StudentsReview :: The Berklee College of Music - Extra Detail about the Comment
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The Berklee College of Music

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityD Faculty AccessibilityB
Useful SchoolworkB+ Excess CompetitionB+
Academic SuccessC Creativity/ InnovationC
Individual ValueF University Resource UseB
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyC- FriendlinessD
Campus MaintenanceC Social LifeA-
Surrounding CityA- Extra CurricularsB-
SafetyB
Describes the student body as:

Describes the faculty as:
Arrogant, Unhelpful, Self Absorbed

Female
Quite Bright
Lowest Rating
Individual Value
F
Highest Rating
Social Life
A-
She cares more about Individual Value than the average student.
Date: Apr 23 2008
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I sincerely apologize to those of you reading this who have their hearts set on Berklee, but I feel that I must say this, and I hope you read this carefully:

Do not waste your time here. I spent loads of money on a summer program, which turned out to be most unhelpful, disorganized, and unchallenging. When I applied as a full-time student, the audition and interview process was extremely disorganized—my audition time was cut in half because they were running 2 hours behind. The rest of the process was disastrous as well—they "misplaced" one of the most important parts of my application (which I had hand-delivered to them), and my admissions counselor was unhelpful, indifferent, and generally never knew what was going on or what her job was.

If you were a good student academically in high school, I STRONGLY suggest that you avoid coming to Berklee at all costs. No one there gives a hoot about how smart you are or how hard you work—they only care about how talented you are right from the start. If you have trouble learning a concept, you will not find any help from the faculty. I deeply regret having wasted my time and money here. Also, if you're used to being in honors or accelerated academic classes in high school, you will be extremely frustrated with the general disregard of a holistic education both by the faculty and especially the students. They may tell you that in order to succeed in the industry, you only need to have a background in music and practical experience. They're wrong. While those things are extremely important, you also need to be very intelligent in other ways. You can't make a name for yourself or advance your career if you don't know who you are, if you don't have a deep understanding of people and the way the world works, and if you haven't had experience working with people who have different interests than you. All of these discoveries and experiences are an integral part of a strong liberal arts education, which is an integral part in preparing for and positioning yourself for a successful career in the music industry—a VERY people-based industry.

Also, you do not need to attend Berklee in order to pursue your dream. I have (proudly) decided to attend American University over Berklee. I have found that I can learn MUCH more about the industry by reading books, doing a little research online, and making contacts. If need be, you can always buy books online from BerkleePress and learn the material on your own for a much lower price and MUCH more quickly than if you attend the actual courses.

Also remember: while other colleges and universities may not have a record label, songwriting club, or music magazine/publication etc, YOU can always be the one to start them up. Its not too hard, either. Plus, you then get to be in charge of how things are run, and being an entrepreneur like this looks WAY better on your resume than if you had simply participated in preexisting establishments.

Other reasons to invest your time and money somewhere else:

  • You probably wont get housing at Berklee, and if you do, it will be very ill equipped.
  • You probably wont get a scholarship or any financial aid.
  • If you need to work with students from other departments (such as graphic design, finance, journalism, photography) for your projects and pursuits, YOU WONT FIND THEM AT BERKLEE. Yes, Berklee is a music school. But ask yourself: when in your lifetime will you ever be working with ONLY musicians? The answer is never. And this is a huge disadvantage when it comes to attending Berklee. You wont have experience working with a wide variety of professionals, and you wont have the opportunity to make contacts with people who will be able to help you out in big ways that arent necessarily directly related to music.
  • I really wish that fewer people believed that they NEED to attend Berklee to do what they want to do in life. Thats just not the case. Youre better off where you are valued more and where you will have your real needs met.

     
    Responses
    questionDid you go to the Summer Performance program and what are the pros and cons for a 16 year old to attend?

    Thanks

    questionDid you get accepted after you auditioned? Your review does not mention classes, etc.
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