Discussing My Postgrad Courses Choice

I will understand if the moderators of this board will want to merge this in with my previous thread but anyway here goes.

Next Tuesday I have a meeting with the Professor of Composition at my university. I am not as nervous as I was but I am still quite uncomfortable as I know with the fact that he will suggest that I take a gap year. I don't really want to take a gap year if possible and would rather work my bum off for the next year

So far I have only really considered the conservatoires and as a result have elimated most of them, leaving me with Brimingham Conservatoire (recommended by one of my lectures), Royal College of Music (too expensive really) and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music (currently looking to be my favourite) and maybe the Royal Academy of Music (again a little too expensive.)

I am hoping to attend open days at the first three of these but in the course of exploring other opinions. I know Royal Holloway has come up in the course of being a member on here and I will re-evalution it given that a few months ago it was one of my favourites. Anywhere else (UK only - minus Wales and Ireland) I should look at?

Funding is my major concern but if I can go into my meeting next week with a few definites - so I can say "well RSAMD is my first choice but I will be looking at other places too like ..." then I think it would seem that I am not too insane.

I am also looking at the possibility of consulation lessons at Brimingham and RAM but these are expensive and I don't really have the money for right now.

Your advice/suggestions as usual is grateful.

(PS I had my first Orchestration exercise back today - got 69% in it - 9% better than last year!!)

Well, all I can say is: Go for it. Best of luck, and I'm sure with some hard work, perseverance and a little luck you should be able to pull it off.

Don't sell yourself short - go for the big (expensive) ones, you never know how scholarships/fellowships/TA's might work out in your favour.

:thumbsup:

Keep us informed, don't be a stranger.

Just keep in mind that RAM (not RSAM actually) and a few others (RCM being one) are actually hard to get in. There is high competition for the very good ones!

robin is right, don't base your choice only on the basis of how much they cost.

Besides, I think they all cost about the same in terms of tuition fees, and the only thing that differs is the living costs. For example, London is quite expensive, so if you chose the Royal College or Royal Academy you'd probably have more expenses than if you chose, say, Birmingham. However, you can't imagine how much cheaper life is being a student - you get the best seats in concerts for just 5 pounds, and you can get tons of discounts at bars, restaurants, bookshops, concerts, transportation, everything. So it's not as expensive as it would normally be.

Concerning other conservatories, you should consider the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Trinity College, as they both have pretty good composition departments and they are in London. I am currently studying at Guildhall and I can say the environment is amazing. Just being in London is fantastic, because you have all these concerts and recitals to go (among hundreds of museums, galleries, exhibitions etc), and very cheap tickets as well, and therefore it's very, VERY stimultating to be around. And the Royal Northern is very good - Birtwistle and the "Manchester Five" studied there :)

You say you're currently studying at the Royal Holloway, right? nikolas (YC member) is studying there as well (doing his PhD in composition), and as far as I know there are some really good composers there (Simon Holt was teaching there, and now Philip Cashian, who is nikolas' teacher). Don't just throw away Royal Holloway, it might be a great place to be after all (because it's also close to London, and thus has all the advantages I mentioned above).

Lastly, as robin said, there are many many scholarships you can get, and people/organisations who seek to sponsor talented students, so it's up to you to do a good research and see what you can get in terms of funding so that fees and expenses won't affect your choice.

I'd say apply to as many as possible (from the ones you like, that is), and when you get the offers (and rejections), decide from there. Also, meeting with the teaching staff is important, and equally important is meeting and talking with some students once you go to the individual conservatories/universities.

I wish you the best of luck, and above all, have fun :)

robin is right, don't base your choice only on the basis of how much they cost.

Besides, I think they all cost about the same in terms of tuition fees, and the only thing that differs is the living costs. For example, London is quite expensive, so if you chose the Royal College or Royal Academy you'd probably have more expenses than if you chose, say, Birmingham.

Actually there is a huge difference in there tuition. RAM and the Royal College are nearly 9k per year. Birmingham and the Scottish Academy is nearly 6k.

A 3k difference is not something that I can simply ignore. I come from a really low income family and a year ago, I disowned my parents for reasons I don't wish to discuss. This time last year, I was in so much trouble financially, I up'd the number of hours I was working which led to me pulling all nighters and missing lectures then because of lack of asleep. Finally, I became serious ill with a stomach bug and lost over a stone in weight in a few short weeks. I am now repeating that term.

My entire degree I have had to juggle and dodge financial commitments and the last thing I want is to go into my postgrad and have to do same thing. So its kind of stupid that I don't want to take a gap year. I am going to need a lot of funding as it stands to be able to afford my postgrad. I am even thinking about going part time rather than gap year.

If I got into RAM, for example, and I got all the funding I needed then I would consider going there. However, I am trying to be realistic 9k is a small fortune to me. Its probably worth it but its still 9k.

