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If you’re thinking about applying to a music college in the near future, it’s important for you to be prepared for not only the application and choice process, but also what will be expected of you and what you will need once you enrol. In this article we’ll go through some of the steps necessary to help you to be fully prepared for what should be a wonderful experience at music college.
If you’re thinking about applying for music colleges, one of the most important things to consider before you start applying is where you want to go. This is of course a two-fold question. Firstly, do you have an idea of the geographical location that is going to suit you? You really need to think about getting to and from college during holidays, and the difficulty and cost this may cause you. Secondly, once you have an idea of geographical location, you need to get down to the nitty gritty of choosing the right college for your needs. This will mean a lot of soul searching and will raise important questions about what sort of course you’re looking for. It’s important at this stage to do as much research as you can about the different courses that are on offer. You also need to think about money. For some people bursaries, grants and scholarships may be available, but this is something that you have to look into at the earliest possible opportunity.
Once you know which college you want to attend, you will have to start looking into specific course programs. At this stage you need to consider what sort of course you want to carry out, where you are in terms of your existing education and how that matches up with what’s on offer. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, and make sure that the courses you are interested in carry the sorts of qualifications that will serve you well in the future.
Once you have a good idea of where you would like to go and which course you are going to be undertaking, you need to be prepared for what is expected of you. If you are going to be studying for a practical musical degree, there might be an onus on you to supply your own musical instruments. If you’re looking at a straight up guitar playing course, it might not look that great if you don’t turn up with a guitar! You also need to check what other equipment you need to have, with things like amps being in short supply at some educational establishments.
Finally you need to look into accommodation. Some colleges offer huge amount of student accommodation, but with some colleges it can be in short supply, and if you aren’t able to find student accommodation you are going to be left trying to find private accommodation, which can be difficult if you have left it too late.
Ultimately, the most important lesson is to make sure you are fully prepared well in advance to avoid any last minute disasters!