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Does everyone have access to Fafsa student loans?

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Are universities accepting Pass/ No pass?

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https://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/housing

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Do you need assistance obtaining suitable housing in the Bakersfield College area? Although the college does not provide housing for students at this time, we hope to assist students. If you're interested in receiving housing services assistance, please email Student Life

Student Housing Services helps and supports BC students in a magnitude of ways. Some students may prefer to live with families, rent a room, apartment, or house. Whatever the option a student chooses, the goal of Student Housing Services is to assist BC students in locating some potential living accommodations.

Student Housing Services is a program offered by the Office of Student Life to assist students in meeting their housing needs. The Office of Student Life understands that in order for students to be academically successful, their basic needs must be met (Maslow, 1943). Student Housing Services is designed to help students meet this need and to provide opportunities to develop life skills through workshops, financial management, connections to resources, and hands-on practical tips and advice Student Housing Services will augment this with support, guidance, and educational services.

Housing Resources & Listings

Housing Resources:

Local Housing Listings

The inclusion of any rental, apartment, or agency on the list does not represent an endorsement of services or facilities by Bakersfield College or the Office of Student Life, nor does it guarantee vacancies. Please be aware that Bakersfield College does not inspect any housing facilities. We do not assume responsibility for the condition of these housing facilities, or for the character of any applicant, landlord, or tenant. Student Life is no longer collecting and advertising personal spaces, and directing students to look for available accommodations via one of these web-based programs.

Community Shelters

Topics to Discuss With Prospective Roommates

Below are some tips to think about before you even begin to search for a prospective roommate, and to discuss when you are ready to move forward.

Discuss any lifestyle issues or concerns.

Discuss what respective schedules are (school, work, etc.)

Discuss how utilities that are not covered in the monthly rent will be divided.

Discuss expectations of keeping your residence clean, who does what chores, how food is purchased and eaten, how loudly music should, guests, and pets.

Sometimes it is a good idea to put house rules in writing (contract) and all parties sign.

Proposed New Student Housing Project

BC has identified a housing need within its student population including specifically, emancipated former foster care students, veteran students, and those who are currently or imminently facing homelessness. The proposed vision is to create housing where these qualifying students, through various subsidy programs, could reside while attending the college. BC and KCCD currently own a parcel across the street from the main campus at 4021 Mt. Vernon Ave. The parcel is currently in the process of a zone change and general plan amendment to accommodate a student housing facility.

PUBLIC HEARING: The zone change and general plan amendment application will be heard (subject to COVID-protocols) by the City of Bakersfield Planning Commission on June 3, 2021, 5:30pm at City Hall. Once the meeting agenda is posted, instructions for submitting comments to the City of Bakersfield can be found online.

If you have a comments for BC about this project, please submit through our feedback form.
Submit your feedback

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Do you need assistance obtaining suitable housing in the Bakersfield College area? Although the college does not provide housing for students at this time, we hope to assist students. If you're interested in receiving housing services assistance, please email Student Life Student Housing Services helps and supports BC students in a magnitude of ways.

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What are admissions requirements for any UC'.s

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What are admissions requirements for any UC'.s

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Is it hard to get a scholarship?

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What years of high school do college admissions look at.

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Do certain campuses have real fast food places in them.

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If I get scholarships and go to a 2 year college and then want to transfer could I save those scholarships to use for the 4 year university that I am transferring to?

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If I wanna apply for a school in Valencia would it be better to move out there or stay here in bakersfield?

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What would my grades need to be in order to achieve a 3.34 gpa?

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how much time do students spend studying per week

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how much time do students spend studying per week

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Will college be expensive?

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How much would it cost to go to college?

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50 Things Every College Freshman Needs to Know (study.com)

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Due to this video it states that when you're near everything when you live in dorms.

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can you pick who to dorm with ?

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What are the best UC or CSD for law enforcement.

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What is better living on campus or rent a home with other friends.

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Life at Berkeley doesn't stand still. With over 35,000 students from around the world and a vibrant urban setting, it's no wonder the campus community talks about a "fear of missing out." Jump in and find out how dynamic and interconnected life at Berkeley can be.

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Life at Berkeley doesn't stand still. With over 35,000 students from around the world and a vibrant urban setting, it's no wonder the campus community talks about a "fear of missing out." Jump in and find out how dynamic and interconnected life at Berkeley can be.

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How much is it to live in the dorms on campus?

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what are the best CSU's or UC's that have a good law institute ?

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The Harvard campus during the summer is an energetic, enriching environment. Whether you choose to live on campus, commute to class, or take advantage of digital resources as an online student, we have a range of resources for you.

Housing

Living on campus is an enriching part of the Harvard Summer School experience. Visiting college students and adult students, as well as students in the Secondary School Program, have the option to live on campus in Cambridge. The Pre-College Program is a fully residential program.

Learn about on-campus housing and dining services.

Please note: Housing is not available for 2021. Learn more. Please contact our office at summerhousing@summer.harvard.edu if you have any housing-related questions.

Resources

As a Summer School student, your Harvard ID card grants you access to:

Activities

Join the chorus or orchestra, explore Boston and Cambridge, attend lectures and workshops, or participate in intramurals. A range of summer activities are open to you as a student.

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The Harvard campus during the summer is an energetic, enriching environment. Whether you choose to live on campus, commute to class, or take advantage of digital resources as an online student, we have a range of resources for you. Living on campus is an enriching part of the Harvard Summer School experience.

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We offer some of the most affordable, personalized, and interactive music programs in Los Angeles County. As a CCM student, you will:

Work with our world-class faculty members who are active professionals in the Los Angeles music industry

Develop your core musicianship and artistry through our comprehensive, tiered music classes

Be exposed to new musical styles and techniques that you can incorporate into your own art

Collaborate with fellow students from around the world

Whether you're into pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop, jazz, funk, or fusion, California College of Music can help you hone your craft and advance your art! California College of Music is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music .

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We offer some of the most affordable, personalized, and interactive music programs in Los Angeles County.

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Many students learn some kind of musical instrument in elementary school. Some continue through high school, and some even plan on continuing to do some kind of musical activity in college.

For a small fraction of students, though, music is not only something they want to continue studying, but it is the only thing they want to focus on studying in college.

If you're one of these students who wants to go to music school, then this article is for you. We'll go over what kind of experience you can expect to have at the best music schools and what you should look for in a top music school. We'll also introduce to you to our ranking of the best music schools in the US (for undergraduates).

What Is a Music School?

At the college or university level, music schools come in a couple of different forms. The most specialized of these is the music conservatory. Our list of best music schools is mostly comprised of a) conservatories that are part of larger institutions and b) standalone conservatories.

As a conservatory student, you will almost exclusively take music classes. You may have some required liberal arts core classes as well, but the expectation at a conservatory is that the vast majority (at least 95%) of your time will be devoted to music classes, studio lessons, performing, practicing, and composing (depending on your major).

Undergraduates at music conservatories generally graduate with a Bachelor of Music (BM) degree, although some conservatories may offer Bachelor of Musical Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music degrees. Additionally, if the conservatory is affiliated with a larger university or college, you may be able to get a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Music instead.

At conservatories that are part of a larger university, it's also possible to get dual degrees in music and a non-music field. For some of these schools, you must apply to both the conservatory and the non-music undergraduate program of your choice and be accepted to both to take classes at both; at other schools, you can apply to the regular college to begin with and then take courses in the conservatory, or vice versa.

Dual degree programs usually graduate students with a Bachelor of Music degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree (either in music or some other unrelated field), although other pairings do exist (e.g. BM/Bachelor of Science, or BA/Master of Music). Occasionally you can get this dual degree in the same four years you would take for a single degree, but more often dual degree programs take five or more years.

At many conservatories, it's also possible to get an undergraduate certificate or artist's diploma instead of a bachelor's degree. Undergraduate diploma programs are usually only offered to performance majors (although occasionally you may run into a composition undergraduate diploma) and are often restricted to students who already have a bachelor's degree in another subject but have decided to return to school to study music. These programs do not have the same liberal arts requirements or academic focus as other types of undergraduate music degrees.

Attending a conservatory of music is a good choice for students who are seriously considering pursuing a career in music and want their university experience to primarily center around music.

A second type of music school is a college or university that has a good music program but does not offer a specialized undergraduate music degree (BM). Students at these types of music schools graduate with a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Music, rather than a Bachelor of Music. Rather than spending 95%+ of your time on music, you'll generally end up spending at most 50% of your time on music and 50% on other academic subjects.

Most top-ranked liberal arts colleges (and even some top-ranked universities) fall into this second category of music school. If you're a student who loves music but also wants to get a good non-music education, schools with good music programs (rather than conservatories) are the way to go.

This description fit me to a tee when I was in high school. I wanted to attend a school that had outstanding academics, including a good music program, rather than a school that had an outstanding music program and some good non-music courses. Because of this, I went to a liberal arts college for undergrad and only went to a conservatory for my Master's degree.

The trade-off when it comes to music schools is that most non-conservatories with good music programs won't have the same quality music programs as do the best conservatories in the country. That's why, out of all the schools on this list, the only school listed that does not have a conservatory program for undergraduate students is Yale.

Our Methodology for Choosing the Top Music Schools in the US

Because there are so many different kinds of programs within each music school, it's difficult to give a definitive ranking for how they compare to one another.

Take a look at this list of the different kinds of programs you might expect to find at a music school:

general music (theory, musicology, ear training, etc)

performance (instruments, conducting, early music, jazz/contemporary music)

composition (including film music)

music technology/audio engineering

music education

music industry

musical theatre (usually in partnership with a theatre studies/drama program)

Many of these courses of study can be further divided up into different subprograms. For instance, under the "performance" umbrella, schools will have different programs for different families of instruments (brass, woodwinds, strings), which will each have different tracks for different instruments.

While it's great that music schools have such a wide breadth of programs, it also means that the quality of different programs can vary widely within the same school. Even if you assume a school is equally proficient at every performance major, for example, it's unlikely that it will be equally as strong in its performance majors as it is in its music industry program.

There's no guarantee that a music school's are even in the same tier of quality-for example, it's very likely a school could have a top-level music industry program but a below-average music education program.

Taking all this into consideration, for our list of the best music schools in the US we've chosen schools that provide students with the best overall music education for undergraduates. This assessment is based partially on rankings of student satisfaction and earnings and partially on the reputation of the school as a music school.

For our music school rankings, we've grouped schools into three different categories. Attending any one of the schools on this list will prepare you for future studies in music and give you a foundation on which to build a future music career.

First, we'll look at the best music programs within larger schools. Most of these are conservatories within a larger university or college setting.

Next, we'll consider the best music-only schools. These schools are all conservatories unattached to larger institutions, although cross-registration may be possible with other non-conservatories in the area.

