composser

Question to composers: How is UNT for composition doctorate? I might apply there next year, if things don't work out for me financially...

So should composers assume Columbia is a no at this moment? Anybody brave enough to call them up tomorrow, and put an end to our misery?

I think you should move (if that happens). It's a great deal, and don't forget that no one is locking you up and forcing you to do the doctorate. Supposse it doesn't work, and you can't fit in... you can always transfer or re-apply. Not much to loose...

Yeah you have to take that. With the exception of Ivy all my Ph.D./ D.M.A. schools don't offer more than 14k stipend!! Plus, two extra years mean a lot. It is very healthy to discover new things and passions in Music or otherwise. I know most people get carried away and finish everything as soon as they can, which can result in a general lack of interests outside their field of study. And "specialists" are really boring! We need more people like Bucky Fuller in our schools...

Problem is that March 15 is pretty consistent for rejections

SunnyComposer I am certain there was an acceptance by UNT because I know one of the people that got it. However, I don't know if they do acceptances in rounds, or all at once and then proceed to waitlists. Good luck anyways... I on the other hand am going insane over Columbia and Cornell. When are these guys going to notify? Anyone knows if Columbia did accept for comp?

Mochabear that sucks. Sorry to hear that, though I was in that same position a couple of years ago. Let's hope Austin is positive. By the way I have a question about comp. at Columbia. Do they send the musicology and comp. emails at the same time? Because we already know of the acceptance of musicmage. Also what is the deal with MCgill? How do they notify people? Last, on Cornell, I briefly looked at the schedules of comp faculty. Seems that next Monday is the time they will all be again in town. And as I have said, they seem to notify applicants Fridays, which might be the time they have faculty meetings. But on the other hand this year they are quite late so my theory doesn't hold much...

Sure, but if they are transparent about it, they should write what these cut-offs are. Take Harvard. They require GRE, but do not post any cut-offs. In the Q&A they also mention how they are not looking for a particular score. Now, if they actually end up rejecting applicants because their GRE scores are too low, that is not ok.

I doubt it. Again, portfolio is the most important. While you think that your portfolio is strong, it might be not the kind that the comp faculty wants. It depends from school to school, and while people say that are trying to be impartial, only very few universities achieve that. I know personally faculty who base their decisions on some abstract notion of "potential," even though there was better music submitted that year. Cut-offs should not exist. If they do, it is a shame... because we are all paying the 100+ fee for the application. If the school does not post cut-offs, takes the money, and then weed people out according to those cut-offs, they are not an educational institution but just a bunch of crooks. It is too much like a scam. If anyone knows that this happens and you have facts about it, you should not remain silent, and accept the way things are, but must speak openly. Once things like this get some serious publicity, you will see how quickly they will change. Last, remember that lots of faculty go out to festivals etc. meet composers, and advice them to apply to their programs. We are competing against them too. And it is difficult, since they already have a strong connection and previous liking for that person. And faculty recs will help only if they are well-known. On an average, most recs mention that you are 5% top students ever. No one believes that, they just learn to read between the lines (and codes like this exist!), if there is something wrong with the applicant.

Another silent week. Next one will be big!

From Cornell: ... weird...

I'm afraid if by the end of this week UofC does not email, I will assume rejection. All evidence points that way. This unless a student from UofC comp. department would like to post in this thread and tell us otherwise...

Ivy or not, seems to me to be less important in composition. Although some very high percentage of all jobs are taken by the graduates of "big" schools, it is because a lot of times skill and resume coincide. Fortunately, I know many cases where they don't... especially if we think about other countries. Take for example a big school like Princeton. Not many people in Europe will be impressed about you as a composer because you studied at Princeton! Your scores, performances, intelligence, connections, with whom you studied, etc. etc. will certainly matter more. ---- Speaking of Ivys: U of Chicago, and Harvard have already notified the musicology winners (although Harvard just did that today as we can see on the board). If this year they notify both musicology and composition applicants at the same time, the ones who didn't hear anything yet, should start assuming they didn't get in. I find it is easier to just make up your mind and not kill yourself over it. Cornell should start moving soon, based on previous years. They tend to notify on Fridays, look at previous posters in composition on 2010 & 2011. Columbia is totally random it seems... a stressful situation indeed. Good Luck to all!

