A Message to Parents

Dear Parents,

It is a bittersweet time when children leave home for college. On the one hand we want to see them grow up and go off into adulthood, and on the other we try to continue holding them close. We know it is not without trepidation that you watch them begin their college search, and we know you play a vital role in that process. So, we would like to help you share with your student in discovering more about the Cleveland Institute of Music and in learning what makes a CIM education unusual and distinct. Our admission web pages are, indeed, designed to help students at this stage in their lives, but you will feel the need to know the basics, too, and we invite you to look in depth at this readily available information.

Perhaps your student is in the 9th, 10th, or 11th grade and still in the preliminary stage of investigation. This is a great time to get an early start – becoming familiar with CIM and some of the other leading schools, comparing programs, and visiting campuses. An excellent resource for you is our document called CIM at a Glance. If you are new to CIM and are looking for a lot of information in a clear and concise format, CIM at a Glance will be perfect for you. If a visit to CIM is possible, we will be happy to meet with you, to give you an individualized tour, and to have conversation that we hope will answer many of your questions.

If your student is in 12th grade and ready to apply, the need to gather detailed information becomes more immediate. At this stage, our application instructions, audition handbook, and online catalog will be most helpful. The catalog, in particular, is the primary reference document for current CIM students and includes comprehensive information, including but not limited to the following: faculty and faculty biographies, calendar, mission, facilities, programs of study (both degree and non-degree), admission, audition and audition repertoire requirements, academic and performance requirements for freshmen, transfer, graduate, and international students, residence life, finances, course descriptions, and much more. We invite you to use this very important tool. It is just a click away.

Lastly, your student may already be enrolled at another school and is considering transferring, or perhaps he or she is an international student. The same resources I have already mentioned will be most helpful! Transfer students will find in our catalog detailed information about the transfer process. International students, of course, have additional complications with passport, visa, and in many cases language requirements. For students for whom English is a second language, it is especially important to be aware of TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) requirements. Obviously, there is a lot to consider!

For now, please accept our invitation to explore and discover – and if you are unable to find the information you are seeking, just let us know. We are here for you, too!

Sincerely,

Director of Admission
Cleveland Institute of Music