What Nobody Tells You About Berklee College of Music (Q&A)

Wondering if Berklee College of Music is worth it? Or how hard it is to get into Berklee? Or what the dorms are like? Interested in real-life experiences from Berklee alumni and current students?

Well, you're in the right place! In this video, I'll be answering your questions as honestly as I can. I'll be talking about how I got full-ride scholarship, how to get music industry internships, and if going to a music college/university/school is worth it.

Whether you're a budding musician, a passionate songwriter, or just someone exploring their musical passions, this video will equip you with the knowledge you need to decide if Berklee College of Music is right for you.

DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in this video are solely the opinions and perspectives of the content creator and do not represent the official stance or endorsement of Berklee College of Music. This video is an independent production and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Berklee College of Music in any official capacity. Any information provided in this video should be considered as personal insights and experiences and should not be construed as official statements from Berklee College of Music. Viewer discretion is advised when forming your own conclusions and decisions based on the content presented in this video.

▬▬ Video Chapters ▬▬
0:00 Introduction
0:46 How hard is it to get in?
1:33 How are the dorms?
3:16 For international students
4:01 Internships?
4:36 Secondary lessons?
5:17 My number 1 advice
6:34 Is it worth it?
7:20 If you’re going for classes
7:56 If you’re going for a degree
8:53 If you’re going to meet people

▬▬ Socials ▬▬
@ameercorro

▬▬ Music Credits ▬▬

Subscriber Count: 18,587

[HarrisonKing]

Oooo baby this guy knows how to make an informative video

[hmind]

Coincidentally, we live ten minutes away from the Berklee, Valencia, (Spain) campus. Our son had considered Berklee but came to the same conclusion as others- Without a generous scholarship, it's hard to justify the price tag. Even 10% of $200K buys a heckuva lot of private lessons, online courses- including master classes- and real-life experiences. I can't stress the last point enough. Every chance to get out and perform live should be taken. Our son uses the analogy of sports- how much theory do athletes study in a classroom versus getting out there and swinging a bat or kicking a ball? The real question is: will Berklee 'make' you a professional musician? No, that part is up to you. But they can certainly show you a thing or two.

[centurystudiovn]

Absolutely, Ameer, your advice resonates with me, don't over idealize Berklee into something that it's not. I vividly recall my first semester in 2022, entering my initial class and feeling a sense of pride, as if I shared the same halls as legends like Quincy Jones. While I continue to take pride in being part of Berklee, I've come to realize that, fundamentally, it's still a school and what determine success is still depend on how hard we work toward it

During my year here, I've observed alumni holding degrees but struggling to secure employment, even spending more student loans debt to get into MA program in hope for better employment opportunity. While there are others still pursuing undergraduate degrees who are already interning with major corporations. Success is subjective and contingent on individual efforts. Despite the undeniable advantage of having Berklee associated with our names, it's crucial to recognize that success is a personal journey, and the institution serves as a valuable resource rather than a guaranteed path to achievement.

[peterandolph]

My son went to Berklee, as a guitar performance guy, and finished his degree. It allowed him to go on and finish a masters in theory at a public university. This in turn allowed him to make a pretty large base salary as a university professor and private guitar instructor WHILE being a part of the music business as a player and arranger in Nashville.

My point is, yes some leave and take the risk. For most that leave the risk doesn’t work out.

Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart and even Oscar Peterson etc all taught to supplement their incomes. Getting the piece of paper makes you better, and it’s a safer less risky route to your dream music job, whatever that may be.

[tombaskett]

Meta-truth: You and your friends ARE an important answer to the question "Is it worth it." Your realism, talent and creativity shows the kind of people this school draws together. Here you've provided a quite "musical" approach to the fundamental questions a prospective student should ask themselves. I predict many of your viewers will come to Berklee, precisely to seek out, learn from, and join with creators such as yourself. (I doubt folks like you are plentiful everywhere, Ameer -- even if college-level music theory might be.) 🙂

[alancano]

I've been watching a bunch of your videos man, I finally got the confidence to apply to berklee and you really helped me with that process.

[AmeliaPlayz]

I'm doing the online option and even though tuition costs less then on campus, it's still expensive as hell LOL. I chose the online option cause I didn't really want to go college, but I did want to study music, so this was literally perfect for me. Three years in and I've had my ups and downs with it, BUT after like 4 major changes, (I finally decided on Voice Performance cause I've always been a singer first and foremost.) I am so happy I made this decision. Berklee Online allows me to work on classwork from the comfort of my own home, allows me to work part-time to help pay for my classes AND allows me to work on the things I'm passionate about like creating content on YouTube!

This sounded like a sponsor lol but it's not.

[DaneBjornson]

That edit at 4:30 was so satisfying, into the spinny chair like that. Good stuff Ameer :D

[noahfletcher]

I don’t usually comment but really amazing high quality video, very helpful

[collegewithteekay]

Hey Ameer! I just started my own channel documenting my experience here at Berklee as an international student!😚 Thank you for your amazing and inspirational content.