Finally, we'll go through some honorable mention music schools. These are music schools that aren't quite at the level of the 15 schools in the other two categories but are still notable for various reasons, including affordability, overall reputation of the institution the music school is affiliated with, or promotion of interdisciplinary study.
Pictured above: the interdisciplinary study of music theory and why won't earbuds stay in my ears.
The Best University Music Programs in the US

The schools in this category are for the most part conservatories within larger universities. Many schools on this list offer dual degrees, or at the very least cross-registration between the music school and other undergraduate programs that are part of the same overarching university.

We've come up with a rough overall ranking order for these schools based on reputation, student satisfaction, affordability, breadth of offerings, and selectivity.

However, it's important to keep in mind that the difference in actual teaching quality among all the schools is pretty negligible and is more major-dependent than school-dependent, so judging Jacobs as better than, say, Eastman is more a matter of what you study and what kind of environment you want to be in than anything else.

Name University Degree(s)

BM=Bachelor of Music; BME=Bachelor of Music Education; BS=Bachelor of Science; Assoc. Sci=Associate of Science; UD=some kind of non-degree diploma program open to undergraduates (specific terminology differs school to school); BMA=Bachelor of Musical Arts; BFA=Bachelor of Fine Arts; BA=Bachelor of Arts.

Below, we have a brief overview of each school on the above list. We also have more detailed information about acceptance rate and student body size (if available) and what you can get a degree in.

#1: Jacobs School of Music (Indiana University-Bloomington)

The Jacobs School of Music is part of Indiana University-Bloomington, a public university in the Indiana University system. Although IU Bloomington is a relatively large school, with around 33,000 undergraduates overall, Jacobs School of Music only has about 500 undergrads; it's still on the larger side for a conservatory (it has roughly the same number of grad students as well), but it has a significantly more intimate feel than you'd expect to get from your average state university flagship school.

As an undergraduate applicant, you'll need to both apply to Indiana University and fill out an additional Jacobs School of Music supplemental application.

Because Jacobs is part of a larger university, you do have the benefit of being able to cross-register with different schools at IU and even get a dual degree in music and a non-music field (BM/BA or BM/BS).

Additionally, Jacobs itself offers a much wider variety of fields of study for undergraduates than most other music schools, including everything from standard instrument and composition majors to an Associate degree in string instrument technology. And for certain programs, Jacobs allows students to pursue dual music degrees so that you might, for instance, end up with a BM in composition and an Associate of Science degree in Audio Engineering and Sound Production.

Here is a complete list of all the different undergraduate degree programs offered at Jacobs School of Music:

BM=Bachelor of Music; BS=Bachelor of Science.

#2: Peabody Institute (Johns Hopkins University)

Location: Baltimore, MD

Acceptance rate: varies by program; low

Student body size: About 270 undergraduates

Tuition: $53,630

The Peabody Institute falls under the academic umbrella of Johns Hopkins University, an extremely selective private university in Baltimore that has about 6,000 undergraduate students over all its programs.

Around 270 undergrad and 310 grad students attend the Peabody Conservatory, which means you'll have the chance not only to collaborate with your undergraduate peers but with other students more advanced in their studies (and get a glimpse into what life might be like if you go to grad school for music). Peabody offers both Bachelor of Music degrees and performance certificates (a non-academic undergraduate diploma) for undergraduate students.

To attend Peabody as an undergraduate, you only need to apply to the Peabody Institute (rather than to Johns Hopkins as well) unless you're planning on getting a dual degree, in which case you'll have to apply and be accepted to both Peabody and Johns Hopkins. Typically a minimum of five years, dual degree programs with the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences or the Whiting School of Engineering are even more intensive than a regular conservatory degree.

Fortunately, if all you want to do is take some non-Peabody classes while getting a conservatory education, you can cross-register with other undergraduate programs at Hopkins without having to go full-on dual degree. In fact, taking classes not offered at Peabody is mandatory for certain majors, like recording arts and sciences.

As an undergraduate student at Peabody, you can choose to major in any of the following areas:

BM=Bachelor of Music; PC=Performance Certificate (an undergraduate diploma program).

#3: School of Music, Theatre, and Dance (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor)

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Acceptance rate: around 7-16% (varies depending on major)

Student body size: about 825 undergraduates (74% with music focus)

Tuition

The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance is one of several different schools at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, a highly selective public university in the University of Michigan system. While UMich's Ann Arbor has around 32,000 undergraduates as a whole, SMTD has much more of a conservatory feel, with under 200 music students in each year.

You can apply to SMTD through the Common App or Coalition App, and you'll also need to submit an artistic profile as part of your application as well.

As an alternative to doing a full-on dual degree, students at SMTD can also choose to get a Bachelor of Musical Arts, which combines a music performance (jazz or classical) concentration with non-music coursework. (At other schools like Frost, an equivalent degree might be a Bachelor of Arts in Music, rather than a Bachelor of Music degree).

SMTD has undergraduate programs in the following areas:

BM=Bachelor of Music; BFA=Bachelor of Fine Arts; BS=Bachelor of Science.

#4: Yale University

Part of the Ivy League, Yale University is an extremely selective private school in New Haven.

Yale is unique on this list of music schools because while it does have a separate music school (the Yale School of Music), this music school only grants degrees to graduate students. Thus, if you want to study music at Yale, you'll just major in music (through the Department of Music) and get a BA in music, just as you would for an academic subject like sociology or economics.

Despite not having a separate degree program for undergraduates, however, Yale is still one of the top music schools in the US (partly because it does have a separate school of music). Once you get into Yale, you can opt to get a performance certificate or an artist diploma on top of your BA; it's not quite the same as getting a BM, but it will show grad schools that you were dedicated enough to music to spend the time to get an additional diploma on top of your BA.

Yale also has a new 5-year BA/MM (or BS/MM) program through the Yale School of Music for instrumental musicians only; not much info is out yet about it, so we'll update as we get more information.

#5: Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester)

The Eastman School of Music is part of the University of Rochester, a selective private university in Rochester, NY. The University of Rochester overall is medium-sized, with about 6,500 undergrads total, but with around 500 undergrads total, Eastman feels much smaller.

If you're just planning on getting a Bachelor of Music degree, you only need apply to Eastman; if you want to get a dual degree (BA/BM or BS/BM), though, you have to apply to both Eastman and the University of Rochester (30% acceptance rate).

In addition to allowing students to do a double major with a non-music subject or cross-register in non-music classes, Eastman also allows students to double-major within Eastman. This allows students who are interested in pursuing multiple musical areas (say, piano and composition) to pursue both interests equally.

Below is a chart with the different music degrees offered at Eastman:

BM=Bachelor of Music.

#6: Thornton School of Music (USC)

The Thornton School of Music is part of the University of Southern California (USC), a highly selective private university in Los Angeles. The process of applying to Thornton is a little different than for other music schools that are part of larger universities-rather than applying to Thornton separately, you must apply to USC and select "music major" in the application (as well as including all required portfolio materials).

Even though you have to apply to USC (around 19,000 undergrads total), Thornton with its <1000 students (grad and undergrad) still has that conservatory vibe.

Like SMTD at UMich, Thornton allows undergrads to follow two different tracks: the BM track, which is essentially a conservatory degree, or the BA in Music track, which allows students to have a more liberal-arts focused degree (that still includes a good amount of music coursework).

Thornton's majors in Music Industry and Music Production are relatively unique among conservatories (which are usually more performance and theory-oriented), and the fact that Thornton is located in LA means that students in those majors can get some hands-on experience outside of the classroom.

Students can major in the following areas at Thornton:

BA=Bachelor of Arts; BM=Bachelor of Music; BS=Bachelor of Science.

#7: Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Oberlin College)

The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is part of Oberlin College, a private liberal arts college and the only non-university in this category of music schools. Because of Oberlin's commitment to providing all of its students with a solid liberal arts foundation, BM students must take 6-8 non-conservatory courses as part of their degree.

Oberlin's dual degree program allows students to graduate with a BA/BM in five years or fewer. Unlike some dual degree programs, Oberlin does not have any requirement that the two degrees be in any way connected. You could choose to pair majors as related as Early Music Performance and History or as disparate as Musicology and Biochemistry. Students must apply to both the College of Arts and the Conservatory to be accepted to the double degree program.

Oberlin Conservatory of Music offers the following undergraduate majors:

BM=Bachelor of Music.

#8: Frost School of Music (University of Miami)

Location: Miami, FL

Acceptance rate

Student body size: 450 undergrads (300 grad students)

Tuition: $50,400

The Frost School of Music is part of the University of Miami, a private university located in Miami, FL. While the University of Miami as a whole has around 10,800 undergrads, Frost only has about 450 undergrads total (or around 112 students in each year), so it feels much smaller. There are also around 300 grad students at Frost.

Unlike most of the schools in this category, you do in fact have to apply and get into both the Frost School of Music and the University of Miami in order to attend Frost. Because you will have already gotten into the University of Miami when you start Frost, however, this means that it's pretty easy to cross-register for classes outside of Frost.

When I spoke with the Frost admissions office about double-majoring/dual degrees, I was told that while it is possible to double-major in music and a non-music subject, it is not recommended, due to the intensity of requirements for the music degree. Instead, it's much more common for students to get a BA in Music and minor in a non-music subject.

Here's a table of the different areas you can choose to major in as a student at Frost:

BM=Bachelor of Music; PC=Performance Certificate (an undergraduate diploma program); BS=Bachelor of Science; BA=Bachelor of Arts.

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The Best Standalone Music Schools in the US

All the schools on this list are conservatories. Some of the schools have non-music programs as well (dance, theatre, etc), but for our music school ranking purposes, we've only considered the quality of each school's music programs.

BM=Bachelor of Music; UD=some kind of non-degree diploma program open to undergraduates (specific terminology differs from school to school).

Next, we'll go into a little more detail about each of the conservatories on this list.

#1: The Juilliard School

When one thinks of what the best music schools in the world (let alone the US) are, one of the names that is sure to come to everyone's mind is Juilliard. Located in Manhattan's Upper West Side, t he Juilliard School is a world-renowned conservatory with undergraduate programs in dance, theatre, and music.

One of the premier schools in the world for instrumentalists and vocalists, Juilliard alums have gone on to launch careers as solo and chamber musicians and become members of top national and international orchestras (including the New York Philharmonic). One of the most difficult music schools to get into in the US, Juilliard is the conservatory equivalent of Harvard or Stanford-highly selective, famous faculty, name brand recognition, and with alums who go on to become leaders in their field.

As an undergraduate student at Juilliard, you can choose to get either an undergraduate diploma (almost entirely performance-focused) or a Bachelor of Music (includes more classwork and marginally less focus on your primary instrument). You can also apply to be one of the 10-12 students in each year who is able to cross-register for classes at Barnard College or Columbia University.

Juilliard does also offer a joint five-year bachelor's/MM degree in conjunction with Barnard and Columbia; however, in order to participate in this program, you need to be a student at Barnard or Columbia who's cross-registered at Juilliard for at least two years before applying. This program works best for students who are as strong academically as they are musically and have the dedication and time management skills to manage essentially an undergraduate and master's degree at the same time.

Juilliard offers the following majors to its undergraduates:

BM=Bachelor of Music; UD=Undergraduate Diploma.

