Why do you want to drop out? Just for this other school? Could you do it after college? Is it certain you'd be able to attend the other school?
And.. Um.. Are you in any way musically inclined? :P
It's pretty tricky to have thoughts on this, let alone give advice with so little to go on, really.
"Don't be faint-hearted, I have a solution! We shall go and commandeer some small craft, then drift at leisure until we happen upon another ideal place for our waterside supper with riparian entertainments."
It's still school . Hoping it works out for you whatever you wind up doing. Dropping out of college is one of the only regrets I have in my life. Just wasn't responsible enough back then. Good luck.
So, What you Giving ?........ (Thanks Speedy, Alesek, & Arq+friends)
What You Giving
I suggest you step out on your Porch.
Run away my son. See it all. Oh, See the World!
My first question for you is this. What do you want to study at McNally Smith? And what do you THINK you'll be able to do with that education?
I too was once in your shoes in a sense. I dropped out of college, it really wasn't my thing. Then a year and a half later I ended up going to The Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis. Which is located where Musictech used to be. Musictech in turn became McNally Smith.
Anyway, so there I was going to 'music' school. I didn't play an instrument, I wasn't interested in playing an instrument, but I wanted to record sound, and play with sound. It seemed like a good fit. About halfway through my course though (I was there for 15 months) I realized that being a Sound Engineer was much like being a musician.
By that I mean, you'll only get out of it what you put in. And even then, its more who you know then what you know. Anyway, so after this realization I knew that I was never going to become a successful Engineer. Towards the end of my schooling though, I did end up getting a job at Schmitt Music. There is one in Eau Claire, so maybe you've heard of them?
But the reason I got that job, wasn't because I knew stuff, it was because I knew the people who worked there from high school.
I ended up being there for 6 and a half years, and only left to move to Australia to be with my girlfriend. Anyway, sorry for the rambling! Getting to the point here, promise.
After working at the music store for that long I learned that 1. McNally Smith WILL make you a better musician, but, does that mean you'll become a rock star? no. 2. Guitar and bass teachers at music stores have degrees from McNally Smith, so if that is what you want to do, go for it. 3. McNally Smith is REALLY REALLY REALLY expensive, and I think it would be foolish put yourself into tuition debt for a degree in music.
While it is a romantic awesome idea to go to music school and become a star, the reality is, its NOT going to happen.
Do I claim to be the end all be all of the topic of music schools? No. I do encourage you to learn more about the school, get other peoples opinions and experiences that they have had. This is just my personal experience, your results may vary.
Funny you should bring this up. My 18 year old is going through the same situation. Really bright kid who is very disinterested in the whole college experience right now. He just dropped out and has expressed interest in going to a local school in the buffalo area that is known for their music program. He is just a naturally talented musician and has expressed interest in studying classical guitar (much more preferable than the death metal he usually plays in his bedroom). My wife's cousin studied classical guitar at the same school. I'll tell you what I told him, do what makes you happy!!!! Our economy sucks right now anyways, so if you're going to be broke anyways why not be broke doing something you enjoy. I figured he'd be sponging off me for a while anyways. That's my fatherly advice anyways. Oh, please don't tell your parents I'm giving you advice.
Always follow your heart, especially these days given the bad economy. A college degree means nothing these days, you can always go back for that and it's not like there are a ton of jobs waiting for you. You will regret not following your music in the future. If the economy was good I would say vice versa, but it's a wasteland, go do something creative while you're young. Good luck which ever road you choose!
think it really depends what you are majoring in college.
i've a BFA and an MA....and....no job.
but, i was an art education major....so yea, the arts are TOUGH.
the economy does suck, and it feels like there are no jobs in any fields really, tho i will say, anyone i know with an accounting degree or anything in the medical field....all fairy well employed. of course i have zero interest in either of those fields, but just sayin'.
weigh your options carefully, and i personally would not want to get into debt for any education at this point in time, it really does feel rather pointless at times. bottomline tho, you've got to follow your heart and interests...
