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It's not an option. Living in a dorm is required for freshman at many U.S. universities.
Originally Posted by RJVB
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06-12-2022 08:30 AM
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Thanks, all. We talked about it for a while and I found an AR-371 for a little under $1,000, so we are going to give that a shot. Just ordered it.
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Huh, what? Genuinely flabbergasted. Social pressure I can understand (succombing to it not so much) but what does a university have to say about how and where you live?! We are talking about institutions teaching free thinking, open mindedness and all that, right, not some fancy kind of boarding schools? Originally Posted by Rick5
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It's one of the ways universities in the U.S. pay off the unwise real-estate expansion so many of them undertook in the last 50 years (and are still undertaking, unfortunately). Originally Posted by RJVB
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Revenue. I used to be a prof and watched the $100M residential campus rise from the (leaky) windows of my mouse-infested, asbestos-bedecked office. Originally Posted by RJVB
Higher Ed is a business like any other. As always, follow the money.
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It's not entirely that, though. In the US, a large portion of people go to colleges that are not near their home towns. It makes sense for 18 year-year olds living away from home for the first time to have some degree of oversight/support at the beginning. At least that has been the theory since long before the amenities/facilities arms race kicked off in universities 30-odd years ago. Originally Posted by skittles
[My parents were both profs and I worked in college finance/admin briefly, not that that makes me any kind of expert]
I happened to have gone to college in my home town, at a school that had a dorm shortage, so freshman who lived locally weren't guaranteed housing. I commuted for one semester, and then lived in a series of near-campus apartments. It was a lot cheaper at the time (wouldn't be now), but I did miss out on the classic freshman peer bonding experience.
The other thing is that since people expect housing and an in loco parentis freshman year, not having enough dorms becomes a recruiting problem. That was the case with my college, which became more attractive (and selective) after building several dorms and guaranteeing housing for all (though that wasn't the only reason for its increased curb appeal). Of course the absurdity of US college ranking/appeal/selectivity is a rant for another day ...
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I would look into a Guild. Specifically the A-150 Savoy. Better than a Korean Epiphone IMHO. Used should be less than $800.
Oh, I see you got the Eastman. Probably a good choice. Good luck!
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Heh. Decades ago already (late 80s/early 90s) the english-is-more-fashionable humbug started to hit when my university was still called RUU, for Rijks Universiteit Utrecht (a bit redundant since private universities didn't actually exist back then). Someone at the college (governing body) realised that the English translation would be State University which could be seen as pejorative (in the US) so they decided to drop the Rijks bit in the official Dutch name too. Originally Posted by John A.
(Big internal row about this stupidity, in which a number of crown-appointed professors almost left because why would you even translate an institution's name.)
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Not entirely, correct. In this case the investment was to expand the number of years of required on-campus living and thus capture that revenue. So my cynicism here is on point. The broader rental market in the area supported the student population successfully for decades and was not overly-pressured. There was plenty of preceding investment in private “luxury dorms” off campus for those with higher expectations than the typical amenities of college-life housing. The latter was likely more a driver than any peer institution competition or housing shortage. The money was flowing elsewhere, and the University responded. It’s a business. They needed to expand revenue and the politics (public institution) around tuition increases would limit that avenue - rightly or wrongly, despite historic declines in the funding provided by the state to the institution. Originally Posted by John A.
Higher Ed is a mess. I still believe in its purpose and benefit, though. Good luck to the OP’s son. A pragmatic path that retains engagement with his passion is a good thing.
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Can't help with selecting an archtop, but I just had a guitarist son finish college on the opposite coast.
So, where is the guitar during the summer and breaks? In our case, it had to go on two planes per trip (no direct flights to that airport). That's an argument for switching to unamplified chromatic harmonica.
My son wasn't studying music, so he didn't have to carry it around. It was a NE area school, so it was freezing cold in the winter and could be hot and humid early and late in the school year. Would tuning stability be more of an issue with an archtop in that climate?
And, then, there's the weight of the instrument. These days, with great bags w/ shoulder straps available, maybe not that big a deal, especially for a young person, but if you're carrying it around a lot, maybe weight is an issue.
I'd consider fragility, potential feedback issues and versatility (since some jazz styles are not associated with archtop sounds).
One last point. It's taken me a while to accept that my Yamaha Pacifica 012, the cheapest Strat copy they make, is actually a very fine guitar (mine has a Lil 59 and replacement tuners). Later today, I'll play a big band gig with it and leave my Comins GCS-1 home. I mention it only to say that price and quality don't correlate perfectly.
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Still, the US has 30 of the 100 best ranked universities in the world, so something seems to work Originally Posted by skittles
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Ranked how and by who? I'd take such things with a grain of salt or two as I doubt that system could be biased against the US... Originally Posted by JohanAbrandt
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I lived in a dorm my first two years in college and found it to be a really valuable experience. For one thing, I made friends who, 45 years later, are still my friends. I have seen their kids grow up, I've met their grandchildren, and have watched us all get older together. Now we're sliding into retirement. Originally Posted by Rick5
I don't think you can make the same level of connection not living in the dorms. Although maybe people don't make lifelong friends in college anymore, I don't know. A friend's daughter went to the same college we did and her experience was radically different, with most kids going home every weekend instead of sticking around and socializing, keeping in touch with their high school friends more than making new friends. Kids in college today live a radically different life than I did at that age, navigating different challenges and having different opportunities.
