In this blog, I explore a few of the differences between studying at a music college versus studying music at university, drawing upon some of my own experiences studying in both forms of institution.

Music college or university? This was a decision I found myself faced with during Sixth Form. Such a young age to decide on what could determine how I spent the remainder of my life. In the end, I decided to study music at university for my undergraduate degree, before doing a 2 year postgraduate degree at music college.

1. Entry requirements are very different

The entry system for music college is very different to university. This is because music colleges will usually require candidates to attend at least one audition, as well as an interview. The audition and interview process can be very challenging and generally takes precedence over A levels. Some universities will hold interviews, however, from my own experience, this is quite rare for music degrees. Only one of the five universities that I applied to required me to attend interviews. Contrastingly, the basis for getting into university is usually A level grades.

2. There are more societies at universities

This is something that I had never really considered until transitioning from a university to a music college. At university there were hundreds of societies, from the houmous and gluten free societies to the panto and music societies, there really was something for everyone.

Universities are generally much larger institutions than music colleges, which is to be expected given the vast number of different subjects that they offer. This means that there is a large range of students with varying interests. Contrastingly, music colleges generally have far fewer students and offer a smaller range of subjects. This is reflected in the much smaller range and scale of the societies on offer.

Whilst at university, I was only involved in the music society. However, as it was such a large organisation, it meant that I was involved in lots of different ensembles. The music society was a large organisation and held weekly meetings, and also held AGMs to select its new members.

I found it quite striking when I entered music college to find that there was no student-led music society and there was a general expectation for all musical activity to be organised by the college itself. This makes sense, of course, with it being a music college. However, this also meant that many individuals missed out on opportunities to be a part of an ensemble. This was especially true for some of the more 'popular' instruments, which ultimately had to fight for their place in the ensembles. Of course, this also meant that all musical ensembles were very well organised and of an exceptionally high standard.

3. There is generally less academic work at music college

One of the factors which put me off attending music college initially was the lack of academic work. This might sound a little strange, but I found the thought of studying hard everyday at school to suddenly not having any work to do quite terrifying and a small part of me was worried that I would forget everything I had learnt. For me, uni work provided structure into my life, although I found it a lot more challenging than I had anticipated. This was largely due to everything being so different to what I had ever done at school, such as in my A levels and EPQ.

By the time I got to the end of my undergraduate degree I thought I had had enough of academic work and wanted a change. This change was certainly made when I started at music college. In contrast to the huge chapters and articles that I was tasked with reading and reviewing every week, the workload at music college seemed very small. The lower academic work load at music college means that there is much more time for practice and rehearsals.

Although I had gone to music college intending to do less academic work, I felt somewhat lost in the lack of structure in my day. I felt the need to stretch my brain a little and so I decided to write some blogs as part of some free-choice coursework. This led to me choosing to write a dissertation as part of my research project during my second year. Although the thought of writing a dissertation at undergrad seemed daunting, I enjoyed writing my postgrad dissertation because I was able to explore a field of study of my own choice. This led me to realise that a large part of studying for a Masters degree at a music college is the freedom to tailor the course to your own needs.

4. Facilities are different

Something that definitely impressed me on the open day in Birmingham was the enormous multi-million pound sports centre. I spent many hours using these facilities during my undergrad and I still have never been anywhere as good! Since many universities are so large, they often have a lot of money to spend on their facilities. The sports centre is just one of the many examples of the many impressive facilities at UoB. Other facilities that I often used included the huge library, the numerous coffees shops and the Elgar concert hall. Similar facilities are also present in many other universities, and I certainly noticed this in the many open days that I went on before starting at university.

Contrastingly to universities, music colleges tend to be much smaller meaning that they have a smaller range of facilities. The facilities are also, as is expected, focused on the subjects available. This means they may include design studios, dance/ drama studios, practice rooms, theatres and concert halls. Additional facilities such as sports centres, coffee shops and large libraries are not usually part of music colleges.

5. Terms are longer at music college

When I was in my first year of university, I found it very strange that my year ended in May, meaning that I had around 4 months off for the summer holiday. This was good in some ways as it meant that I had a chance to get a job and earn some money. However, it did feel a little odd to be going back home so early. At music college, however, my summer terms went right through into July. The final few weeks of this term were generally reserved for getting a head start on the work for the following year. I found this particularly helpful for my dissertation because it enabled me to do some background reading and figure out the topic for my research. It also relieved some of the pressure the following year.

Concluding thoughts...

My university experience was directed and well structured, whereas music college was significantly freer. Of course, this may also be due in part to the differences in studying at undergraduate and postgraduate level.