u/not_lian

hello! im a high school senior trying to pick between university of maryland college park and ithaca college for music education (and i play the flute!).

i was wondering if anyone who went to either of these could tell me a bit about their experience at the school and how they feel that school prepared them for finding a job after graduation, and also if anyone has any tips for picking between the two!

for some more context about my dilemma:

maryland:

• got some nice scholarships that make it comfortably affordable!
• shadowed a student + lesson with flute professor which i liked
• i feel like ill have more opportunities to explore other areas im interested in (stem stuff particularly), and also feels safer just in case i decide i want to pursue something else
• farther from home than id like to be (i live in ny)
• currently i think i'd rather live and teach in the northeast after graduating (im not 100% sure though, maybe ill like the maryland area!)

ithaca college:

• kind of expensive but my family can still afford it
• seems to have an amazing reputation for music education, so many music teachers in my area that have graduated from ic
• environment seems to be very arts-focused (not necessarily a pro i guess)
• i feel like i would be more immersed in music and have more performance and ensemble opportunities and also more opportunities to explore my music-related interests outside of teaching/performance (composition, conducting, etc)

any help would be immensely appreciated!!! thank you so much :)