#2: Curtis Institute of Music

The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory that is focused around performance (although it does have a composition program as well). Curtis is extremely difficult to get into, but when I spoke with Admissions I was told that you can always reapply if you're rejected and that, indeed, there are many students at Curtis who didn't get in the first time around.

The main reason for Curtis's exclusivity is its free tuition policy. All students accepted to Curtis are given a scholarship to cover the cost of tuition, with the aim of making sure that talented students are not held back from attending Curtis due to the price of admission. This policy has made Curtis as or more difficult to get into than Juilliard and the quality of students admitted is extremely high.

Curtis is almost exclusively an undergraduate school; the exception is the graduate vocal studies program, which usually has 12-15 students per year. That Curtis is so undergrad-focused means that all of your classes will be taught by professors (rather than having some taught by TAs), which gives it a very different feel from a school that is more equally divided among undergrads and grad students (or has a larger grad program than undergrad).

Students accepted to Curtis are automatically placed into the undergraduate diploma program; to get accepted to the BM program, you need to then provide additional information like your high school transcript. While at Curtis as a BM student, you also have the option to cross-register at the University of Pennsylvania, a top-tier national university also located in Philadelphia.

Here's a quick rundown of the different major programs at Curtis:

BM=Bachelor of Music; D=Diploma (an undergraduate diploma program).

#3: Berklee College of Music/Boston Conservatory

Location: Boston, MA

Acceptance rate: 39% overall

Student body size

Tuition: $44,360 for BM; $38,220 for professional diploma

Berklee College of Music is a private conservatory located in Boston, MA. Berklee has long been known as one of the best contemporary music schools in the world, particularly when it comes to jazz, but it also has thriving classical and non-performance programs. It's also the largest undergraduate conservatory program on our list, with over 1500 students in each year.

In 2016, Berklee joined forces with the Boston Conservatory and become a single behemoth of a music school...sort of. Actually, you can still apply separately to the Boston Conservatory at Berklee if you're more interested in the BoCo curriculum than Berklee's. And you can always cross-register through the Pro Arts consortium for classes at Boston Architectural College, Emerson College, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, New England Conservatory, or the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts.

Berklee also offers a uniquely challenging dual degree program with Harvard that allows you to get an Arts Bachelor degree from Harvard and a Master of Music degree from Berklee in just five years. To be accepted to this program, you need to apply and get into both Harvard and Berklee; if you are one of those who can handle both the academics of Harvard and the intense music focus of Berklee, then I salute you.

Here's a list of the undergraduate majors you can study at the Berklee College of Music:

BM=Bachelor of Music; PD=Professional Diploma (an undergraduate diploma program).

The smaller Boston Conservatory at Berklee undergraduate programs have slightly different curricula and structure and have more of an explicit classical conservatory focus. Here's a look at the undergraduate majors at BoCo at Berklee:

BM=Bachelor of Music.

#4: The New England Conservatory of Music

The New England Conservatory of Music, or NEC, is located in Boston, MA. The convenient positioning of NEC just around the corner from Symphony Hall (home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra) makes it easy both for NEC students to get reduced price tickets to the orchestra and for the faculty of NEC to commute back and forth between teaching at NEC and playing in the BSO (as many of them do).

While NEC has both jazz and classical undergraduate majors, as a whole it falls decidedly more on the classical side of the spectrum (as opposed to nearby Berklee, which tends more towards the jazz/contemporary music persuasion).

In addition to having a top-notch conservatory program, NEC also boasts an impressive array of cross-registration options for undergraduates who want to challenge themselves with non-music academics as well.

Like Berklee/BoCo, NEC is part of the Pro-Arts consortium, and so NEC students can take classes at Boston Architectural College, Emerson College, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, or the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts. Additionally, NEC students can cross-register for classes at nearby Northeastern University or Tufts University.

NEC also offers a couple of dual degree programs with nearby schools. Undergraduates who are not satisfied with merely taking classes at Tufts can opt to do a joint Tufts BA (in a non-music field) or BS and NEC BM degree. For students who are even more advanced in their musical study, NEC offers a joint AB/MM degree with Harvard. Like the Berklee/Harvard AB/MM, the NEC/Harvard dual degree is even more selective than the rest of NEC, with perhaps one to two students per year okayed to go ahead.

As an NEC undergraduate, you can get a Bachelor of Music degree in the following areas:

BM=Bachelor of Music.

#5: San Francisco Conservatory of Music

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is, as the name indicates, a private conservatory located in San Francisco. About equally divided between grad and undergrad students, SFCM is less selective than some of the schools on this list for undergraduates, although it varies depending on the degree.

Unlike most of the other conservatories mentioned in this article, SFCM does not have any kind of cross-registration (or if it does, that information is well-hidden), so as an SFCM undergrad you will only be able to take classes at SFCM. While SFCM does have general ed classes that you have to take as part of your core curriculum, the fact that there is no dual degree or partnership with a nearby university of any kind is a definite drawback if you're interested in taking non-conservatory classes while in college.

A couple of standout programs at SFCM are the Roots, Jazz, and American Music major and the Technology and Applied Composition major. Roots, Jazz, and American Music requires students to take classes in the Technology and Applied Composition and Composition departments, providing a jazz education that goes beyond performance and jazz theory. The Technology and Applied Composition major stands out as a composition program that is specifically geared towards composing for video games, film, and other media.

At SFCM, you can get a Bachelor of Music in any of the following areas:

BM=Bachelor of Music.

#6: Manhattan School of Music

The Manhattan School of Music is a private music conservatory located in Manhattan's Morningside Heights. Like Curtis, MSM has many more undergrad students than grad students, so the atmosphere is similar to what you'd find at a liberal arts college (albeit compressed down into less than 100 students per year).

Like many conservatories unattached to larger institutions, MSM is primarily performance-focused; however, within this performance focus there are a couple of programs that stand out. The first (which I discovered as I was researching schools) is that you can major in jazz harmonica at MSM. This is the only degree of its kind that I have seen at undergraduate schools anywhere, so if you are a harmonica virtuoso, MSM should be at the top of your list of schools to apply to.

The second unusual course of study at MSM is its Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre. Most conservatories, if they do have theatre programs, only have general theatre degrees for undergraduates (usually BFAs), rather than musical-theatre-focused programs. The only other school in this article that has a separate degree in musical theatre is UMich's SMTD, which allows undergraduate students to get a BFA in musical theatre.

Aside from the humanities core classes offered as part of the MSM curriculum, MSM students have the option to cross-register for classes at Barnard (although they cannot get a dual degree). Oddly, while MSM students can cross-register at Barnard, they do not have the same privileges at Columbia (in contrast to Juilliard, which has cross-registration programs with both schools).

MSM allows students to major in the subjects in the chart below. (Note: Each instrument is listed separately because students at MSM major in specific instruments, rather than in Performance with a concentration in a particular instrument).

BM=Bachelor of Music.

#7: Cleveland Institute of Music

The Cleveland Institute of Music is a private conservatory located in Cleveland, OH. Undergraduate students at CIM can either opt for an Artist Certificate (if they want to only focus on performance) or a Bachelor of Music.

The only undergraduate majors you can directly apply for at CIM are composition or performance (on a particular instrument). However, once you're attending CIM, you can also add on a double major in music theory or Eurythmics (a method of teaching rhythm and music through physical movement). The latter program is the only such program offered to undergraduates at any of the schools listed in this article, which makes CIM a top choice for any students interested in learning more about Eurythmics.

CIM students have cross-registration privileges at nearby Case Western Reserve University, where they must take their mandatory non-music electives and music history classes.

As a CIM student, you can also take part in the Case Western/CIM dual degree program, which allows you to graduate with a BM and a bachelor's degree from Case Western in a non-music subject. This five-year dual degree program is unique among others discussed in this article because you do not need to apply to both Case Western and CIM to qualify; instead, you need only apply to CIM.

Undergraduates at CIM can major in any of the areas listed below:

BM=Bachelor of Music; AC=Artist Certificate (an undergraduate diploma program).

12 Honorable Mention US Music Schools

The schools we listed in the previous two sections are what we consider to be the top 15 music schools for undergraduates in the US, but there are some other great music schools that, while they didn't make that list, still deserve briefly mentioning.

Some of these schools are notable for their interdisciplinary opportunities or for having majors you'd normally only have access to as a grad student, while others are notable for being attached to highly selective national universities or lower-cost state schools.

The first honorable mention school we'll look at is a school that has multiple music programs across different undergraduate colleges: New York University.

Location: New York, NY

Acceptance rates: unknown for Steinhardt and Tisch individually but likely low; 30% for NYU as a whole

Student body size

Tuition

Steinhardt: $51,828 (assuming average courseload)

Tisch: $56,924 (assuming average courseload)

One of the top private universities in the US, New York University (NYU) has two undergraduate colleges that allow students to study music.

The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development might seem like an unlikely place to find a music degree, but that's where NYU's main music department is located within. At Steinhardt, you'll be able to get a Bachelor of Music degree, just like you would at a conservatory, but you'll also get a strong liberal arts education as part of your major.

In addition to being cross-register at other NYU undergrad programs, students at Steinhardt have the option of doing a combined BM/Master of Arts in Music Education or a BM/Master of Music in Music Technology.

Here's a list of the different majors offered at NYU through Steinhardt:

BM=Bachelor of Music.

Besides Steinhardt, the other school at NYU that offers undergraduates a degree in music is the Tisch School of the Arts.

While Tisch is world-renowned as a conservatory for theatre, it does have a couple of undergraduate programs that are either music-focused or can include music.

Through the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Tisch students can get a BFA in Recorded Music, focusing their studies on various aspects of the recorded music industry. Alternatively, students who want to study the intersection of music and other fields would do well to consider Tisch's BA in Performance Studies, a degree unique among those offered to undergraduates for its diversity of approach and quality.

A note of caution: NYU as a whole is a highly selective school (with a 21% acceptance rate overall) but Tisch in particular is extremely difficult to get into (closer to Juilliard and SMTD in selectivity than to the rest of NYU).

Mannes School of Music (The New School)

The Mannes School of Music is part of The New School, located near Union Square in Manhattan. Smaller and less competitive than the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes is nonetheless a great option if you want to study music in a New York conservatory setting.

Because Mannes is part of The New School, students can also cross-register at other colleges at The New School. (Based upon my conversation with Admissions, this usually ends up meaning the Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts or the Parsons School of Design.)

Most of the undergraduate programs at Mannes are performance-focused, but there is one major that stands out as unusual at the undergraduate level: conducting and theory. Most music schools do not allow undergraduates to major in conducting, so if that is your primary area of musical interest, Mannes is a good choice.

Here's a brief rundown of the undergraduate music majors available at Mannes:

Program Degree

Composition

BM

Orchestral Conducting

BM

Classical Guitar

BM

Harpsichord

BM

Theory

BM

Orchestra Instruments (brass, woodwinds, percussion, strings)

BM

Piano

BM

Voice

BM

BM=Bachelor of Music.

