University of Hilo Music? Is the Program any good? (Honolulu: 2014, dorms)

[7stringguitarguy]

I have lived in Hawaii for like three years before but on different island (Oahu). I didn't like it that much in Honolulu. The island of Oahu is too small and crowded pop. over a million people . Over half the island is covered in urban sprawl (concrete). I perviously went to the University of Hawaii at Manoa and i had a horrible experience with that school I transferred to (Chaminade a year later).. Dealing with some of the faculty was horrible, the buildings were crumbling ( the Dorms) , the some of the professors couldn't speak english , they didn't give **** about there students, your treated like a number, the list goes on and on.. is UH Hilo the same way?

right now on scale out of ten being the highest want HILO would be about 4/10
UH MANOA 1/10
POMONA COLLEGE 9/10

[hotzcatz]

Well, not much urban sprawl in Hilo. Not a lot of concrete. There is supposed to be a brand new dorm just finished at U of H Hilo, I don't know much about it other than that.

I've only met a couple of the professors and they all spoke English, but that doesn't mean they all do.

U of H Hilo is much smaller than U of H Manoa, you'd think that would change the whole atmosphere.

I don't know a thing about their music program, so can't help you there.

[OpenD]

From Wikipedia:

The University is composed of six colleges, and has received recognition for numerous academic programs including the marine biology, volcanology, astronomy, Hawaiian language, pharmacy, agriculture, computer science, and nursing programs.

Not to be mean, but I'd guess that probably says as much as about as much about the music program as needs to be said. On the other hand, if being a big fish in a small pond is your thing, then maybe a B.A. in Performing Arts: Music Concentration is right for you. Here's the details...
B.A. in Performing Arts: Music Concentration Requirements — UH Hilo Catalog 2013-2014

Also, don't forget that if you mean to establish residency to qualify for in-state-tuition you need to live here for a full year before you start school, and meet other requirements.

University of Hawaii at Hilo

Good luck!

[eureka1]

If you had a "horrible experience" on the Manoa campus with all their resources I don't imagine you'd do any better at a tiny school like UH Hilo. What was so horrible about your experience? Is it possible you're not ready for college and should take a couple of years off to decide what you want to do? My SO earned two degrees at Manoa and I find it hard to believe that any of their faculty don't speak English.

[7stringguitarguy]

I did like the school initially. Things were going good for the first few weeks then , I broke up with my girl friend and became really depressed then out of no where I started doing these weird repetitive rituals. I failed the first semester because of OCD ,because I would obsess about things and do cod rituals for hours and days on end that I would never show up to class , it was horrible. They pardoned that semester because my illness but i m still ashamed of it. Because if i don't take my medication it could happen again... I ended up graduating a few years later.. It was more me than the school but.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by 7stringguitarguy

I ended up graduating a few years later.. It was more me than the school but.

Congratulations on working through your challenges to graduate. That's a great accomplishment.

What is your question now? What are you trying to find out?

[smarino]

I'm not sure about the music program at the college in Hilo. As an artist, I don't put much stock in universities when it comes to the "arts". That's not something colleges do well, and this is not just one person's opinion. One thing the island DOES have is some good musicians. Having lived in New Orleans, which is pretty much as good as it gets for music, and having always been around music scenes (dad was a musician, and even had his own TV program many, many moons ago, so there were musicians always around when I was growing up), I can only tell you what I know....if you want to be good, you have to play a LOT, and you have to play w/ people that are better than you. That means going to where your type of music is at, where it excels, and hooking up w/ that scene. It's not a college curriculum sort of deal, it's about hard work discipline, practice, and devotion to your craft.

[7stringguitarguy]

well what im trying to find out, is university that is not too expensive so i can a degree in music and then get a teaching credential. I was wondering what Hilo was like? Is the experience kind of similar to Oahu? Expense wise (food lodging), people wise, culturally? Is there a music scene besides Jahawaiian and traditional hawaiian music and Hawaiian Slack Key? The music scene in Honolulu was ok from my experience, actually it was good in certain ways, because of geographic isolation: because the scene was small and isolated , it some it of was more unique and unpretentious.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by 7stringguitarguy

well what im trying to find out, is university that is not too expensive so i can a degree in music and then get a teaching credential.

OK, so next year resident undergrad tuition will be $3,096/semester, non-res $8,976. Grad tuition for residents $4,668, non-res $10,704... less than half what Pomona College charges, so that's a plus. Also, you can apply for WUE tuition, which is halfway between the resident and non-resident rates, but the number of WUE slots is limited.

I was wondering what Hilo was like? Is the experience kind of similar to Oahu?

Nothing like Oahu. Hilo is an unincorporated town, let's call it an overgrown farm town serving a large agricultural region, population 44,000 people, about 1/10 the size of Honolulu. UH Hilo has 3.5K undergrad students, 600 grads - about 1/5 the size of UH Manoa. Like I said earlier, if you enjoy being a big fish in a small pond, Hilo is a small pond.

Speaking of small ponds, watch out for the puddles, because it rains a lot in Hilo, 120 - 160 inches a year, and it rains frequently, about 280 days a year, mostly at night, or in the afternoon. It keeps everything damp, moist, lush, humid. Green! Even the mold on your shoes might turn green.

Expense wise (food lodging), people wise, culturally?

Cost of living in Hilo is about the same as LA. Culturally diverse. Slow and relaxed. Friendly.

Is there a music scene besides Jahawaiian and traditional hawaiian music and Hawaiian Slack Key? The music scene in Honolulu was ok from my experience, actually it was good in certain ways, because of geographic isolation: because the scene was small and isolated , it some it of was more unique and unpretentious.

Hilo is even smaller and more isolated, so better?

There's little nightlife. It gets dark early, and by 9 pm most places are closed and the streets are pretty empty. The music scene is mostly a Friday-Saturday night thing. In addition to the Hawaiian stuff you can find some blues, rock, jazz. Not a lot, but some. There's more happening over on the Kona side, but it's a 2 hour drive each way and gas is expensive. You can get around Hilo fairly well with bus and bike, but owning a car is much more pleasant due to the rain.

On the flip side, if you want to concentrate on school there's not a lot to distract you. The campus is kind of off by itself, about equidistant from the two business districts.