[scratchcrafter]

Hello Ameer, I stumbled upon your videos. I'm a Berklee Grad class of '03 you hit some key points for sure! If there were things I could do differently I would! I know that the price definitely has gone up, in fact when I went, it was $29k a year and my parents couldn't even afford to place me there, but sacrificed for me and I'm grateful daily as I have now been in the professional music industry for 20 years. I actually graduated with a Film Scoring degree and that's only because it was smoke in mirrors at that time with no actual research or counseling in mind. If I could go back, I'd probably do the music business degree. The funny thing is, I ended up working for a Violin company and have an agent now that gives me performance gigs weekly and if it weren't for Berklee's name on my degree, I'm not sure if I'd have the opportunity so all in all, I'm glad I went and finished! I too lived in 270, 150, and Hemmenway and all was true lol yuck!!!

[boomerdell]

Great video, Ameer! I hope more people find it and watch it. I am a lot older than you and your peers -- and probably most people who will watch this video -- but I do have something unexpected in common with you: I am also an undergraduate student at Berklee. To be clear, I am enrolled as an undergrad through the Berklee Online program. I began my own personal music-learning journey just a few years ago, so this is a whole new chapter for me (and very much connected with your point about being a lifelong learner). I am a lawyer, a husband, and a Dad, so my non-student life is rather full. It's a little nutty that someone like me decided to embark on the quest to earn an undergraduate degree in a subject area with no relevance or applicability to my already decades-long career. But here's the thing: I freaking love it. I really do. I love, love, LOVE it! I am passionate about learning and growing as a relatively new musician (primary instruments are guitar and voice, also just began learning a little piano/keyboard), the work is hard and rewarding, and even in the online learning world -- Berklee was one of the first to develop an online education platform and it's REALLY good! -- I am meeting interesting people, both classmates and professors, who are so talented and creative.

I honestly believe your conclusions about going to Berklee and getting a degree from Berklee are not only accurate for Berklee, but also reasonably applicable to just about any education path, particularly university programs. Yes, each person is different and two people can take the exact same path yet have very different experiences and outcomes, absolutely. However, it's fair to say that each person can find ways to use it to help get them further along both professionally and personally.

I live near Boston so I do plan to get to campus, even take a few courses there, to get more plugged into the community. I don't mind for one second being one of the only people in my age group taking classes there -- watching and learning from and interacting with musicians and artists is so good for the soul, regardless of age or background. It's genuinely fun!

I'll finish with this: I've found the instructors who deliver the courses in the online platform (they are the same ones who teach the on-campus classes, too) to be absolutely wonderful. They are superbly knowledgeable, attentive, helpful, and responsive. I consider myself very, very lucky to be a Berklee student!

[nicholasvillalva]

Berklee alum here. Berklee is not worth it long term. Thankfully I did not have to take out loans for school. But if you do, you are taking out a massive amount of debt to then have to get low paying gigs once you graduate. However socially it was a very good experience. I meet a lot of life long friends and have great memories going there. There is nothing Berklee will teach you that you can't learn on line. If you are a disciplined person, do it your studying and practicing on your own.

[happyjack]

Another great video! Your videos are great resources. I appreciate how genuine and honest you are in your videos. I also appreciate your great talent for video production. Berklee should consider hiring you for creating video content or to be a part of their video department if they haven't already.

[jlmoses]

I attended Berklee back in the early '90's. Some things have obviously changed. Back then, an entire 4 years cost less than 1 year does now. Also, the Commonwealth Ave. dorms were unquestionably the place to be back then.

[brucetowell]

I was 2 months shy of my 23rd birthday when I attended my first semester, and for the same reasons you chose to live off campus, I did as well. But it was a blunder for me I wished I had lived in the dorm, and made friends . Life in my apartment on Boylston Street, was let's just say not too inspiring for a college student living in the big city for the first time away from home. I came from a small town and was in for big city shock;-) Had I stayed in the dorm for my first year, I would have given myself a fighting chance. thanks for the video.

[Shiznizz]

Wow! Great video, well argumented and honest. And gotta love those smooth transitions. 😉

[DV-mqfv]

I went to Berklee some years ago and graduated. It was a a great education. Knowing people there including faculty, sadly, it is becoming woke. Many of us are very sad about it.

[ONealMusicStudio]

It was a lot less expensive when I graduated back in the early 80s. For me it was worth the experience to play every day and make connections. But what keeps you employed as I have been for over 45 years its about having a total package of skills that allow me to handle any situation, along with the right gear and attitude. I just spent a few years touring with the Motown group The Miracles and that was a totally different setting than doing tv or movie soundtracks. But the skill sets required are the same. Berklee teaches you some of that but a lot comes down to the individual and self responsibility. Nobody comes knocking your door down to work in this business. You need to carve out your own space through networking and nailing the gigs when you do get them. The top session players in LA aren’t just good players, they possess a set of skills beyond just the music where contractors and producers know they can depend on them to show up and get the job done in a cost effective manner. There are probably hundreds of more accomplished players than even some of the biggest names. But they’ve burnt their bridges along the way and are now relegated to teaching, playing bars or making YouTube videos to earn a living. So show up on time with your gear and play whatever is put in front of you in a tasteful manner, don’t be an ass and you’ll work. You’d be surprised how many otherwise great players can’t do these things.

[hahnin]

Everyone else: Oh yeah Berklee’s easy to get into
Father Ameer: WeLL iF yOu OpEn ThE DoOr

Love this vid, glad you posted it ❤