California Institute of the Arts

The Herb Alpert School of Music is one of several programs at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). This is distinct from the nearby Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA, so make sure you don't confuse the two schools.

CalArts' music program is notable because rather than getting a Bachelor of Music degree or Bachelor of Arts of Science in Music, you'll graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music. This distinction reflects the fact that the music education you get at CalArts will be less what you'd get at a traditional music conservatory and more of an interdisciplinary experience.

CalArts and NYU's interdisciplinary programs are comparable, but the schools have very different academic environments and cultures. NYU is located in the northeast in the heart of the most populous city in the US, while CalArts is in a suburban city in southern California. These cultural and geographic differences also mean that even nominally similar programs at the two schools (e.g. film scoring) are structured differently, with different extracurricular opportunities.

Here's a list of the undergraduate concentrations at CalArts' Herb Alpert School of Music:

Program Degree

Composition and Experimental Sound Practices

BFA

InstrumentalArts (winds, brass, percussion, guitar, harp, piano, strings)

BFA

Jazz

BFA

Music Technology

BFA

Performer-Composer

BFA

VoiceArts

BFA

World Music Performance

BFA

Musical Arts/Experimental Pop

BFA

BFA=Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Colburn Conservatory of Music

Located in downtown LA, the Colburn School is a music school that offers everything from pre-college music lessons to graduate study.

All degree programs at Colburn are offered through the relatively new Colburn Conservatory of Music. While the undergraduate curriculum includes some required humanities courses, the bulk of your time will be spent on performance study.

Unlike most of the other conservatories in this article, Colburn only offers performance majors. In addition, because Colburn is so small, whether or not you can apply at all in a given year depends on whether or not the teachers of your instrument have room in their studios for new students.

Even though the conservatory program at Colburn is less than 20 years old and only has performance majors, we've included it on this list because it has one extremely notable (and laudable feature): free tuition for all admitted students and grants that cover on-campus housing and meal plan costs. This puts Colburn up there with Curtis as one of the most affordable music schools in the US.

Below is a table with the most recent list of degrees with openings at Colburn:
Pictured in the photo above: conductor, principal cellist, third chair cellist, third chair cellist's surreptitious Concord All Star-clad foot.
BM=Bachelor of Music; PD=Performance Diploma (an undergraduate diploma program).

4 Good Music Schools at Public Universities

While there are a couple of public schools in our best music schools rankings (IU and UMich), most of the top music schools in the country are either standalone conservatories or attached to private universities. There are, however, a few music schools at public universities that are deserving of an honorable mention.

The four schools below are notable music programs at public universities that provide undergraduates with a solid grounding for future graduate study in music. They are particularly good choices for students who live in-state because of the lowered price tag (especially in comparison to some of the lower-ranked conservatories, which still cost students a pretty penny).

Location: Denton, TX

Acceptance rate: unknown

Student body size: 4,000 undergrads

Tuition

Degree: BM or BA in Music; a double major with a non-music major is possible but very difficult due to the rigors of the music degree.

Location: Cincinnati, OH

Acceptance rate: 12-15%

Student body size: 746 undergraduates

Tuition

Degree: BM or BFA in Music.

School of Music (University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign)

Location: Urbana, IL

Acceptance rate: unknown

Student body size: unknown

Tuition

Degree: BM, Bachelor of Musical Arts, Bachelor of Music Education, BA in Music, or BS in Music.

Location: Kansas City, MO

Acceptance rate: around 60%, but varies depending on the year and program.

Student body size: 330 undergraduates

Tuition (assuming 15 credit hours)

Missouri resident: $9,884.86

Kansas resident: $9,975.46

Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, or Wisconsin residents: $14,232.46

All other students: $25,011.46

Degree: BM, BA in Music, BA in Music Therapy, Bachelor of Music Education, general ed degree with a performance focus; dual degrees are possible but usually take more than four years.

4 Top Universities with Good Music Programs

Aside from Yale, Peabody (at Johns Hopkins), USC, and NYU, most of the schools in this article are great for music but not necessarily top-ranked for academics overall.

In this section, however, we wanted to briefly mention four schools that are renowned for their academics with strong undergraduate music programs. These music schools aren't at the same level as the 15 ranked schools, but they're great options for students who want to pursue non-music and music majors at a high level.

Location: Evanston, IL

Acceptance rate: around 10% (but there is a prescreening process, so that's 10% of students who pass through the prescreening process)

Student body size: around 400 undergraduate students

Tuition: $54,120

Degree: BM, BA in Music, or BS in Music; can do a dual degree with another undergraduate program at Northwestern.

Location: Nashville, TN

Acceptance rate: around 20% (depending on major)

Student body size: 200 undergraduates

Tuition: $50,800

Degree: BM, Bachelor of Musical Arts, 5-year BM/Master of Education dual degree, or 3+2 Bachelor of Musical Arts + MBA dual degree; can cross-register for non-Music Vanderbilt classes.

Location: Houston, TX

Acceptance rate: around 10%

Student body size: 100-120 undergraduates

Tuition and fees: $49,112

Degree: BM; can cross-register for non-music Rice classes.

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Acceptance rate: unknown; 22% for all Carnegie Mellon undergrads

Student body size: unknown; 16,700 Carnegie Mellon undergrads overall

Tuition: $55,816

Degree: BFA, BS, Music Ed certificate; can cross-register for non-music Carnegie Mellon classes.

Statue of Johann Strauss, Vienna.

4 Tips for Applying To the Top Music Schools in the US

As a finishing touch to this collection of music school rankings, we have assembled the four most important things to think about when it comes to choosing what music schools you want to apply to and attend.

Tip 1: Research the Programs At the School

Whether you want to study a particular instrument or learn how to do audio engineering and recording, you'll need to make sure the school you're applying to actually offers classes and teachers who specialize in your areas of interest.

If you'll be taking studio lessons as part of your music degree, you should also look up the teachers and see what you can find out about their teaching styles and philosophies. This can be anything from searching for their performances online to actually reaching out to them and asking if you can chat.

Getting to know what the teachers are like is helpful for any school, but it's especially important at a conservatory where the only thing you'll be doing is music. If you don't like your teacher or the school's teaching philosophy and environment, you'll be both miserable and wasting your money and time.

This research also applies to knowing what the deadlines and pre-screening audition processes are for the schools you're interested in. Most music schools have early December regular-decision deadlines, with some schools requiring pre-screening materials as early as September or October. If you're considering applying to a music school, make sure you've looked up what the audition/prescreening requirements are by the beginning of the summer before your senior year so that you're not caught off guard in September.

Tip 2: Only Apply to Conservatories If You Only Want to Study Music

Our second tip is to not apply to conservatories unless you're sure that the only thing you want to study is music (or, if you do have other subjects you want to take classes in, that they're not something you'd want to spend more than 5-10% of your time on).

For most high school students, music is an elective. The bulk of your school schedule is centered around academic subjects like math, history, science, and literature/language arts.

Being thrown into an environment where suddenly all you do in class is music and the bulk of your learning comes from self-study can be disorienting, even if you love music and know it's all you want to do. And for students with academic interests outside of music, attending a conservatory may feel so limiting that it ultimately ends up causing them to transfer or even driving them away from music for a time.
Alternatively, there's always the option of becoming an artist's model for a statue of a musician.
As an anecdotal example of the perils of going to a conservatory as an undergraduate, I always think about a high school friend of mine who sang, played the guitar and piano, and was extremely passionate about songwriting and performing. She got a guitar scholarship to Berklee College of Music and decided to go there...only to discover during her first year there that she wanted to be doing things besides music. After her freshman year, she transferred to a small liberal arts college where she could pursue both music and environmental studies. Currently, she is a singer/songwriter who regularly performs her own music at live shows.

All of this is to say that just because you don't go to a conservatory (or stay at one) doesn't mean that you can't later pursue a career as a musician.

Tip 3: Consider Location When Applying

The third tip we have for aspiring music school applicants is to think about where you want to go to school geography-wise.

Obviously, location is something you'll want to take into account for any college you apply to. For music schools, though, taking location into consideration is especially important because it can affect what kind of musical experiences you get while in college.

If you go to Oberlin, you're going to be in a rural setting where there's not as much opportunity to get performance gigs or go experience non-Oberlin music performances as there would be at a city (or even a suburban) school. However, if what you're looking for is an isolated school where you won't be distracted from practicing or writing music, then maybe this would be ideal for you.

If you go to school somewhere in New York, San Francisco, or Boston, on the other hand, you'll have plenty of access to musical culture outside of your school and many more gig opportunities (without needing a car to get there!).

While the cost of living in these cities (particularly in Manhattan, where all the NYC music schools in this article are located) is much higher than it is in most other places in the country, there are usually discount programs available for students to experience culture.

Of course, you may also run into more competition for gigs in cities, and finding somewhere to practice that's available when you are can be nightmarishly difficult, so urban areas aren't unequivocally the better choice for music school locations. Our best advice: think carefully about what you want to get from your music education, then consider school locations through that lens.

Tip 4: Compare Music School Costs

Our final tip when applying to music schools is to take costs into consideration when deciding where to apply.
When you're looking at music schools, be very clear to yourself about what the cost of tuition is vs. what the benefit you expect to get from attending the school.
A running cultural joke is that there are tons of students out there with expensive liberal arts educations who use their degrees as placemats or work jobs where a college degree isn't required. Epitomized in the Avenue Q song, "What Do I Do with a BA in English?" the general idea is that you don't learn any practical skills in college that will actually help you get a job after graduation and you'll be left with a whole of debt you have no way of paying off as a result.

Going to music school is a little different, because you are theoretically learning things that will be applicable to your post-school life, whether that's how to teach general music as a music educator or how to be a better performer and network so that you get gigs and auditions.
What's that I hear? Is it the sound of a music student not starting their post-college life with crushing debt?
Still, the fact remains that the likely starting salary of a student who graduates from a music school for undergrad is in most cases lower than the cost of tuition for one year, let alone for the whole four-plus years of school.
The type of music you want to study, what aspect of music you want to study, and how intensely you want to study it all affect what schools you should apply to.
For many of the schools on the list, there is some brand recognition of the school's name, which can boost your chances of getting a job at all. However, it won't necessarily boost your paycheck.

The cost of education/likely future salary ratio is why schools like Curtis are so incredibly competitive to get into-not only is the reputation and caliber of teaching high there, but the no-cost tuition means that students who are talented but otherwise might not be able to afford attending music school will apply and be able to start their post-undergraduate careers with low or no debt.
Music! It's pretty great. (Unofficial slogan for every music school)
Key Takeaways for the Best Music Schools in the USA

Becoming a professional musician requires dedication, training, and hard work. If you're sure that the only thing you want to do with the rest of your life is be a musician, then you should apply to music school.

The schools in this article are a good start if you're looking for schools that are nationally (and in some cases internationally) renowned, but you may find that there are other less well-known music schools that better suit your future plans or have teachers you really want to study with.

