Some Advice for Making Your Enrollment Decision

College Application
Written By Kathleen Tesar, EdD

It’s spring, and if you are a senior, you are already past applying and auditioning. You have received lots of advice on choosing repertoire, practicing auditions, staying healthy, and more. Soon—if not already—you will be receiving decisions from schools. Then it will be your turn to make a decision. At which school will you enroll? What are some of the elements that will help you make the best decision for you at this point in your life and career? And how do you know if you are making the right decision? Here are a few tips:

Tip #1

First, assemble the information for each school that offered you admission. This information would include:

  • Basic information about the institution: Is it a university, a liberal arts college, or a conservatory? Would you live on campus or at home? Does the school have those extra-musical activities that are important to you (such as sports, clubs, religious affiliation, etc.)? If you’ve maintained a spreadsheet throughout this process, you will already have this information.

  • Who would be your applied teacher (if applicable to your major)? If this information is not part of the offer of admission, when will you find out?

  • What is the total cost of attendance at the school—tuition, meals, lodging, books, transportation, etc.? This number is published on their website, but should also be included in your offer of aid and/or admission.

  • What funding is being offered to you to help underwrite the cost of attendance—federal or state grants, loans, institutional aid or merit scholarship? Subtract this funding from the total cost of attendance to see what it would cost you to attend each school. Again, this net price (cost of attendance minus funding) should be included in your notice of financial aid. (And remember that you do not have to accept all or even any of the loans offered.)

  • Include notes on your perceptions of each school. What did you think of the campus? Were the people you encountered welcoming? Were you able to get a sense of whether you would thrive there?

 
 

Tip #2

Second, spend some time on your own reflecting deeply on your ultimate career goals. Hold those goals up against your perceptions of each school. Then rank the schools in terms of your preferences.

 
 

Tip #3

And now the hard part: Sitting down as a family to look at all of the above. I suggest having this conversation after you have done some self-reflection because the decision ultimately will be a mix of the emotional and the practical.

 
 

At the end of the day,

Remember that there are multiple ways to reach your career goals. The most direct path is usually enrolling at your four-year dream school and working hard to earn your degree. But for all kinds of reasons, that is not always possible. Sometimes you end up at your second-choice or third-choice school. Sometimes you have to choose a two-year college and then transfer to a four-year school. Sometimes you have to defer your enrollment for a year. But here’s the thing: No matter what your decision now, it is up to you to make it the right decision.

What do I mean by that? First of all, no matter where you enroll, if you don’t work hard you won’t grow technically or artistically. Second, every school has something to offer you. Take advantage of that fact. Whether it’s access to performances and master classes, extracurricular opportunities, or even campus jobs, learn and do everything you can to deepen your knowledge and get yourself ready for life after you earn your bachelor’s degree.

Believe in yourself, make your decision, and move forward with your life. You can do this!

Kathleen Tesar, EdD

Kathleen Tesar has a wide range of experience as both a performer and an administrator in higher education. Currently the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management at The Juilliard School, she oversees the offices of Admissions and Financial Aid. Her responsibilities include recruiting and enrolling the incoming class each year, overseeing the prescreening and audition processes, chairing the Admissions Committee, and serving on the Scholarship Committee.

Her first job after completing her Bachelor of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music was as a violinist in the Orquesta Sinfonica Municipal in Caracas, Venezuela. Moving back to the US, Dr. Tesar spent many years as assistant principal second violin in the Alabama Symphony. As a violin teacher, Dr. Tesar was on the faculty of the Alabama School of Fine Arts and Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina, and maintained a small private studio in Birmingham.

Moving into administration, Dr. Tesar was Director of Admissions first at Eastern Music Festival and then at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester. She worked at the Colburn School for twelve years, her last title as Associate Dean of the Conservatory, and from there went to the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music as Coordinator of the 2016 Piatigorsky International Cello Festival.

In addition to these orchestral and administrative positions, Dr. Tesar was a Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center, and spent several summers as a member of the orchestra at the Spoleto Festival in South Carolina and Italy. She earned her Master of Music degree from the Catholic University of America, and her Doctor of Education (EdD) in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education. Dr. Tesar’s dissertation focused on identifying and recruiting underrepresented students in pre-college classical music programs.

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