Wow your passion is like mine was but mine was horses versus music. I was attending the conventional University, UCR ( University California Riverside) when I had my math professor of all people catch me drawing horses on my mid term tests and told me I should go talk to his friend out on the secondary campus in Norco about the program he was running involving veterinary and psychology classes. Basically he took my tests from me and shoo'd me out the door.. I went and talked to his friend, and the very NEXT semester I changed majors- only after finnishing my GE and making sure I at least had my A/A in the fine arts before I began a A/S in animal sciences-I soon went and finnished my entire schooling up in Northern Cali at U.C. Davis to finish my psychology courses.. and have never regretted changing my majors and going after what I loved.. I barely EVER enjoyed assignments until after I transferred schools and did something I loved!!! I say do your research, know that you are going to follow through before you get involved in the expenses..and then go for your dreams!!!
Why do you want to drop out? Just for this other school? Could you do it after college? Is it certain you'd be able to attend the other school?
And.. Um.. Are you in any way musically inclined? :P
It's pretty tricky to have thoughts on this, let alone give advice with so little to go on, really.
I'm very musically inclined. I'm quite certain they'd accept me. I'm looking to go into music business. I can get a bachelors in it and while it is a tough business in general, I love it. I love everything about music, basically every aspect of it. I consider myself a pretty good bass guitar player as I can learn a song and give it a nice twist with fills and such but that's not what I'm looking to specialize in. I can read music, write music, I could probably throw some lyrics together if I wanted to though I don't consider it a skill of mine at all. I realize this as I'm sitting in class with songs running through my mind. I sit there and ponder them and wonder how the artist could have made the song better. Is that strange? I come back from classes and burn through 3-4 albums a day. I seriously think I'm in the wrong place.
Why do you want to drop out? Just for this other school? Could you do it after college? Is it certain you'd be able to attend the other school?
And.. Um.. Are you in any way musically inclined? :P
It's pretty tricky to have thoughts on this, let alone give advice with so little to go on, really.
I'm very musically inclined. I'm quite certain they'd accept me. I'm looking to go into music business. I can get a bachelors in it and while it is a tough business in general, I love it. I love everything about music, basically every aspect of it. I consider myself a pretty good bass guitar player as I can learn a song and give it a nice twist with fills and such but that's not what I'm looking to specialize in. I can read music, write music, I could probably throw some lyrics together if I wanted to though I don't consider it a skill of mine at all. I realize this as I'm sitting in class with songs running through my mind. I sit there and ponder them and wonder how the artist could have made the song better. Is that strange? I come back from classes and burn through 3-4 albums a day. I seriously think I'm in the wrong place.
On another note I'm helping to promote a band by the name of Communist Daughter out of St. Paul. Not to advertise or anything.
My first question for you is this. What do you want to study at McNally Smith? And what do you THINK you'll be able to do with that education?
I too was once in your shoes in a sense. I dropped out of college, it really wasn't my thing. Then a year and a half later I ended up going to The Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis. Which is located where Musictech used to be. Musictech in turn became McNally Smith.
Anyway, so there I was going to 'music' school. I didn't play an instrument, I wasn't interested in playing an instrument, but I wanted to record sound, and play with sound. It seemed like a good fit. About halfway through my course though (I was there for 15 months) I realized that being a Sound Engineer was much like being a musician.
By that I mean, you'll only get out of it what you put in. And even then, its more who you know then what you know. Anyway, so after this realization I knew that I was never going to become a successful Engineer. Towards the end of my schooling though, I did end up getting a job at Schmitt Music. There is one in Eau Claire, so maybe you've heard of them?
But the reason I got that job, wasn't because I knew stuff, it was because I knew the people who worked there from high school.
I ended up being there for 6 and a half years, and only left to move to Australia to be with my girlfriend. Anyway, sorry for the rambling! Getting to the point here, promise.
After working at the music store for that long I learned that 1. McNally Smith WILL make you a better musician, but, does that mean you'll become a rock star? no. 2. Guitar and bass teachers at music stores have degrees from McNally Smith, so if that is what you want to do, go for it. 3. McNally Smith is REALLY REALLY REALLY expensive, and I think it would be foolish put yourself into tuition debt for a degree in music.
While it is a romantic awesome idea to go to music school and become a star, the reality is, its NOT going to happen.
Do I claim to be the end all be all of the topic of music schools? No. I do encourage you to learn more about the school, get other peoples opinions and experiences that they have had. This is just my personal experience, your results may vary.