Going to one of the best music schools in the country does give you a little bit of a name-recognition edge and a networking edge, but in the end your hard work and talent (in that order) are what will make you a successful musician, no matter where you end up going to school.

What's Next?

Not sure how to figure out how to narrow down where to apply for school? Check out our guide to narrowing down a list of colleges to apply to.

Interested in schools that allow you to focus more on the theatre part of musical theatre? We've compiled a list of the best performing arts schools in the country here.

How much extra work is it to double major and why should you do it? Find out more about what goes into double majoring in this article.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

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Many students learn some kind of musical instrument in elementary school. Some continue through high school, and some even plan on continuing to do some kind of musical activity in college. For a small fraction of students, though, music is not only something they want to continue studying, but it is the only thing they want to focus on studying in college.

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If you want to advance your skills and education but are unsure if a traditional four-year college is for you, you may want to consider a trade school. Attending a vocational school can be an excellent option for those who want to get the necessary training to secure a good job quickly.

In this article, I'll explain the benefits and potential disadvantages of trade schools. Also, I'll thoroughly describe the differences between trade schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges.

What Is a Trade School?

A trade school, sometimes referred to as a vocational school, technical school, or vocational college, is a post-secondary institution that's designed to give students the technical skills to prepare them for a specific occupation. Examples of trade schools include UEI, American Career College, and Chamberlain University. Trade schools can be public or private, but many are for-profit businesses.

At a trade school, you can get a degree in fields like information technology, nursing and health sciences, automotive technician training, and medical assisting. Program lengths vary, but typically, they can range from anywhere from eight months to two years.

Unlike a four-year college, you don't graduate from a trade school with a bachelor's degree. Usually, upon completion of the program, you'll receive a diploma or trade certificate acknowledging you successfully finished. For some programs you can earn an associate degree, which is the degree you get from a two-year college.

What Can You Do With a Degree From a Trade School?

After completing a trade school program, you can get a job directly related to the field you studied in your vocational school program. For example, once you complete a dental assisting program, you can get a job as a dental assistant. If you complete a program in plumbing, you can get a position as a plumber. Again, these schools are designed to prepare you for a job in a specific field.
Here are some of the jobs you can do with a degree from a trade school:

Electrician

Dental hygienist

Plumber

Paralegal

Nurse

Graphic Designer

Welder

Computer technician

Aircraft mechanic

Cosmetologist

Chef

Marine mechanic

Construction manager

Massage therapist

Pharmacy technician

The Differences Between Vocational Schools, Community Colleges, and Universities

When you're deciding your path, it's important that you know the major differences between trade schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges. I'll outline the biggest differences between each type of school for you here.

Trade Schools

Trade school programs are the shortest; they run from less than a year to up to two years. As opposed to community colleges and four-year colleges, many vocational schools are for-profit businesses. The focus of trade schools is on giving students hands-on experience directly related to a specific job. At the end of a program, you can get a diploma or certificate, prepare for a licensing exam, or become an apprentice or journeyman in a skilled trade. Admission is mostly open enrollment.

There's really no extracurricular involvement or on-campus culture at trade schools. Students just attend their classes and get their professional training.

Community Colleges

Community colleges award associate degrees at the end of two years. Most community colleges are public, but there are private ones, which are usually referred to as junior colleges. Like trade schools, some community colleges give diplomas or certificates to students who complete a program to practice in a specific field like cosmetology or nursing. Admission is mostly open enrollment: high school graduates or students 18 or older can attend.

Community colleges tend to be the cheapest of all the college options. In 2019, the average tuition and fees for a year at a public two-year college for in-district students was $3,730, and the average at a public four-year college for in-state students was $10,820. The average cost to complete a trade school degree (1-2 years) is $34,740.

Socially, there are more options for students at community colleges than there are for students at trade schools. However, there are fewer options compared to students at four-year colleges. Community colleges often have sports teams, clubs, and on-campus residents, but many community college students commute and are only at school for their classes.

Also, you have the option of transferring from a two-year community college to a four-year college. Many students start at a community college and then transfer to get a four-year college degree. If you take this option, make sure the courses you take are transferable and that you're doing the necessary work to make yourself eligible to transfer.
Bronx Community College
Four-Year Colleges

Four-year colleges can be public or private, and the vast majority are non-profit.

After successfully finishing a program at a four-year college, you get a bachelor's degree. This is the most versatile and highest degree you can get compared to degrees at trade schools and community colleges. On average, those with bachelor's degrees make more money than those with associate degrees or trade school diplomas. Furthermore, bachelor's degrees are required to go on to graduate school or professional schools like law school, medical school, or dental school.

Even though four-year colleges do have pre-professional majors and programs, the focus is more on acquiring academic knowledge.

Socially, four-year colleges offer the most opportunities for students. There are varsity sports, intramural sports, campus clubs, fraternities, sororities, guest speakers, campus traditions, and a greater percentage of students who live on or near campus.

The majority of college applicants are high school seniors, and most of the college application advice out there is aimed at them. But what do you do if you don't fall into this narrow category? Our eBook on how to prepare for and apply to college as a nontraditional student will walk you through everything you need to know, from the coursework you should have under your belt to how to get letters of recommendation when you're not a high school senior.

Benefits of Attending a Trade School Over a Four-Year College

Going to a vocational school does offer some undeniable benefits.

The most obvious benefit of going to a trade school is that trade schools require less time to complete. Almost all trade school programs can be finished in less than two years. Meanwhile, getting a degree from a community college normally takes two years, and getting a traditional four-year college degree usually takes at least four years to complete, and many students need a fifth or sixth year to get their degrees.

Less time in school allows you to get more job experience and progress faster in your career. Furthermore, if you're not in school, you won't have to pay for those additional years of college tuition and may have to take out fewer student loans.

Another advantage of trade schools is the hands-on preparation you'll receive for a specific job. Many four-year colleges and programs at four-year colleges focus more on scholarly learning than on job preparation. For example, if you graduate with a degree in philosophy or theater, you may have difficulty finding a job that's directly related to your major. At a trade school, the focus is on learning the skills that you'll be using in your job when you graduate.

Similarly, because the goal at a vocational school is to acquire the skills for a certain job, it may be easier to initially find a job in that field. Also, many trade school programs are geared toward fields in which there is high demand for workers.

Additionally, there are lucrative jobs you can get with a trade school degree. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for dental hygienists was $76,220 in 2019. Meanwhile, the median starting salary for four-year college graduates was $51,347 for students from the class of 2019.

Finally, if you go to a trade school, you don't have to stress about the traditional college application process. Because the application requirements are much less strict at a trade school, if you decide to go to one, you won't have to spend the time or money associated with four-year college applications. You won't have to take the SAT/ACT. You won't have to stress about your grades. You won't have to worry about joining clubs just to enhance your college applications.
A trade school may be a good idea for you.

Disadvantages of Attending a Trade School

While vocational schools do offer some benefits, there are significant drawbacks, especially when compared to traditional 4-year colleges.

Even though there are financial benefits to going to a trade school, college graduates, on average, make more money than trade school grads. According to College Scorecard, the salary after attending, which is the median income for students receiving federal financial aid 10 years after graduating, for American Career College in Los Angeles ranges from $14,300 to $40,400 depending on field of study. Comparatively, the salary after attending for UCLA goes from $21,000 to $102,100. Even after accounting for the additional time spent in school, the average UCLA graduate is going to come out well ahead financially.

Also, four-year colleges tend to offer more generous financial aid. After financial aid, the average cost for West Coast University in Anaheim, California is $42,206. Meanwhile, the average cost for an in-state student at CSU Long Beach, a California State University, is $8,982.

Furthermore, if you go to a vocational school, you'll miss out on the traditional college experience. At trade schools, there's no real on-campus culture, and there's limited social interaction. At a four-year college, you can join clubs, attend campus parties, go to sporting events, join Greek life, and live in dorms with your peers. For many people, the college experience gives them wonderful memories and helps them form long-lasting friendships.

Much of the learning you do at a traditional college takes place outside of the classroom. You can attend lectures by famous politicians and prominent academics, and you're able to socially interact with students from all over the world.

At a trade school, the focus is on the job preparation you receive inside the classroom, and that's basically the extent of your education.

Additionally, traditional colleges offer a more broad, well-rounded education. Again, at a trade school, the education you receive is almost exclusively focused on preparing you for a specific job. At a traditional college, you'll have general education requirements that will expose you to a variety of different subjects, and even in many majors, you'll learn about a wide variety of topics.

In college, I was an American Studies major, which is an interdisciplinary major that focuses on the United States. I was able to take classes in sociology, education, religion, history, psychology, and political science that counted towards my degree. Outside of my major, I was able to take classes in numerous subjects like human biology, anthropology, statistics, and Spanish.

Traditional colleges pride themselves on not just preparing you for a specific job, but also teaching you critical thinking skills and making you an informed citizen who will be able to have a positive impact on society outside of your profession.

Finally, there's more job flexibility with a traditional college degree. Trade schools prepare you for very specific jobs, but there are a wide variety of jobs you can get with a bachelor's degree, regardless of your major.

If you study medical assisting at a trade school, your program will only prepare you to be a medical assistant. If you end up deciding that you want to do something else or can't find a job as a medical assistant, your vocational school degree won't be of much value.

On the other hand, a degree from a four-year college offers you many more job opportunities. There are sales, education, and consulting jobs that are open to four-year college graduates from a wide variety of majors. Furthermore, you can pursue graduate school and professional schools like medical school and law school with a four-year college degree. On average, with more education and advanced degrees, you'll make more money and have more job security.
Know about your options to make a wise decision.
Should You Go to a Trade School or a Four-Year College?

There are a few factors to consider when deciding whether to go to a trade school or a four-year college. Generally, I encourage all students who are capable to go to a four-year college.

You'll give yourself the most opportunities by graduating from a four-year school, and you'll likely have a more fun, enriching experience at a traditional four-year college. Also, by going to a four-year school, you'll have more earning potential and job flexibility.

A trade school is a good option if you can't spend the time to get a four-year degree or you're very sure that you want to do a job that you can prepare for at a vocational school. Sometimes, family or financial situations make it too challenging for students to spend four years in school, so they opt to complete a much shorter program at a trade school.

Also, some students just don't like traditional schooling. They struggle to do well in school because they detest reading and writing papers. They prefer doing something more active and don't want to spend at least four years in college to end up with a desk job.

If you know you want to be an automotive technician, you may benefit more from completing a trade school program than going to a four-year college. You'll get hands-on experience and be able to start your career in a short period of time.

Keep in mind that if you don't have the grades or test scores to go to a four-year college, you have options other than a vocational school. If you want to go to a four-year college, but you're worried that you don't have the qualifications to get admitted, check out t he colleges with the highest acceptance rates. You still may be able to get in with sub-par grades and test scores.