I'm inclined to saying that for Composition the GRE matters very very little (if at all). Perhaps, only few big universities or Ivy schools hold on to this. Cornell has dropped it some time ago and has benefited from it. And what I gathered from schools is: "If h/she is good, we don't care" To answer your question, number-wise you can still get anywhere you want. It's the portfolio that will carry the most importance anyways. ... as for musicology I have no idea. Maybe it matters just a little more. But V610 is enough.

Yes, they can. From personal experience I know 1 person who was accepted in late April, (McGill) and 1 other in AUGUST (Juilliard). Personally last year I had been wait-listed from Brandeis but no one told me until I decided to e-mail them myself around early April. Lastly, I know countless of other applicants being offered a full ride in May+ (after having been wait-listed) Suggestion: Call the departments and press for a reply over the phone!

Yes Composition. Well you have it better in terms of costs. I'm considered international and although school + living is cheaper than in the states, I still can't afford the $27.000 /year (all including). It's such a desperate situation for students all over the world... a lot of places have reduced funds for music in the past few years to a minimum. Some programs where I applied were accepting only one student. How do you even choose who's the best in that case? I get the sense that as students we are trying to squeeze as much as we can out of a system that is slowly degenerating. Good schools in the states have gone in the 50.000$ and their costs keep increasing. Ridiculous... And yet going to Graduate School seems to be the only way to succeed in real life at the moment. Arrgh so few options... Anyways getting back to Mcgill, I wish you the best. I'll try to fight myself if I can get some funding. Crossing fingers.

Hi Shachey, They put all accepted candidates on a wait-list for excellence fellowships. Me and an other friend are both on that as well The real questions are two: What fellowship, and what number on the wait-list are we? That they don't say... But yes, 15th March is the time they open up TA applications

If I can be honest, IU completely sucks when it comes to making applicants feel good about their application to the university. One e-mail took them 2 weeks to reply. Phone calls were somewhat arrogant. They could not accommodate any special cases. 2 other friends of mine (one of which they offered a campus interview) confirmed the same stuff. Sure it has a lot going for, but they handle the process like amateurs, which is very irritating to me.

Hehe, seems like you were in a dream, inside the dream, inside the matrix! Well, how about you incept Harvard's Dean, and fill him/her with self doubt weather the right people were accepted?

Hi Joel, do you know if they are accepting by snail-mail, or just shooting e-mails to accepted candidates? Thanks

Man this comment has killed all my expectations. Since you have a contact there, is there a chance you might re-check with them if they made decisions yet. If you don't I guess I'll straight up call someone on Monday. Waiting any longer for this school is getting terribly uncomfortable on my side -- especially if it is true that they made decisions a month ago... Cheers

Hmmm... for composition they were offering only 1 spot to 80 applicants. What the hell !!! I read someone got accepted for PhD/ Composition at Columbia. This probably means I'm out of the game since I've not received any e-mail yet. Damn it... Still thanks for posting it as it makes the waiting a little easier.

Then I am 99% sure that they made their offers already. I somehow dislike the practice most places are adopting, that is notifying early acceptances. Anyhow the only hope for us is if UT Austin does it like Brandeis did last year. First they made their acceptances, and were waiting to hear from them before contacting any wait-listed applicant. I actually got to know I was wait-Listing purely by chance. What can I say, GOOD LUCK TO BOTH OF US!

Just read the note from the person who got Full-Ride PHD in Yale. Congrats! That is a big accomplishment. I have two things in my mind: 1) Has anyone heard from UT Austin (preferably composition applicants. Could it be that they already contacted their candides and wait-lists?) 2) How come this topic has been hijacked by musicology people only? Where are all the others? Cheers

It's still a little early, even for fellow candidates (unless one has a close relationship with one of the profs). Feb. should be the time when they start contacting.