OK, it might be different if you're going to pursue a music major no matter where you go. The conservatory route is good if you're trying to make a living as an orchestral musician (which, of course, is extremely difficult, and forget about ever getting to choose which city you'll live in after you graduate... you'll just be trying to get a slot in anybody's orchestra). Of course, you don't want to do that, and I can't blame you. One problem with conservatories is that some of them try to isolate musicians in a bubble. They don't give you much time to pursue outside interests, and you're not expected to. (This is what I witnessed at the Rice Shepherd School; we never saw the music majors. We weren't allowed to play in most of the ensembles with them - we were stuck down in the "band department". Every once in a while, one of them would come play with our ensembles (like the jazz ensemble), but you got the idea it was discouraged. There weren't too many double majors or musicians who were active in campus life.) I don't know if all conservatories are like that. As for UT, I think people are voting for it because they went there, or because it's familiar to them. (In my opinion, Austin is not all that. Well, maybe it is for those of you who are into smoking weed and constant parties. Otherwise, it's nothing special.) <b>Nuggets4</b> - are you a percussionist? Me too...
Don't you live in a podunk Texas town? Austin is the Texas oasis. There's a reason the city has become a population magnet and is always rated as one of the top 5 cities in America to live.
NIKE, It sounds as if you have both proper self awareness and attitude about the future. It also sounds as if you have already answered your question - you should go to WUSTL. Seriously, if you want I will try to dig up some contact information and see if they still work (I am often bad about keeping up with friends) for people I know in the jazz scene in St Louis - both experimental and more mainstream. Don't know if it will be of any use, but one never knows. Let me know either on here or via email.
Moved to a podunk town... by choice... after 5 years in Austin... and, for the most part, like the podunk town better. Austin was probably great <i>before</i> it became a population magnet. That's most of the problem right there (well, that and everybody having an attitude that something is superior just because it comes from Austin). The population makes things expensive and leads to lots of crowded places. I just never liked crowds. Some people love Austin... funny enough, they're the ones who can't stand the rest of Texas. I wonder what other places they like in the country/world.
i don't know about what exactly you want but it looks like you want the business for the career aspect of things but you still want to do something that you like with music. well i think UT is the best choice. everyone i know who graduated from the business school is doing well now. austin isn't really the best city for college grads to find a job because it is so overrun with them, but you'll get a good education and you'll enjoy austin's music scene. st. louis isn't a good city in my opinion...i didn't like it the few times i have been there. boston is fine but its in the northeast and it gets cold there and i dunno about you but i hate cold. plus my gf said boston is dead after 2am. anyhow...the education you get is probably a moot point because they are all good universities but the connections you get will probably be far greater at texas. so that is probably something else you would want to consider if you are considering business...a much much larger alumni base means more networking. that combined with austin being the city it is would make me pick UT without thinking. i know the music is a hitch for you but i think you'll find some way to continue your musical education up here even if you can't do it your first year. just remember UT is huge and if you come here make sure you get to know your professors and TAs. some of my best classes have been some of my biggest classes where i got to know the prof. but i guess thats true of any university. the only reason i'd say go to the others is you won't have to live the thru the disappointment of the football team every year
Yup, responded in your "Classical Musicians" thread actually. BTW, agree with you 100% about Austin. I've been there. I prefer Boulder personally. You get the "ecentricness" that Austin has, but a more diverse crowd (not just college students) and better weather (I know this will be argued greatly, but I like seeing snow occasionally).
I did my undergrad at Northwestern, so I'd give a loud and strong vote for that. If that's definitely out, though, I'll only tell you part of why I said no to UT Biz Honors 10 (yikes!) years ago. I had lived in the south my whole life and needed/wanted to see something different. I miss home (still live in Chicago), but I'm not going back for a while. In fact, I'm moving to NE for a couple years for grad school. Congratulations, you have great options and will likely do well regardless of what you choose. Just keep in mind some of the personal aspects - do you want to stay near home or explore someplace new. What about the particular city and maybe most importantly, what kind of vibe do you get from the campus and other students. For what it's worth, for job prospects, if you're smart (which you clearly appear to be), you'll be fine with all choices. Like I said, I went to NU, and work with people that came from schools like Harvard, Illinois, WashU, Indiana, Michigan, UVa, Chicago, etc. Smart people shine through almost no matter where you go to school - and all of your schools are great options. Good luck with your choice, and congrats again.