Also, you can go to a community college and then transfer to a four-year college. Most community colleges are open enrollment, so you don't have to worry about being admitted.
If you want to fix cars, maybe you should go to a trade school.
How to Find the Right Vocational School for You

Once you've decided to attend a trade school, your next step is deciding which school is best for you. There are three main steps to doing this:

#1: Make Sure the Trade School Offers the Program You Want

Nothing else about the school matters if it doesn't have the program you want, so this is your first step. If you're interested in a specific program/certificate, make sure the school offers exactly what you're looking for so there are no surprises once you graduate. You can also ask admissions counselors at the school which jobs the program will qualify you for.

#2: Make Sure the Trade School Has a Good Reputation

It's imperative the school you attend has a good reputation so people who hire you will have confidence in the program you completed. Your school might have specific accreditation which you should research, and you should also read online reviews and speak to current and former students to see if they would recommend the school and program. Unfortunately, there are many vocational schools that exist mostly as diploma mills and will take a lot of your money without giving you a good education in return. Doing your research early on will help you avoid this.

#3: Make Sure You Can Manage the Costs and Schedule

Finally, you also need to make sure you can afford tuition costs (or be able to take out the necessary financial aid), and that the times the classes are offered work with your schedule. The school should also be able to estimate how many hours a week you should be devoting to the program, and you should make sure you're able to manage that workload or look into part-time options. One resource is the Pureland Supply Vocational and Skilled Trade Scholarship. It awards at least one $500 scholarship each year to a student attending a trade or vocational school. The deadline is typically in early May.

How to Apply to a Trade School

For the majority of trade schools, the application process is relatively simple. Most schools have a basic online application on their websites, or you can contact the school for admissions information. Also, there tend to be no application deadlines. You can apply at any time, but you may need to wait for the beginning of your program of interest before you can enroll.

Additionally, after you fill out the application, you may have to interview or speak with an admissions representative. These conversations are meant to be informational and help guide you to the program that would be best for you.

Trade schools aren't considered selective, and most are open enrollment. For the majority of schools and programs, you don't have to take the SAT/ACT, and you don't need to write an essay. Furthermore, trade schools won't require recommendations or consider your extracurricular activities when determining admission.

What's Next?

Now that you're familiar with trade schools and the differences between trade schools and other types of colleges, there are a few articles you may want to check out.

If you're considering going to a four-year college, learn more about the college application timeline and if it matters where you go to college.

Interested in getting an associate's degree? Find out how to apply for community college and if you need to take the SAT or ACT to get in.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

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What Is a Trade School? How Can You Apply?

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If you want to advance your skills and education but are unsure if a traditional four-year college is for you, you may want to consider a trade school. Attending a vocational school can be an excellent option for those who want to get the necessary training to secure a good job quickly.

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what are the admission requirements for UCSB?

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Welcome to Bakersfield College (BC) Financial Aid!

The Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships is OPEN virtually!

The Bakersfield College campuses are open! We can meet with you in-person or online during regular office hours. If you need assistance with general questions, send an email to bc_faid@bakersfieldcollege.edu. For questions specific to your financial aid account, contact your technician directly. For efficient service, please remember to include your BC ID number, if you have one.

Online

Financial Aid has a Virtual Lobby! Visit us using the Zoom link below to speak with financial aid staff about BankMobile, Verification, Chromebooks and any other financial aid questions you have.

Monday-Thursday: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Friday: 8 a.m.-11:45 a.m.

Enter Virtual Lobby
In-Person

Located in the Student Service Center on the second floor of the CSS building

Monday-Thursday: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Friday: 8 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Voicemails will not be returned at this time. Please communicate with us via email. We greatly appreciate your cooperation and flexibility during this time.

Start your 2021-22 Financial Aid Application

FAFSA or Dream Act applications for 2021-22 are available now! Need help?Financial Aid staff are available via zoom in our virtual lobby Monday-Thursday 8:00am-4:00pm, Fri 8am-12pm. Have your 2019 tax return or income information available.

No Adjustments to Fall Awards After 09/07/21

Late start classes that were registered after 09/07/21, will not be included in a continuously enrolled student's* total enrollment for financial aid purposes. Therefore, if you make changes to your course load after this date, you will not see an increase/decrease to your total financial aid for the Fall 2021 term. Please note that new students* who have just registered for a late start course (who were not attending any courses at the start of the term) can still be awarded Pell, the Promise Grant (BOG) Fee Waiver and potentially more if they enroll now. However, we do encourage that you visit our Virtual Lobby should you feel that changes to your course load were a result of an extenuating circumstance.

How will adjusting my course load after 09/07/21 affect my financial aid?

New Student*

Continuously Enrolled Student*

California Promise Grant (BOG) will be awarded to the student (if eligible) to cover tuition costs

California Promise Grant (BOG) will be awarded to the student (if eligible) to cover tuition costs

Pell Grant can be included up to eligibility

Pell Grant will not be adjusted after 09/07/2021

*New Student: A newly enrolled student that was not attending courses at the start of the Fall 2021 term.

*Continuously Enrolled Student: A student that was currently attending courses at the start of the Fall 2021 term and has added courses after 09/07/21.

**Completion of the FAFSA/Dream Act Application will check student eligibility for multiple awards and should be completed by all students ASAP

Contact BC Financial Aid Staff

For specific questions regarding your financial aid status, please contact the Financial Aid Technician responsible for the alpha-section based on your LAST NAME. Emails MUST include your BC Student ID. Furthermore, please note that all responses will be handled within 24-48 working hours of receipt and that our hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 7:30 am to 5 pm PST.

For general questions, please email bc_faid@bakersfieldcollege.edu or visit our Virtual Lobby.

Important Update Regarding COVID-19 Excused Withdrawals

Beginning with Summer 2020 & Fall 2020, if you request an Excused Withdrawal (EW), Business Services will NOT issue refunds. If you have or plan to withdrawal, contact Financial Aid at bc_faid@bakersfieldcollege.edu or your assigned technician for an individual assessment of your situation and how it will affect your financial aid.

To request an EW, contact Admissions & Records directly at bcadmission@kccd.edu.

Need Help Understanding Your SAP Status?

At the end of each term, after grades are posted, a process is run to determine what your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status is. Students are notified by email of their status and can also check it by logging into InsideBC and checking the Financial Aid tab.

Below is a simple chart to help you understand what your status means for your financial aid

Satisfactory Progress

None. You will still be eligible to receive aid if you continue to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, complete at least 67% of units you attempt overall, and have below 90 attempted units.

Warning or Warning Not Enrolled

None. You will still be eligible to receive aid if you continue to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, complete at least 67% of units you attempt overall, and have below 90 attempted units.

Approaching Maximum

None. You will still be eligible to receive aid if you continue to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, complete at least 67% of units you attempt overall, and have below 90 attempted units.

Suspended or Max Units for Program

You can continue to receive the CA College Promise Grant (or BOG waiver) and some scholarships. You are ineligible for all other forms of State or Federal Aid. If you have extenuating circumstances you may file an appeal.

How to Apply:
Steps to Financial Aid at BC

Step 1: Fill out a FAFSA or Dream Act Application

Step 2: Check InsideBC for additional requirements.

Log in to InsideBC. Your user ID is @00xxxxx and if it is your first time logging in, your password is your six-digit birthday (MMDDYY).

Select Financial Aid.

Select Financial Aid Status.

Select the Award Year from the drop-down menu and Submit.

Review your Academic Progress standing and Unsatisfied Requirements
Complete all required items four weeks or more before the start of the semester to avoid delays. If you were selected for verification, get more information on verification process.

Step 4: Monitor your BC student email and InsideBC

Look for:

Award notifications

Satisfactory Academic Progress status

Requests for additional documents

Refund notifications

Workshop announcements

Other important updates

Latest News & Updates

NOTICE: Students who are in the process of completing their financial aid will not be dropped for the Fall Semester. It is important to check your insideBC regularly for updates and complete all document requirements as soon as possible to avoid delays.

Faculty & Staff: Financial Aid Presentations
Financial aid is happy to speak to your students on a variety of topics, such as:

FAFSA Completion

Verification

Types of Aid (Grants, scholarships, etc.)

Satisfactory Academic Progress

And more!

Financial Aid 101

FAQs

Helpful Information

Don't Forget Your ID!

Bring your photo ID to the Financial Aid office to get answers to specific questions about your account.

Dates to Remember

October 1: FAFSA, Dream Act, and BC Scholarship applications available for upcoming year

February 1: BC Scholarship Deadline

March 2: Cal Grant Deadline

May 1: Priority Document Deadline

July: Award notifications go out

Financial Aid Important Links

Pell Grant Disbursements

Pell grant payments are disbursed in 2 payments per semester. Unsure about how your payment is calculated? Read important information about Pell Grant Calculations.

The following information shows how Pell grant amounts are pro-rated based on the number of units in which you are enrolled:

12 or more units, which means you are full-time and there is no pro-rating of the award

9 - 11.5 units, which is 3/4 time and the adjustment = Semester Award x .75

6 - 8.5 units, which is half-time and the adjustment = Semester Award x .50

.5 - 5.5 units, which is less than half-time = [Contact a Financial Aid Technician, as this can vary depending on the student's Pell grant amount]

Consortium Agreements

Consortium Agreements allow students enrolled at more than one school in a given semester to receive the maximum amount of federal aid for which they are eligible considering enrollment at both schools. A student may receive federal financial aid from only one school during any given semester. If a student is enrolled at more than one school, a Consortium Agreement between BC (the home institution) and Taft College (the host institution) will allow a student to count classes from both schools during one semester and receive the maximum amount of financial aid for which the student is eligible. If either school chooses not to enter into a Consortium Agreement, a student's financial aid will be based solely upon his/her enrollment at only one of the schools. The BC Financial Aid Office and any other institution reserve the right to deny consortium agreement requests.

Schools BC does Consortium Agreements with:

Taft College

Financial Aid and FERPA

Student records are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, state law and Kern Community College District Board Policy from access by casual or unauthorized persons. Access to records is provided to the student, appropriate college staff members, persons having written consent of the student, or by court order or subpoena.

Watch this video answer to Can the college give out my personal information to my parents or friends?

Steps for Giving Consent to an Authorized Party

If a student wishes to allow a written consent for authorized party, they must go through the following steps:

1. Student must to come in the Financial Aid office and fill out the year specific FERPA form. (A FERPA form allows authorized person to call or come in on the behalf of that student if that student isn't present.) The student cannot send a form remotely (i.e. email, fax) because the student's identity must be verified in-person.

2. Student must supply their student ID to be copied by a Financial Aid staff member to be placed with their FERPA form.

3. Their FERPA is then added to the students file. The FERPA form will posted the student's tracking requirements with the authorized person(s) name.

The FERPA form is only good for the Award Year it was filed for. This will need to be completed every new Award Year.

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The Bakersfield College campuses are open! We can meet with you in-person or online during regular office hours. If you need assistance with general questions, send an email to bc_faid@bakersfieldcollege.edu. For questions specific to your financial aid account, contact your technician directly. For efficient service, please remember to include your BC ID number, if you have one.

