all angst aside...

I have compiled some reflections on the schools I've been to in the past few weeks. Here goes...

University of Minnesota

Okay, not too much that I can tell you, because there was absolutely NOTHING going on on the audition day. Not even anyone to talk to me about the school. And the teacher I auditioned for didn't even come to my audition. So... not incredibly impressed... and my audition went horribly so I don't think I'll get in anyway.

Oh, one thing, there was a lounge in the music building with coffee machines.



Northwestern U

First off, the office extention of the teacher I auditioned for - Almita Vamos - is 1812, which is the same as my NWC extention. I feel good about this.

Apparently the acceptance rate is around 20%, which is lower than.. like... every school ever created. Lower than Julliard. So I'm not too hopeful.

In Evanston I ate the best Thai food of my life. It was. Amazing.

The admissions guy was very pleasing.

For some reason the music building was ridiculously humid. For real. I was sweating. It was very strange. The thing in my violin case that measures humidity (hygrometer?) went berzerk when I was in there. And when it's humid my strings get a little sticky. So my fingers didn't work as well in my audition.


University of Cincinnati

I found it reassuring that the clocks in the music building are the same as NWC's.

The music building was amazingly beautiful. And the practice rooms - get this - have windows that face OUTSIDE. So you don't feel like so much of a hermit. And you can open them so it's not so stuffy. The practice rooms, btw, sounded AMAZING. I loved the acoustics, very ringy and delicious. Oh, and they had friendly messages scrawled on the walls. (see below)



The average admitted CCM graduate student has 85% of her/his tuition paid in scholarships.

The teacher I auditioned for was incredibly pleasant. He was my current teacher's teacher when she was in grad school.

There is housing available especially for CCM students. There are practice rooms inside. Obscene. This is appealing... maybe? Although I get the feeling that I would never see the sun.

I got the impression that the environment here is much more supportive than the other schools which is a HUGE deal.


Cleveland Institute of Music

This school wins the prize for the most uggo building ever created. For REAL. Most of the walls were bricks painted a smarmy aqua color. "Smarmy" of course makes no sense in this context but it's the word that came to mind.

For some reason many of the women auditioning were wearing very booby dresses. Seriously, boobs everywhere.

This was the only school that served us food. Lots and lots of donuts. And lunch.

One of the wings of the building was called the "Lennon" wing.

CIM is located in "University Circle", basically the arts center of Cleveland. There is an art museum right across the street, Severance Hall (home of the Cleveland Orchestra), a botanical garden, and some other cool looking buildings. CIM's smarmy building looked pretty out of place. So CIM wins for best surrounding neighborhood.

See previous post for my impressions of the judges. This was definitely the most snoody feeling school.



Anyway of course I cannot be picky. I will be happy any one of them wants me. I didn't realize how much I want this until I got to CCM and actually played well at my audition. Frick. Anyway the immediately important thing is that I am FINALLY home and I have laid Tchaiko the Psycho to rest, indefinitely. My straightener broke on the flight home but other than that I am in one piece. Physically anyway. Ugh. I'm going to do laundry.