Awesome story, and thank you so much... I appreciate it. I'm not looking to become a rock star by any stretch of the imagination. Hell I'd take about any job in the music field. Plus my parents are paying for college which is nice. My former bass teacher went to McNally. He now owns the music store he taught me in.
Always follow your heart, especially these days given the bad economy. A college degree means nothing these days, you can always go back for that and it's not like there are a ton of jobs waiting for you. You will regret not following your music in the future. If the economy was good I would say vice versa, but it's a wasteland, go do something creative while you're young. Good luck which ever road you choose!
Yeah but I can get a bachelors degree at this school so it's all good.
how far along into college are you? If you're close to a degree I'd stick it out just so you have something to fall back on. If not, however, I say fuck it, go for it. You have to enjoy your work in life or you'll be miserable.
how far along into college are you? If you're close to a degree I'd stick it out just so you have something to fall back on. If not, however, I say fuck it, go for it. You have to enjoy your work in life or you'll be miserable.
that is about what I was going to say. if you don't go for it you may regret it.
Funny you should bring this up. My 18 year old is going through the same situation. Really bright kid who is very disinterested in the whole college experience right now. He just dropped out and has expressed interest in going to a local school in the buffalo area that is known for their music program. He is just a naturally talented musician and has expressed interest in studying classical guitar (much more preferable than the death metal he usually plays in his bedroom). My wife's cousin studied classical guitar at the same school. I'll tell you what I told him, do what makes you happy!!!! Our economy sucks right now anyways, so if you're going to be broke anyways why not be broke doing something you enjoy. I figured he'd be sponging off me for a while anyways. That's my fatherly advice anyways. Oh, please don't tell your parents I'm giving you advice.
Where was this advice when I decided to "do the right thing" myself...? Oh well
To the OP, I completely agree with riverrun71. As it is right now, it's hard on everyone, with or without a degree... And you'll probably question whatever decision you'll make now for the rest of your life, we're human beings, we question everything The point is: will you be happy while you're questioning?
~Can't escape from the common rule
If you hate something, don't you do it too...~
All I can say from experience is that college or graduate school of any kind is what you get out of it. I have friends that failed out or dropped out of both MIT and Harvard and are doing nothing with their lives. I also have friends that went to community college and are now making six figures. It's all what you make of it. No matter where you go to school, work your ass off. You don't wanna look back after 30 years and say, "Damn, I wish I had worked harder at this, or studied more of this, etc." Good luck in any path you choose.
"FF, I've heard the droning about the Sawx being the baby dolls. Yeah, I get it, you guys invented baseball and suffered forever. I get it." -JearlPam0925
All I can say from experience is that college or graduate school of any kind is what you get out of it. I have friends that failed out or dropped out of both MIT and Harvard and are doing nothing with their lives. I also have friends that went to community college and are now making six figures. It's all what you make of it. No matter where you go to school, work your ass off. You don't wanna look back after 30 years and say, "Damn, I wish I had worked harder at this, or studied more of this, etc." Good luck in any path you choose.
this....but ALSO
choose your major wisely.
as i said earlier, i got both my BFA and my MA.
i did work my ass off, took school very seriously....graduated magna cum laude as an undergrad, 4.0 for grad school...top of my class, salutatorian for the education department, few awards, etc.....BUT......i was an art education major, and it just has not panned out well for me career-wise. i taught for 10 years, but private schools, part-time....could never manage to transition, ultimately moved on...and now i am once again looking for a new career direction.
so overall i say that yes, going to school is always a wise investment - i don't regret it but....couple that with a really good, solid major along with all the hard work, leads to more reliable success after graduating. my extra 2 cents....
peacefrompaul
Posts: 25,293
Comments
And.. Um.. Are you in any way musically inclined?
It's pretty tricky to have thoughts on this, let alone give advice with so little to go on, really.
What You Giving
I suggest you step out on your Porch.
Run away my son. See it all. Oh, See the World!
I too was once in your shoes in a sense. I dropped out of college, it really wasn't my thing. Then a year and a half later I ended up going to The Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis. Which is located where Musictech used to be. Musictech in turn became McNally Smith.
Anyway, so there I was going to 'music' school. I didn't play an instrument, I wasn't interested in playing an instrument, but I wanted to record sound, and play with sound. It seemed like a good fit. About halfway through my course though (I was there for 15 months) I realized that being a Sound Engineer was much like being a musician.