College is more about growing up as a person then it is about the degree. Pick somewhere that you feel you will grow.....UT is a great choice and a fun place to be....plus it is in Austin.....can't beat that. DD
I would go to UT. I went there for 3 years and the number of contacts you meet is second to none. Also if you are looking for a job after college they have the second best alumni networking after Harvard. My brother went to Tufts and said it was a nice place, but it lacked the college experience. But the city of Boston more than made up for this. Boston is one of the most intriguing places to be when you are a student. I have a lot of friends who went to Tulane and they flat out hated it. The city of New Orleans is both ghetto and dangerous, in their opinion. The atmosphere at UT business is real good and diverse. Just remember to focus on the business aspect of going to business school and dont get lost in the liberal arts studies. Learning about liberal arts was a bit more fun for me rather than those damn marketing classes. As for me I was in the regular UT business and not the Honors program so I wouldnt necessarily know how good it would be. It could only be better. I never really learnt anything valuable from these classes, except that to be organized with your note taking. I actually left after 3 years of college at UT and decided to start my own stock trading business. Much to parents dismay, I left and decided that I was wasting too much time in academics and neglecting my real earning potential. I may one day return and finish my degree, but at this point in my life I am damn pleased with the success of my business and see no real point in going back. I have 10 people working for me, and many of them are Harvard and Yale grads, but the best ones are ones from public schools like UT and UNC. I get the sense that they work harder and are more innovative due to the fact that they have had to work for everything in their life, unlike many Ivy league grads who believe they are entitled to privilege. One more thing to point out. Don't go to business school with the intent of learning business if you have no real business acumen or instinct in the first place. I have seen too many friends go into these business schools with no idea of how business works, graduate with a degree and realize that there are no jobs out there due to the fact they are missing the killer instint. If you have a real interest in business work on some outside projects or get some quality internships whilst in college. Those can get you the edge over the other guy when applying for a job. Good luck.
NIKEstrad, I went to Washington University...graduated in 2002. If youve got questions about the school, dont hesitate to ask. Its a great school, I would highly recommend it.
Come to UT and do Business Honors. Seriously, it is a great program. My cousin is a junior in the program and I'm a freshman in it right now. The program is very well designed and is a major itself. Also, it only takes a few more courses to receive another business degree along with it, i.e. finance or accounting or marketing. If you have any questions about the program, I will be glad to answer them. you can AIM me at rahoo1igan or email me at qwerty030@hotmail.com if you like. Are you going to the Prospective Members Conference the weekend after next? If you are coming to the one in Houston, let me know. It would be cool to meet another BBSer in Business Honors. I got accepted to WUStL Rice, and considered Tufts for awhile, but I feel my Business Honors/Plan II/Marketing/Pre-Law education at UT is better than I could have gotten elsewhere, and for a lot less money, especially with scholarships.
Here's my current impressions... With the unlikelihood of a career in trumpet performance, spending an extra year/money on a bachelor seems to be overkill. Combined with the facts that taken alone (without NEC), Tufts is almost unanimously considered inferior to WUSTL academically, and that I liked the WUSTL campus/environment better, that would seem to narrow my choices further. The advice my uncle (a UT business grad.) gave me was that if I plan to work in Texas in business, a UT BHP degree would probably carry me further than anything else. I don't want to decide where I'm working now, and I haven't decided that I'm going into business as a career, yet. Dallas- Yes, Beyonce went to HSPVA briefly (2 years, I believe) before Destiny's Child became really big. I actually went to middle school and had a few classes with her sister (Solange- recently married/pregnant). As an arts school, we have a number of Blue Note artists and other musicians who are making names for themselves, as well as artists, actors, and dancers. rimbaud- Your advice has been very well received. I do have a question, however: you seemingly eliminated Business Honors from the get-go. Any particular reason? If I do choose Wash U, I will definitely take you up on that offer. I'm more or less narrowed in my mind to UT and Wash U- I should be hearing some final financial decisions in the next couple weeks which may or may not make my decision easier. rezdawg and qwerty- It's always good to have people with first hand experience. I may need shoot some questions at yall in the next couple weeks.
A few reasons: 1. I would never recommend UT to an undergrad. Graduate, yes...undergrad, no. Personal opinion, of course. I am sure many go, love it, and do well with it. 2. Business is a useless undergrad degree. This is not only a reflection of my liberal arts and "old school" bias, but by the fact that more and more of the higher ups in the business community are starting to say the same thing (or, at least, disappointment in the kind of employee such programs produce). Additionally, I don't think you, as a college senior, should go into a specific program like that from the beginning. 3. I generally think it is best to get away from your home state when going to college. 4. WUSTL is vastly superior as an undergrad university in reputation, quality of education (in general, overall), and campus environment (more of a personal opinion, obviously - I just prefer the more intimate, personalized, and well-rounded philosophy)
hey synergy where are you at? i'm here in austin stock trading at zonetrading. basically a scalping firm with about 60 or so traders. there are about 10 position traders there now, me included. anyhow just curious about what you do stock trading. i always love talking about it. send me an email at rmacgregor@zonetrading.com or just reply back if u feel like talking about it. its nice running into other traders.
I have to agree. Been there for both (all of grad school and a tiny bit of undergrad); it was a decent grad school, but for an undergrad, it was miserable. Crowded, bureaucratic, anonymous... I saw why the mascot was a cow, since we were just a big herd of cattle. Though some of them like it, since there are always lots of parties and special interest groups for whatever activity you like to do. While I don't know much about WUSTL, it sounds like you would like it...
When I was choosing a college, I made sure it was a D1 school. There's no sports teams to root for at Tufts or GW. So go to UT.
I will admit that it is difficult going to a school with no "real" sports teams. But hey, the girls volleyball team at Wash U has dominated over the last decade. Oh well, we got our dose of college football on Saturdays watching NBC, CBS, and ABC.
