Berklee College of Music Top Questions

I would advice parents and students to visit college campuses and meet with students and staff members to get actual personal opinions regarding the school. I would also suggest students and parents to consider the cost of attendance in their decision.

Do whatever makes your child happy. You don't have to be "successful" to be happy.

I would say it is imperative to follow your insticts. Do as much research as you can about the school both before you get there and as soon as you enter. It is certainly a partnership between parents and students when doing research for schools, especially since finances are usually provided for by parents, but it is the parents job to make sure that the student also researches when they get to the school. This may entail talking to other students and teachers or offices provided by the school. Asking questions both before and after is the most important thing you can do. Ask as many people as many questions as possible, and you'll get at least a majority of the answers your looking for. Make comparison lists before, and goal lists during. Never settle! You are paying to get a great education, and that's what you deserve. If you want to get something out of a school and felt like you could upon entering, you absolutely should!

Finding the right college has little to do with the parents, or where they attended school. Which school to attend is a big decision, and one you will either cherish or regret for a long time. Doing proper research and finding reviews of different schools on a childs list is the best thing to do. I personally had it easy because I was well aware of what I wanted to do and where was the best place to do it. I only applied to one college and got accepted. But that is surely not going to be everybodys' story, so... Try your very best to figure out what you will want to do professionally as a career, and do the best research you can to find out which college specializes the most in that field. Also make sure that the college campus/environment suites you (as a secondary requirement).

Always look for Diversity. In the world today, so many countries are rising on the international scene. It is great to have friends from other countries that you establish long-term connections with because maybe 10 years from now you may be working with them. One of my closest friends here is from Italy. It also great to get in touch with other culltures and look at their perspectives because you learn alot more about yourself and you can also recognize how similar we all really are.

Let your children go to their first choice school.

I would tell prosepctive students to visit the schools they are interested in befor enrolling in it. Ask yourself if a city environment is where you want live and study. Make sure you can afford the school. I f not ask yourself if student loans are worth taking out in order to attend the school. Also know if you want to live at home or away.

Try to figure out what you want out of life.

More than anything, I would recommend that anyone looking to attend college figure out what they want to do in life, before investng the amount of time and money it takes to really do well in college. Taking time off between high school and college is a much better choice than trying to jump into college unsure of what you want to do. Remember, these four years are crucial in determining what you will do for the rest of your life.

Really take every chance you get to meet faculty and students and get involved in extra activities. Also work hard and get the education you are paying for.

It's best to go to school for something that you love so that every day you are excited to go to class and to put in the time to do your work to the best of your abilities. There are plenty of careers out there in any field so any college is the right choice if it is where you feel you need to go. Go to class, do your homework, talk to your teachers and go to activities on campus and college will be everything that it should be for you. Try to come away from every class feeling that you learned something and don't be afraid to do research outside of the class to gain a deeper understanding.

I think it really comes down to asking yourself one question: what do I want to do with my life? Whatever the answer is, look up the schools that are the best match and start sending emails and making phone calls. Colleges have a lot of resources but you have to be the one to put forth the effort and to keep bugging them if you have a question or problem. Also, make sure that you're actually ready to go to school. If you think you're going to just party all of the time, then just stay home, get a job and party at home. You're not paying $40,000 a year to party somewhere else when you can do that I home for free.

Students: if you aren't sure what you want to do, go to community college! That way, you're getting credits out of the way, but you have time to figure yourself out and what you want. If you know what you want, make sure you totally believe in your decision. Parents: Don't pressure your son or daughter to make a decision! They will end up making a decision that they will question later. You want them to have conviction in the path they choose in life. Encourage them to do what they love so they will be motivated to work hard.

Find a college that fits you. When you visit, make sure you're comfortable there, and that it offers you everything you want. If you're uncomfortable, or unsure, then off the bat know that something isn't right, and it may not be the right fit for you.

You really can't worry about the cost too much. It was my dream to attend Berklee since I was in the sixth grade. I try to concentrate on my experiences while I'm here and will worry about the loans later. It is important to realize that being happy with the college that you choose is very important.

Finding the right college should be, first and foremost, about doing everything possible to realize one's aspirations. Practicality, including money, job availability, and other factors, obviously influences anyone's decision. But in my opinion it is important to never lose sight of those things that we are passionate about. There is nothing worse than wishing you had pursued your passion while you ignore it for the sake of practicality. In terms of the college experience, there is nothing more important than getting out, meeting new people, and taking advantage of everything the college has to offer. It may be tempting to cling to familiar friends and spurn optional activities and opportunities, but getting involved in the community is icrucial to having a great college experience. Getting to know the city/area where your college is located is also important, as it is nice to have spots off campus to relax and have fun. A good experience usually means a good balance between work and relaxation.

If it scares you, it;s probably the right thing to do. I knew for quite some time that music was the path I wanted to study, but logically was not the right decision? The facts are, most working musicians struggle to find gigs, it's such a competitve feild, and you end up in the lower to middle class economically. But throwing the money aside, explaining to everyone "I want to go to music school", while my friends are going to business school, and my high school teachers suggested against it wasn't easy, but choosing Berklee was the wisest decision I have ever made. Follow your heart. It;s that simple. When I fisrt arrived at Berklee I couldn't decide which of the equally amazing majors I wanted to do. It took me two semesters and $40,000 in loans to realize why I wanted initially attend Berklee. Once I cleared my mind and listend to my heart I rememberd why since I was 12 I wanted to go to Berklee, and realized "what can I take from Berklee to help me change the World?" Since then, I have been the happiest I have ever been.

Visit for more than just a day and make a vacation out of it. Like spend a week in the city of the university. From that experience, see if the city fits the personality of your kid. If then they feel comfortable then you have picked the right place for them to go away to. If they do not feel comfortable there then you should look for another school in another city. A wrong city would cause your child to not want to stay there for all four years and then you would have wasted money just because they cant deal with being so far away.

Spend a day, interview some students, and realize that its rather likely that the program the student is looking to get into as a freshman will not be the program he/she graduates in 4+ years.

Find out what you really want to do and make every desicion around that choice. If you are sure of what you want, you will find the right college and be sucessfull.