Concerning other conservatories, you should consider the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Trinity College, as they both have pretty good composition departments and they are in London. And the Royal Northern is very good - Birtwistle and the "Manchester Five" studied there :)

Didn't I put Guildhall in my original post - oops! Guildhall is on there so definite. I don't really know much about Trinity, it hasn't cropped up but I don't want to apply to every university under the sun, if my application was good, then I might spend half the year on tour for interviews.

RNCM - they want a First class, I am not going to get it. I'd need like 80% in all my modules this term in order to get my average into a suitable position to have a crack at it. I am aiming for a high 2:1.

You say you're currently studying at the Royal Holloway, right? nikolas (YC member) is studying there as well (doing his PhD in composition)

Actually, I am at Bangor University, in the middle of nowhere in North Wales. Last year, I did "Composition" with Guto Puw and Pwyll ap Sion. This year, I am repeating "Composition" with Andrew Lewis taking it.

This going to sound really stupid. Last year, I was in a relationship with a different guy to the one I am in now. My former boyfriend, was a year (academically) my senior (not music though.) When I discuss my postgrad with him, it basically said that it was Manchester or nowhere because he didn't want to move away from his family. Don't get me wrong Manchester isn't a bad city. I just didn't want to be tied down to that area. So I looked for other universities close enough that I could live at due the week and commute home at weekends. Royal Holloway was on such university. I was then told that if I wanted to stand a chance at composition, I had to get into a College and moved my focus away from Royal Holloway though speaking to nikolas on here as altered that viewpoint.

I'd say apply to as many as possible (from the ones you like, that is), and when you get the offers (and rejections), decide from there. Also, meeting with the teaching staff is important, and equally important is meeting and talking with some students once you go to the individual conservatories/universities.[/Quote]

So far my list is as followed for "places I am applying to" (in no order)

• Royal Academy of Music.
  
• Royal College of Music.
  
• Birmingham Conservatoire.
  
• Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
  
• Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
  
• Royal Holloway
  
• Manchester University.
  

Ok, 7 so far. Should I round it up to 10?

Oh, sorry, I completely forgot you were applying for postgrad (for undergrad, the fees are the same, I think they are not allowed to be more than 3k/year by the government)..

Yes, 3k is not a difference you can ignore. However, you should definitely check out the scholarships and fundings. A friend of mine from here, before coming to Guildhall he applied to other places, including the RAM, and they offered him a place there with a scholarship of 25k (and that's for undergrad studies) :O Now, that's not something you can ignore either. Since there is very high competition between the large conservatories, if they really want you, they'll offer a lot (in terms of funding and scholarships) so that you will go to them and not somewhere else.

Also, go to a place that's best for you. I understand that your boyfriend means a lot to you, but don't let that affect your choice too much. Also, what about application deadlines? For undergrad they were in October (which means that if you wanted to apply for undergrad, you wouldn't be able to apply until next September, thus you would start the courses in September 2009), so if it's the same for postgrad, you might as well have to take a gap year (if you finish university this year) anyway..

And no, don't round it up to 10. 7 is a good number (and a prime as well :O )

Charlotte,

Do you know the professors at those schools? Do you like their music? TALK to them - email is quick and painless! Shoot off a short message - tell them who you are, ask a few questions about their music, teaching style, preferences, etc. You might find that the guy at School X is a complete donkey and you wouldn't like them. OR, you might realize that your last choice school has a prof whose music you admire, and get along with.

Also, when sifting through applicants, profs will have to debate - and decide. If one prof says "Hey, I heard from this girl and she sounds like she'd fit in well here" - THAT could tip the scales in your favour.

...

Also, go to a place that's best for you. I understand that your boyfriend means a lot to you, but don't let that affect your choice too much. Also, what about application deadlines? For undergrad they were in October (which means that if you wanted to apply for undergrad, you wouldn't be able to apply until next September, thus you would start the courses in September 2009), so if it's the same for postgrad, you might as well have to take a gap year (if you finish university this year) anyway.

I finish June 2009 and the boyfriend mentioned in the previous post is long since history. New bloke is more inclined to move anywhere in the UK (within reason) as long as he can tinker with his "hotrod" - rust bucket more like!

True :O

So I have had my meeting. It was brief and he seemed to have very little to comment on - I probably did twice as much talking as he did.

He seems to have no problems with my idea of applying in October if I devote my summer to composition but other than that, it was the most unhelpful meeting I have ever had.

So my first opinion of believing I am on my own in this was accurate. :blush:

I'm sorry the meeting sucked. Is there anyone else in the faculty who might be more helpful?

ALSO, you'll likely need some reference letters for the application. Start looking into those (if necessary). I needed three...

I'm sorry the meeting sucked. Is there anyone else in the faculty who might be more helpful?

ALSO, you'll likely need some reference letters for the application. Start looking into those (if necessary). I needed three...

I have secured referrences from my Orchestration lecturer and the lecturer whom I had the meeting with today. For a third, I suppose I could ask my Tonal Studies lecturer but he's retiring this year.

As for someone more helpful, nope afraid not.