglected to send them a vocal audition either. (I thought their deadline was January 1, when it was in fact December 15. My bad.)

And in last place is Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, the alma matter of my aunt and both of my grandparents. They've offered me nothing. Those jerks.

At this point, I'm still waiting for admission decisions from NYU, The University of Miami, and the University of the Pacific. My hopes for significant scholarships are, of course, not high from NYU, but I can still have hope, can't I? I should hear from them around April for both academic and music scholarships (if any). I'll probably have a week in all to decide where I'm going.

Right now it's CSU, which actually is not something that I feel bad about. I've had a few family members (who, by the way, are NOT paying my tuition) who have chastised me for sinking as low to go to a state school (GASP!), but I have others (including my immediate family) who are all for CSU, because all in all I've been very impressed by what I've seen of their program and they have, in fact, made me the best offer so far. Plus, Ft. Collins is not too far from home. And if, for some bizarre reason, I do not like it there, I can always transfer my credits someplace else. I, of course, would probably go someplace else to obtain my Masters in Music Performance (I'm still hoping for a big name conservatory-- either Manhattan or the San Francisco Conservatory), but that's four years down the road.

And so, until next time, I bid you adieu, my faithful readers. I wish you the best. When I make my decision, you'll be the first to know. (With, of course, the possible exception of the university itself... and my family... and probably people on Facebook. THEN blog-readers.)