By that I mean, you'll only get out of it what you put in. And even then, its more who you know then what you know. Anyway, so after this realization I knew that I was never going to become a successful Engineer. Towards the end of my schooling though, I did end up getting a job at Schmitt Music. There is one in Eau Claire, so maybe you've heard of them?
But the reason I got that job, wasn't because I knew stuff, it was because I knew the people who worked there from high school.
I ended up being there for 6 and a half years, and only left to move to Australia to be with my girlfriend. Anyway, sorry for the rambling! Getting to the point here, promise.
After working at the music store for that long I learned that 1. McNally Smith WILL make you a better musician, but, does that mean you'll become a rock star? no. 2. Guitar and bass teachers at music stores have degrees from McNally Smith, so if that is what you want to do, go for it. 3. McNally Smith is REALLY REALLY REALLY expensive, and I think it would be foolish put yourself into tuition debt for a degree in music.
While it is a romantic awesome idea to go to music school and become a star, the reality is, its NOT going to happen.
Do I claim to be the end all be all of the topic of music schools? No. I do encourage you to learn more about the school, get other peoples opinions and experiences that they have had. This is just my personal experience, your results may vary.
i've a BFA and an MA....and....no job.
but, i was an art education major....so yea, the arts are TOUGH.
the economy does suck, and it feels like there are no jobs in any fields really, tho i will say, anyone i know with an accounting degree or anything in the medical field....all fairy well employed. of course i have zero interest in either of those fields, but just sayin'.
weigh your options carefully, and i personally would not want to get into debt for any education at this point in time, it really does feel rather pointless at times. bottomline tho, you've got to follow your heart and interests...
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
I'm very musically inclined. I'm quite certain they'd accept me. I'm looking to go into music business. I can get a bachelors in it and while it is a tough business in general, I love it. I love everything about music, basically every aspect of it. I consider myself a pretty good bass guitar player as I can learn a song and give it a nice twist with fills and such but that's not what I'm looking to specialize in. I can read music, write music, I could probably throw some lyrics together if I wanted to though I don't consider it a skill of mine at all. I realize this as I'm sitting in class with songs running through my mind. I sit there and ponder them and wonder how the artist could have made the song better. Is that strange? I come back from classes and burn through 3-4 albums a day. I seriously think I'm in the wrong place.
On another note I'm helping to promote a band by the name of Communist Daughter out of St. Paul. Not to advertise or anything.
Awesome story, and thank you so much... I appreciate it. I'm not looking to become a rock star by any stretch of the imagination. Hell I'd take about any job in the music field. Plus my parents are paying for college which is nice. My former bass teacher went to McNally. He now owns the music store he taught me in.
Yeah but I can get a bachelors degree at this school so it's all good.
that is about what I was going to say. if you don't go for it you may regret it.
Where was this advice when I decided to "do the right thing" myself...? Oh well
To the OP, I completely agree with riverrun71. As it is right now, it's hard on everyone, with or without a degree... And you'll probably question whatever decision you'll make now for the rest of your life, we're human beings, we question everything
If you hate something, don't you do it too...~
forks in the road are different than knowing your path ... I think you know it
good luck!
this....but ALSO
choose your major wisely.
as i said earlier, i got both my BFA and my MA.
i did work my ass off, took school very seriously....graduated magna cum laude as an undergrad, 4.0 for grad school...top of my class, salutatorian for the education department, few awards, etc.....BUT......i was an art education major, and it just has not panned out well for me career-wise. i taught for 10 years, but private schools, part-time....could never manage to transition, ultimately moved on...and now i am once again looking for a new career direction.
so overall i say that yes, going to school is always a wise investment - i don't regret it but....couple that with a really good, solid major along with all the hard work, leads to more reliable success after graduating. my extra 2 cents....
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
if there's something you really want to do, then do it... or else you'll never forgive yourself.
That's how I feel right now. I'm going to apply for the spring I think.
Then do it up. I second conman's post. :thumbup:
(Now with that being said, my 2 sons better NOT!!
GOOD LUCK!
Where I'm not ugly and you're lookin' at me
First semester of my Freshman year of college. I'm only 18. I think I can do this.
Stay hungry.
Stay foolish.