I think the AR-371 will suit your son quite well. I tried one in the music store a few years ago and it was stupidly easy to get a really nice jazz tone out of it. I liked the neck and 1 3/4 inch nut a lot. Best wishes to him!
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Penn State (Pennsylvania State University) is one of the highest-ranked schools in the US, and has no trouble attracting students. Originally Posted by RJVB
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That's ridiculous. State universities are points of pride in most states in the US, and nearly all are very well regarded. Originally Posted by RJVB
Heh. Decades ago already (late 80s/early 90s) the english-is-more-fashionable humbug started to hit when my university was still called RUU, for Rijks Universiteit Utrecht (a bit redundant since private universities didn't actually exist back then). Someone at the college (governing body) realised that the English translation would be State University which could be seen as pejorative (in the US) so they decided to drop the Rijks bit in the official Dutch name too. (Big internal row about this stupidity, in which a number of crown-appointed professors almost left because why would you even translate an institution's name.)
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Hey OP glad you found a good answer for your son.
All above re financing is very true.
“State Universities” all over the US, in many cases two per state like University of Michigan and Michigan State. Both fine schools.
Except for my alma mater in good ol’ New Jersey:
“Rutgers University”. Causing the eternal question… what’s a Rutgers?
And they’ve essentially eliminated the entire downtown of the “city” they are in, New Brunswick, with mid rise student housing. Very few small stores left, just Resturants catering to students or business types.
I really don’t think it’s fair to posit that ‘best university’ stats are biased towards the US. There’s 50 states, count ‘em, many larger than countries in the EU. So by pure numbers alone a large country like the US a priori is going to have more colleges (which in theory some healthy percentage of will be outstanding in their field). For example, the finely honed partying skills of U of West Virginia, or Delaware State (correct Uncle Joe?)
I mean, look at Russia. They’re way bigger than the US, so they should statistically have many more outstanding universities than the US. May just be bias against Russia.
<true dorm room purpose!
jk
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Of course it was, AFAIC even if the majority of US state universities had indeed been 2nd rate. Originally Posted by John A.
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Erm, having more universities than (probably) any other country is already a bias! And yes, depending on how the ranking is established there may indeed be a bias against Russian universities, which are undoubtedly very different than the ones we're used to. But all Russian researchers I've known were top-notch, and so is an Indian friend of mine who studied in Russia (but made his career in Poland). Originally Posted by jazzkritter
Academics are supposed to be brilliant, but when it comes to judging (ranking) each other they can be very short sighted indeed. Criteria that work well to rank their direct colleagues can be utterly inappropriate for use in other disciplines and yet they're often applied anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if similar things happen for ranking universities according to (I presume) the quality of their teaching. Would sports be taken into account with that university ranking where the US does so well, for instance?
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“Erm, having more universities than (probably) any other country is already a bias!”
Relative size is a bias?
Whatev.
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US has also produced almost 3 times more nobel prize winners than any other country. In part because us universities are able to attract and retain top talent from all over the world. Originally Posted by RJVB
Erm, having more universities than (probably) any other country is already a bias! And yes, depending on how the ranking is established there may indeed be a bias against Russian universities, which are undoubtedly very different than the ones we're used to. But all Russian researchers I've known were top-notch, and so is an Indian friend of mine who studied in Russia (but made his career in Poland).
Academics are supposed to be brilliant, but when it comes to judging (ranking) each other they can be very short sighted indeed. Criteria that work well to rank their direct colleagues can be utterly inappropriate for use in other disciplines and yet they're often applied anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if similar things happen for ranking universities according to (I presume) the quality of their teaching. Would sports be taken into account with that university ranking where the US does so well, for instance?
There is of course an advantage in language, and the runner up is to no surprise UK.
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Ibanez LGB-30, around US $1100 new, is worth a look. Also the Ibanez GB10 something (SE, maybe?) also around $1100. Originally Posted by Rick5
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If you're in the WDC area, Action Music in Falls Church VA has an Epi Joe Pass in sunburst, maybe no pickguard, for not very much money (I don't remember the price exactly, so I don't want to quote one) Originally Posted by Rick5
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When I was in college back in the '60s, living in the dorm was required until you were a senior, unless you were living with family in the city. That may not have been the case everywhere, but it was where I went. I couldn't have afforded an apartment anyway.
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And what about the Ignobel scores? Originally Posted by JohanAbrandt
Look, I never meant to insinuate anything against the US research system. There's a reason that doing a post-doc in the US is the holy grail in so many countries (a bit less in France). But if a big country with lots of universities allocates seemingly limitless resources for research and makes it attractive for people to come contribute it is no wonder that you end up with high absolute scores. You'd get that even if the scientific education & research centres were on average just as good as in any other modern country which cares about these disciplines (and frankly, that's exactly what I expect if you find the appropriate observables to normalise to). Recent history should have taught all of us that comparing absolute numbers isn't usually a good idea if you don't want a distorted picture. If you don't compensate for size at least, comparing scores per country introduces a bias.
As to the UK, I'm tempted to think that they would outrank the US in a normalised representation but that's subject for another thread. (And I have no personal hands-on experience studying or working in either setting.)
And for what it's worth, this kind of competitive behaviour is an important reason I've left academia. Science should be about collaboration and other things than who's is biggest.
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... it is great that you son, is going to study music. It might not be the “safe” career path. ... eventually he will have to get a masters anyway, but music will always nurture his soul.
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