Featured Advisor - College Planning Advice from Belinda

We often see students that show interest and aptitude in STEM, also show significant talent in music. This week, we sat down with Belinda, from New York City, whose son is pursuing a Biological Sciences major and Astrophysics minor at the University of Chicago, about this very topic.  She talked to us about nurturing a child’s interest in science, and about helping her children discover music. Her insights will resonate with many parents that have children with strong interests in STEM and music.

Versed: When did you start thinking about college for your kids?

Belinda: Because education has been such an important part of my family growing up, I can safely say that I thought about education for my own children from the day they were born.  I am sure college was in the back of my mind as well - not about getting our children into a certain school, but that college was always going to be an important part of their education.  

Versed: What did the educational/extracurricular journey look like for your kids in grade school? 

Belinda: At the early ages, it was all about giving them exposure.  We took our children to museums, concerts, enrolled them in music classes, got them to try sports, and read all kinds of books with them.  My family has always been musical, so music education was a big part of my children’s education.  My children were enrolled in all kinds of music classes and schools including Diller-Quaile Music School, School for Strings, and the pre-college divisions at  ManhattanSchool of Music and the Juilliard School.  

Versed: How did you determine what was interesting to your kids?

Belinda: We took our children’s lead.  We exposed them to a lot of different things, and when they showed strong interest, we felt that it was our job as parents to find the resources to support those interests.  My oldest son was drawn to French Horn because of a music teacher at school who was a French Horn player.  My daughter took to the violin at the age of 3 and enjoyed it, although she ultimately moved on to singing and musical theater.  She is now involved with the Met Opera Children’s Chorus and loves theater.  My middle son tried a number of different instruments, and ultimately decided on the clarinet, but when he became really involved in soccer, music education took a back seat.  What parents don’t always realize is that every instrument is different, in terms of the age at which children can start, how much practicing is involved, the type of music and the role that it plays in orchestras and other ensembles, whether it can be played across genres (classical vs. jazz), and even how much stamina is required!  Experimenting and finding the right instrument for your child is definitely a process and something parents should seek advice on.

My oldest son at the University of Chicago has always shown interest in the sciences.  As a kid, he always asked a lot of questions and was curious about so many things.  Like many young kids, he went through a phase of wanting to know everything about dinosaurs, and we helped him explore that interest in depth by taking him to the American History Museum regularly, surrounding him with books and good quality shows, but mostly, delving into the subject with him in all its complexities, not simplifying it to his age audience.  For this, I have my mother to thank for, who has a background in education and spent many hours and days talking to him about everything that he was curious about.

Versed: How did your parenting change in regards to your children’s education / extracurricular journey as they entered middle school and high school?

Belinda: Middle school was a time that my son went deeply into both music and science, while still continuing to explore different facets of his interests.  My son auditioned and enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music for French Horn, but he also explored the trumpet.  When he was entering high school, he decided that he wanted to audition for Juilliard, which was a big decision in that their focus was entirely classical, and also the practice and dedication required was really significant.  In his first year there, we thought perhaps this was not the right choice as he struggled and lost interest, but by the end of the first year, he said he wanted to stick it out and continue.  He ultimately changed his major to composition which ended up being a much better fit for him, but it certainly required a lot of planning, experimenting and advocating to make sure that he was pursuing music on his terms, doing what he loved most. 

On the academic side, through CTY/Johns Hopkins summer programs, he was able to start exploring subjects in science that middle and high schools typically don’t offer.  It was a great opportunity to explore and go deeply into subjects he was interested in while getting introduced to the rigorous academic environment that will come in high school and beyond.  

During his high school summers, he did research through a program at the University of Chicago at the Brain Institute and independent research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.  He was able to leverage his higher level knowledge and demonstrated interest from CTY summer studies to apply for and find internships in independent research.  All of these experiences really solidified for him what he wanted to study in college.

We were always very supportive of what our son wanted to do, and while focusing and going deeper into the few things that he loved most, we were not afraid for him to still experiment.  

Versed: How was the college admissions process for your son who is at the University of Chicago?

Belinda: You always hear the advice about finding a school that is the right fit for the student, and our journey was definitely a case study in that.  My son initially applied Early Decision to a school that he was deferred from.  But it turned out to be the best outcome, as he ultimately ended up in the right school for him.  Given his interest in music and his love of science, University of Chicago ended up being such a great fit for him.  He wrote a very quirky essay, which I initially thought was too different but his guidance counselor thought that it would work for University of Chicago as they take pride in a student body of independent thinkers who challenge the status quo.  We worked really closely with the school counselor to make sure that the message was conveyed to the school that this was his first choice.  It really is about the fit, that the student is right for the school, and vice versa.  Don’t be afraid to have your child’s personality come out, that can make a difference.

Versed: What resources were most helpful to your children when they were going through the college application process? Test prep, essay guidance, interviewing guide, researching schools, guidance counselors, etc.

Belinda: One is working closely with the college counselors, making sure that you have the right counselor, and advocating the school for a different one if the fit is not there.  Another is giving your child the support that they need with additional academic help at school and through tutors if necessary.  Most importantly, talk to parents that have gone through the process and have children at the colleges that your child is looking at.  They will give you information and insight you will not find anywhere - not just about academics and programs, but social environment as well.

Versed: Can you share with us one of your takeaways from this whole experience?

Belinda: You need to do things for the right reason, and there are so many different paths in any child’s educational journey that you need to embrace the trial and error: trying things, going for things, and know that things happen at different times for each student.  People always talk about how unfair the system is, and I agree that it is not perfect, but there are things that every parent can do to help their children navigate the system for the right reason - so that they find and develop their interests, continually challenge themselves, and grow.

See Belinda’s Profile here.

If you are interested in speaking with Belinda, or one of our other Advisors, you can start with a free introductory consultation here.

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