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Of Campus housing For Bakersfield College 

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Of Campus housing For Bakersfield College 

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Do you need assistance obtaining suitable housing in the Bakersfield College area? Although the college does not provide housing for students at this time, we hope to assist students. If you're interested in receiving housing services assistance, please email Student Life

Student Housing Services helps and supports BC students in a magnitude of ways. Some students may prefer to live with families, rent a room, apartment, or house. Whatever the option a student chooses, the goal of Student Housing Services is to assist BC students in locating some potential living accommodations.

Student Housing Services is a program offered by the Office of Student Life to assist students in meeting their housing needs. The Office of Student Life understands that in order for students to be academically successful, their basic needs must be met (Maslow, 1943). Student Housing Services is designed to help students meet this need and to provide opportunities to develop life skills through workshops, financial management, connections to resources, and hands-on practical tips and advice Student Housing Services will augment this with support, guidance, and educational services.

Housing Resources & Listings

Housing Resources:

Local Housing Listings

The inclusion of any rental, apartment, or agency on the list does not represent an endorsement of services or facilities by Bakersfield College or the Office of Student Life, nor does it guarantee vacancies. Please be aware that Bakersfield College does not inspect any housing facilities. We do not assume responsibility for the condition of these housing facilities, or for the character of any applicant, landlord, or tenant. Student Life is no longer collecting and advertising personal spaces, and directing students to look for available accommodations via one of these web-based programs.

Community Shelters

Topics to Discuss With Prospective Roommates

Below are some tips to think about before you even begin to search for a prospective roommate, and to discuss when you are ready to move forward.

Discuss any lifestyle issues or concerns.

Discuss what respective schedules are (school, work, etc.)

Discuss how utilities that are not covered in the monthly rent will be divided.

Discuss expectations of keeping your residence clean, who does what chores, how food is purchased and eaten, how loudly music should, guests, and pets.

Sometimes it is a good idea to put house rules in writing (contract) and all parties sign.

Proposed New Student Housing Project

BC has identified a housing need within its student population including specifically, emancipated former foster care students, veteran students, and those who are currently or imminently facing homelessness. The proposed vision is to create housing where these qualifying students, through various subsidy programs, could reside while attending the college. BC and KCCD currently own a parcel across the street from the main campus at 4021 Mt. Vernon Ave. The parcel is currently in the process of a zone change and general plan amendment to accommodate a student housing facility.

PUBLIC HEARING: The zone change and general plan amendment application will be heard (subject to COVID-protocols) by the City of Bakersfield Planning Commission on June 3, 2021, 5:30pm at City Hall. Once the meeting agenda is posted, instructions for submitting comments to the City of Bakersfield can be found online.

If you have a comments for BC about this project, please submit through our feedback form.
Submit your feedback

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Do you need assistance obtaining suitable housing in the Bakersfield College area? Although the college does not provide housing for students at this time, we hope to assist students. If you're interested in receiving housing services assistance, please email Student Life Student Housing Services helps and supports BC students in a magnitude of ways.

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Explains the difference between in state tuition vs out of state

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Explains the difference between in state tuition vs out of state

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Information on the College Application Process

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Information on the College Application Process

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The college application process can seem intimidating, especially if students don't have parents or siblings who have already been through it and can offer advice.

Since there are so many steps, such as writing an essay and obtaining letters of recommendation, experts say a good way for students to get started is to create a to-do list during their junior year of high school.

"Once you can see it visually, the number of tasks and a schedule to do them, it simplifies a lot of things," says Christine Chu, a premier college admissions counselor at IvyWise, a New York-based education consulting company. "It will take away a lot of the anxiety."

Though there is often prep work, students generally begin filling out college applications the summer between their junior and senior years of high school, experts say.

Here's what prospective undergraduates need to know about completing a college application.

What Are the Important College Application Deadlines?

High school seniors have multiple deadlines to choose from when applying to colleges.

The Step-by-Step Guide to Applying to College

First are early decision deadlines, usually in November. Students who apply via early decision, or ED, hear back from a college sooner than their peers who turn in applications later. ED admissions decisions often come out by December.

However, students should be aware that ED acceptances are binding, meaning an applicant must enroll if offered admission.

Some schools also have a second early decision deadline, ED II, which is also binding. The difference is in the timelines. ED II deadlines are usually in January, Chu says. ED II admissions decisions often come out in February.

Early action is another type of application deadline that tends to be in November or December. Similar to early decision, students who apply via early action hear back from schools sooner. The difference is EA acceptances aren't binding.

Students can also choose to apply by a school's regular decision deadline, which can be as early as Nov. 30 at certain colleges but is typically Jan. 1. Students who apply regular decision generally hear back from schools in mid-to-late March or early April.

One other admissions policy to be aware of is rolling admissions. Schools with rolling admissions evaluate applications as they receive them and release admissions decisions on an ongoing basis. These schools may have a priority filing date, but they generally don't have a hard cutoff date for applications. The institutions continue accepting them until all spots in the incoming class are filled.

In deciding when to apply, as well as how many colleges to apply to, students should consider financial aid implications. Experts say if money is a concern, as it is for many families of college-bound students, applicants should choose nonbinding deadlines - EA and regular decision. This will enable families to compare financial aid offers from multiple schools.

For regular decision deadlines, students typically have until May 1 to decide which school they will attend and pay an enrollment deposit.

Which College Application Platform Should I Use?

Students have several options when it comes to college application platforms.

One popular choice is The Common Application, which is accepted by more than 900 colleges, including some outside the U.S. Students fill out the Common App once and can then submit it to multiple colleges.

However, in addition to the main application, Common App schools often have a supplemental section, Chu says. The supplement sometimes includes additional essay questions, so students may need to budget time for more writing.

Other application options include the Coalition Application, a newer platform accepted by more than 150 schools, and the Common Black College Application, accepted by more than 60 historically Black colleges and universities.

Additionally, some colleges have school-specific or university system-specific applications. For example, the University of California system has its own application - the only platform used by UC schools - and students can apply to multiple campuses with one application.

Students can visit a college's website to determine which application platforms are accepted. Also, the Common App, Coalition Application and CBCA websites list their partner schools.

What Do I Need to Know About the College Application Essay?

As part of the application process, most colleges require students to submit at least one writing sample: the college essay. This is sometimes referred to as a personal statement.

There's usually a word limit of around several hundred words for a personal statement. The main essay on the Common App should be around 650 words.

"The application essay prompts are broad and open-ended, and I think that's sometimes what challenges students the most," says Niki Barron, associate dean of admission at Hamilton College in New York. "But they're open-ended for a reason, and that's because we do really want to see what students choose to write about, what students feel is important."

Experts say students should try to tell a story about themselves in the essay, which doesn't necessarily mean writing about a big, impressive accomplishment.

Barron says the most memorable essays for her focus on more ordinary topics. "But they're done in such a self-reflective way that it gives me so much insight into who a student is as a person and gives me such a sense of the student's voice," she adds.

What Are the Other Key Components of a College Application?

Here are other parts of the college application that prospective students should be ready for.

Personal information. In the first portion of a college application, students have to provide basic information about themselves, their school and their family.

High school transcript. Colleges also ask for an official high school transcript, which is a record of the courses students have taken and the grades they have earned.

Admissions offices typically ask that a transcript be sent directly from the high school rather than from the student, says Geoff Heckman, school counselor and department chair at Platte County High School in Missouri. Students usually submit a transcript request to their high school's counseling office, but some schools use an online service, such as Parchment or SENDedu, that allows students to request the transcript be sent through a secure online provider, Heckman says.

Students can also send their transcript via a registrar if their school has one rather than through the counseling office.

Standardized test scores. Many schools require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores. These scores are usually sent by the testing companies. The number of schools requiring standardized test scores has dropped dramatically as the coronavirus pandemic upended these exams, with many testing centers closed across the U.S. in parts of 2020 and 2021.

Prospective students should know, however, that testing policies vary even when such exams are not required. Key terms to pay attention to include test-blind and test-optional. Test-blind means that scores will not be considered if submitted. By contrast, test-optional colleges do not require ACT or SAT scores but will consider them if submitted as part of an application.

Chu notes that "admissions officers still want to see test scores if possible" and that high marks will only help. A good ACT or SAT score varies by college, and Chu encourages students to look at a college's first-year student profile to determine its admission goals.

SAT test-takers are allowed four free score reports each time they register for the exam. Students can select which schools they'd like their scores sent to before or up to nine days after the test, according to the College Board, which administers the standardized test. The fee for each additional score report is $12.

Similarly, students who sit for the ACT can send their score to up to four colleges at no cost, according to the ACT website. Additional score reports are $16 each.

Students should seek out recommenders - often they have to be teachers or counselors - who know them well and can comment not just on their academic abilities but also their personal qualities and achievements, Chu says.

It is a good idea for students to provide recommenders with a copy of their resume to help them cover all these bases, Heckman says.

Students should request letters of recommendation well before the application deadline. Chu advises at least two months in advance.

"The more time students can give the authors of those recommendations, I think the more thorough and helpful those recommendations are going to be for us," Barron says.

Do I Need to Submit a Resume?

On some college applications, it may be optional for students to upload a resume.

But much of the information generally contained in a resume - such as awards, work experience and extracurricular activities - is asked for in other parts of a college application, often in an activities section.

In this section, students should detail all of the ways they spend their time outside of class, Barron says. This includes structured activities like sports or clubs, as well as family obligations such as caring for siblings or part-time employment, she says.

How Much Do College Application Fees Cost?

There's no set price for college application fees, which experts say typically range from $50 to $90 per application, though costs can stretch upwards of $100 in some instances. Prospective students should check college websites to determine these individual fees.

How Can I Get a College Application Fee Waiver?

Students who received SAT or ACT test fee waivers are eligible for college application fee waivers from the testing companies. The College Board sends such waivers automatically to students. Not all schools accept these waivers, but many do.

Similarly, the ACT has a fee waiver request form students and school counselors can fill out and send to colleges. The National Association for College Admission Counseling also offers a fee waiver request form.

In addition, eligible students can request a fee waiver within the body of some college applications, including the Common App.

There are other times schools waive application fees, and not just for low-income students. Students can sometimes get an application fee waived by participating in instant decision day events at their high school or on a college's campus. Applicants should also keep an eye out for free application periods in some states, when some colleges waive fees to apply.

Using a College Visit to Decide Where to Apply

A common piece of advice offered by admissions consultants and college officials alike is to tour a campus. Visiting a college can help prospective students get a sense of the culture and community and understand how they may or may not fit in. While it's not part of the formal application process, exploring a college can help students determine which schools to apply to.

Such visits, Chu says, offer a "glimpse into a day in the life" of students living and learning on those campuses. But in the absence of the opportunity to visit - say, due to cost restrictions or other travel limitations - students should consider virtual visits, which have emerged as a popular option for applicants since the coronavirus pandemic began.

While virtual tours may offer fewer opportunities to make personal connections, students should still attempt to forge them.

"Virtual visits can be the next best thing" to an in-person tour, Barron notes. She also encourages applicants to "check college websites for offerings and opportunities to connect virtually with current students, admission staff, professors, coaches and others."

