Expert: Susie Watts - 3/4/2008

Question
Hello, My name is Jared and I am a senior in High School, just outside Dallas, Texas. I have applied to about 6-8 colleges and I still don't think I have found the right place for me. I am looking for a school that is in a good location for musical connections, like Los Angelas, or New York, or any other big city like that. I am not necessarily looking to major in music, just maybe minor, so a top of the line music department isn't absolutely necessary. I don't necessarily have preference as to size, but money is a factor, since most colleges that actually meet this criteria are 25k plus a year (which is out of my price range). So if you could help me out to find colleges like these in the L.A./San Diego/New York areas, then you would be helping me out a lot.

Thank you.

Answer
There are many schools that offer great opportunities for musical connections, but a lot of them are quite expensive.  If it was your junior year, you might have had time to apply for financial aid, but at this point it is probably a little late.  One school you might consider is Santa Barbara City College.  It is right in the middle of the music world amd although it is a city school, it share dorms with the University of California at Santa Barbara.  Austin, Texas is a hot town for music but the University of Texas is a tough school to get into.