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Your Complete Guide to College Applications

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The college application process can seem intimidating, especially if students don't have parents or siblings who have already been through it and can offer advice. Since there are so many steps, such as writing an essay and obtaining letters of recommendation, experts say a good way for students to get started is to create a to-do list during their junior year of high school.

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The all new Runner Cafe is a food court open to the whole campus! Students, faculty and staff are welcome to come in, sit down and study or just hang with friends without making a purchase. No more paying at the door just to get in. While here, if you want a light snack or a full meal you can buy it and only pay for what you want! The Runner Cafe features a full grill, chef station with a rotating menu, Bento Sushi, made to order pizza and pasta, and a full salad bar.

2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice, but calorie needs vary. Additional nutrition information available upon request.

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The all new Runner Cafe is a food court open to the whole campus! Students, faculty and staff are welcome to come in, sit down and study or just hang with friends without making a purchase. No more paying at the door just to get in.

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For college applicants, the essay is the place to showcase their writing skills and let their unique voice shine through.

"The essays are important in part because this is a student's chance to really speak directly to the admissions office," says Adam Sapp, assistant vice president and director of admissions at Pomona College in California.

Prospective college students want their essay, sometimes called a personal statement, to make a good impression and boost their chances of being accepted, but they have only several hundred words to make that happen.

This can feel like a lot of pressure.

"I think this is the part of the application process that students are sometimes most challenged by," says Niki Barron, associate dean of admission at Hamilton College in New York, "because they're looking at a blank piece of paper and they don't know where to get started."

That pressure may be amplified as many colleges have gone test optional in recent years, meaning that ACT and SAT scores will be considered if submitted but are not required. Other schools have gone test-blind and don't consider such scores at all. In the absence of test scores, some admissions experts have suggested that more attention will be paid to other parts of an application, such as the essay.

But just as each applicant is unique, so are college admissions policies and priorities.

"Being test optional hasn't changed how we use essays in our selection process, and I wouldn't say that the essay serves as a substitute for standardized test scores," Barron wrote in an email. "A student's academic preparation for our classroom experience is always front and center in our application review process."

On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against college admissions policies that consider an applicant's race. The ruling, though, does not prohibit students from writing essays on how their race has affected them, which experts say could significantly affect how students approach this portion of their applications.

Essay-writing tips offered by experts emphasize the importance of being concise, coherent, congenial, unique, honest and accurate. An applicant should also flex some intellectual muscle and include vivid details or anecdotes.

From brainstorming essay topics to editing the final draft, here's what students need to know about crafting a strong college application essay.

Getting Started on the College Essay

A good time for students to begin working on their essays is the summer before senior year, experts say, when homework and extracurricular activities aren't taking up time and mental energy.

Starting early will also give students plenty of time to work through multiple drafts of an essay before college application deadlines, which can be as early as November for students applying for early decision or early action.

Students can go online to review essay requirements for the colleges they want to apply to, such as word limits and essay topics. Many students may start with the Common App, an application platform accepted by more than 1,000 schools. Students can submit that application to multiple schools.

Another option is the Coalition Application, an application platform accepted by more than 130 schools. Students applying through this application choose from one of six essay prompts to complete and include with their application.

In addition to the main essay, some colleges ask applicants to submit one or more additional writing samples. Students are often asked to explain why they are interested in a particular school or academic field in these supplemental essays, which tend to be shorter than the main essay.

Students should budget more time for the writing process if the schools they're applying to ask for supplemental essays.

"Most selective colleges will ask for more than one piece of writing. Don't spend all your time working on one long essay and then forget to devote energy to other parts of the application," Sapp says.

How Long Should a College Essay Be?

Though the Common App notes that "there are no strict word limits" for its main essay, it suggests a cap of about 650 words. The Coalition Application website says its essays should be between 500 and 650 words.

"While we won't, as a rule, stop reading after 650 words, we cannot promise that an overly wordy essay will hold our attention for as long as you'd hoped it would," the Common App website states.

The word count is much shorter for institution-specific supplemental essays, which are typically around 250 words.

How to Pick a College Essay Topic

The first and sometimes most daunting step in the essay writing process is figuring out what to write about.

There are usually several essay prompts to choose from on a college application. They tend to be broad, open-ended questions, giving students the freedom to write about a wide array of topics, Barron says.

The essay isn't a complete autobiography, notes Mimi Doe, co-founder of Top Tier Admissions, a Massachusetts-based advising company. "It's overwhelming to think of putting your whole life in one essay," she says.

Rather, experts say students should narrow their focus and write about a specific experience, hobby or quirk that reveals something personal, like how they think, what they value or what their strengths are. Students can also write about something that illustrates an aspect of their background. These are the types of essays that typically stand out to admissions officers, experts say. Even an essay on a common topic can be compelling if done right.

Students don't have to discuss a major achievement in their essay - a common misconception. Admissions officers who spoke with U.S. News cited memorable essays that focused on more ordinary topics, including fly-fishing, a student's commute to and from school and a family's dining room table.

What's most important, experts say, is that a college essay is thoughtful and tells a story that offers insight into who a student is as a person.

"Think of the college essay as a meaningful glimpse of who you are beyond your other application materials," Pierre Huguet, CEO and founder of admissions consulting firm H&C Education, wrote in an email. "After reading your essay, the reader won't fully know you - at least not entirely. Your objective is to evoke the reader's curiosity and make them eager to get to know you."

If students are having trouble brainstorming potential topics, they can ask friends or family members for help, says Stephanie Klein Wassink, founder of Winning Applications and AdmissionsCheckup, Connecticut-based college admissions advising companies. Klein Wassink says students can ask peers or family members questions such as, "What are the things you think I do well?" Or, "What are my quirks?"

The essay should tell college admissions officers something they don't already know, experts say.

Writing the College Essay

Some experts encourage students to outline their essay before jumping into the actual writing, though of course everyone's writing process differs.

The first draft of an essay doesn't need to be perfect. "Just do a brain dump," Doe says. "Don't edit yourself, just lay it all out on the page."

If students are having a hard time getting started, they should focus on their opening sentence, Doe suggests. She says an essay's opening sentence, or hook, should grab the reader's attention.

Doe offered an example of a strong hook from the essay of a student she worked with:

"I first got into politics the day the cafeteria outlawed creamed corn."

"I want to know about this kid," she says. "I'm interested."

The key to a good college essay is striking a balance between being creative and not overdoing it, Huguet says. He advises students to keep it simple.

"The college essay is not a fiction writing contest," Huguet says. "Admissions committees are not evaluating you on your potential as the next writer of the Great American Novel."

He adds that students should write in the voice they use to discuss meaningful topics with someone they trust. It's also wise to avoid hyperbole, as that can lose the readers' trust, as well as extraneous adverbs and adjectives, Huguet says.

"Thinking small, when done right, means paying close attention to the little things in your life that give it meaning in unique ways," he says. "It means, on the one hand, that you don't have to come up with a plan for world peace, but it also means thinking small enough to identify details in your life that belong only to you."

How the Affirmative Action Ruling Could Change College Essays

The Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action has left some students feeling in limbo with how to approach their essays. Some are unsure whether to include racial identifiers while others feel pressure to exclude it, says Christopher Rim, CEO and founder of Command Education, an admissions consulting company.

"For instance, some of our Asian students have been concerned that referencing their culture or race in their essay could negatively impact them (even moreso than before)," Rim wrote in an email. He noted that many students he works with had already begun crafting their essays before the ruling came. "Some of our other students have felt pressure to disclose their race or share a story of discrimination or struggle because they expect those stories to be received better by admissions officers."

Some of the uneasiness stems from what feels like a contradictory message from the court, Rim says. In his majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., said the ruling shouldn't be construed "as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant's discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise." But he added that colleges may consider race only if it's tied to an applicant's individual experiences or qualities, such as demonstrating courage against discrimination.

Personal essays shouldn't serve as a way for universities to ask students about their race as a means to admit them on such basis, Roberts added.

Rim says he expects there to be a lot of confusion from parents and students as they navigate that line when writing their essay. He says his guidance will vary with each student depending on their specific situation.

"For a student from an immigrant family, sharing their racial and cultural background may be integral to understanding their identity and values and therefore should be included in the essay," he says. "On the other hand, a student who has never meaningfully considered ways in which their race has shaped their life experience and worldview should not push themselves to do so in their essay simply because they believe it will better their chances."

Editing and Submitting the College Essay

While admissions officers try to learn about students via the essay, they are also gauging writing skills, so students want to make sure they submit top-notch work.

"The best writing is rewriting," Sapp says. "You should never be giving me your first draft."

When reviewing a first essay draft, students should make sure their writing is showing, not telling, Huguet says. This means students should show their readers examples that prove they embody certain traits or beliefs, as opposed to just stating that they do. Doing so is like explaining a joke to someone who's already laughed at it, he says.

"Let's say, for example, that the whole point of a certain applicant's essay is to let admissions officers know that she thinks outside the box. If she feels the need to end her essay with a sentence like, 'And so, this anecdote shows that I think outside the box,' she's either underestimating the power of her story (or the ability of her reader to understand it), or she hasn't done a good enough job in telling it yet," Huguet says. "Let your readers come to their own conclusions. If your story is effective, they'll come to the conclusions you want them to."

After editing their essay, students should seek outside editing help, experts recommend. While there are individuals and companies that offer paid essay help - from editing services to essay-writing boot camps - students and families may not be able to afford the associated fees. Some providers may offer scholarships or other financial aid for their services.

The availability and level of feedback from free essay advising services vary. Some college prep companies offer brief consultations at no charge. Free essay workshops may also be available through local high schools, public libraries or community organizations. Khan Academy, a free online education platform, also offers a series of videos and other content to guide students through the essay writing process.

Colleges themselves may also have resources, Barron notes, pointing to pages on Hamilton's website that offer writing tips as well as examples of successful admissions essays. Likewise, Hamilton also holds virtual panel discussions on writing admissions essays.

Students have other options when it comes to essay help. They can ask peers, teachers, school counselors and family members for help polishing an essay. Huguet says it's typically wise to prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to seeking feedback on essays. Too many perspectives can become counterproductive, he says.

"While it can be valuable to have different perspectives, it's best to seek out individuals who are experts in the writing process," he says. "Instructors or professors can be helpful, particularly if they possess subject expertise and can provide guidance on refining arguments, structure and overall coherence."

Proofreaders should not change the tone of the essay. "Don't let anyone edit out your voice," Doe cautions.

And while proofreading is fair game, having someone else write your essay is not.

When an essay is ready to go, students will generally submit it online along with the rest of their application. On the Common App, for example, students copy and paste their essay into a text box.

Sapp says even though students often stress about the essay in particular, it's not the only thing college admissions officers look at. "The essay is the window, but the application is the house," he says. "So let's not forget that an application is built of many pieces."

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A strong application essay can boost a student's chances of being admitted to a college. In this guide, admissions experts offer advice on picking a college essay topic as well as navigating the writing and editing processes.

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