Does anyone know anything about McNally Smith music school? (Minneapolis: rentals, credit)

[timmy38]

Hi,

Im thinking of attending McNally Smith music school, moving to Minnesota from Indianapolis. Can anyone tell me anything about this school, is it in a good location, do students seem to like it? Thanks,

Tim

[maury]

My daughter attended McNally Smith. One, they were remakably unhelpfull as far as finincial aid advice was concerned. They simply refused to go out of their way to help. Two, they were not forthcoming concerning the raising of tuition every semester by about $1,000.00. I kid you not! I strongly reccomend that you talk to them concerning the policy on tuition raises. We found that financial aid (fafsa) does not cover either the entire outrageous amt. of tuition or the school does not accept fafsa's entire coverage. It is up to the school how much aid they allow.
maury

[mcnallysmith]

Our Financial Aid offices are always open and available if you have questions, we work very hard to help every student and their family to get all the help they need.

Our Admissions Department is also very knowledgeable in the areas of financial aid as well as any admittance related issues. If you would like to contact either the Admissions Office or the Financial Aid Office please call 1.800.594.9500, or visit McNally Smith College of Music | Music Degrees From the Top Music Business School and Music College for more information.

I hope that is helpful, Thank you.

[Mcnallygrad]

I'm a graduate of McNally-Smith, formerly MusicTech, and although the school has definitely improved in program since I graduated, I wouldn't recommend it.

If you're going for Performance or Engineering, their programs are excellent and the professors are the real deal. Chris Cunningham, "Chopper" Black, and their contemporaries there all had the gold records hanging on their office walls to prove it. They had experience, they had knowledge.

Their business program was fledgling quality for years, but they added some clout to their roster in that department also during the '02-'05 years. I had friends that attended before I did and a few who attended after, so I can give a 'hearsay appraisal' for you from a wide range of dates, and I know 3+ Business Program graduates who are jockeying their AAS at a Starbucks.

I will say that many who graduated in the early '00s are applying their AAS degrees at a local Starbucks. Their placement is low, and their one-on-one counseling is average or slightly below. It seems like the top 5% of students received a school-sponsored internship
and most everyone else fended for themselves.

Their website and media presence is incredibly well-done, but after seeing their recent flurry of Minneapolis advertising since their name change sometime in '06, I know exactly how they pay for it, considering their tuition rates (which according to the reply to the OP here, are rising).

I paid roughly $25,000+ in unassisted tuition to attend a full program, not including living expenses like rent in St. Paul, as they have no dorms nor do they have housing relationships with nearby rentals. The best they can do for you in terms of Student Housing is send you a list of other students looking for roommates and a printout from Rent.com of what's in the area.

Again, the quality of the program depends on which you choose - Business, Engineering, or Performance.


It's hard to recommend a school that charges $5,000 a semester for an Associates with a placement level that's not even published. Contact the school and ask a LOT of questions, but be critical. Obviously the Mcnally rep that replied stymied the conversation here and wanted you to hear their end. Just know that they're in the business of making money in addition to educating aspiring students.

Personally I would have saved myself $25,000 towards a more well-accredited well-known degree, walked into Barnes and Noble and bought "Everything You Need to Know About the Music Business" (Your first Mcnally Textbook), read it cover to cover, and been done with it.

[RockChic]

I think Mcnallygrad has some good points... I went to school there in 2003, but my experience was great. When I was a student there, the internships weren't really advertised so you kind of had to seek out the people in charge of them and apply that way. I think the school has changed a lot from when I was there though. In the last year, I've run into a number of current students/recent grads who all say that the internship program has really been beefed up. A couple of them had been offered jobs at major labels right off their internship. As for the people working at Starbucks, I know a million people with degrees in English, Sociology, Biology, you name it- who are all working crappy jobs simply because they aren't really trying to work in their field. I think at a certain point, you have to be accountable for your own future, you know? Most of the people I was friends with that I graduated with are working in areas related to their degrees... and a lot of that has to do with just the networking that happens in the school. Whatever. I had an awesome experience at that school, and would highly recommend it to anyone.

[mcnallysmith]

As an alumni of McNally Smith I can say that I understand some of the frustration with job and internship placement, I too had some trouble finding opportunities upon graduation. This is something that MSCM recognized as a problem, and since the introduction of the Career Center has been working very successfully at correcting.

Many of our students are now enjoying internships both locally and nationally as well as building their network of contacts, some are even getting job offers as a result of their hard work.

I think the big thing that college students, in any field of study, need to remember is that your future and career are only as good as the effort you put in it.

Just a reminder to all the alumni that haven't talked to the Career Center yet, it's there to help you too...no matter when your graduated.

[songwriter1]

I went here in 2004-2005 and did graduate from the business program. As the parent posted the financial aid department was not helpful at all while I was in school and even less when there was an issue with one of my loans after I graduated. I never received my diploma nor the pictures I paid for of my graduation ceremony. I tried for over two years to receive them before I gave up knowing I would never receive them.

There was absolutely no help in locating an internship or job. All throughout my experience at the college I was assured this career assistance would be there. Literally upon graduation I was on my own. In the music industry if your college does not back you or you do not know someone you will never get a job. Sounds harsh but it is the reality of this industry. You can work as hard as you like but the doors will stay closed.

The worst part though is that I was assured numerous times before I went here that their credits were transferable to any college. Since graduation I have talked to numerous universities and colleges about completing my bachelor's degree only to be told my credits are worthless. I would have to begin all over again to get a bachelor's degree in any field! So think long and hard whether at any time in your career you are going to want to go back to school and further your education. If that is an option you want then do not go here.

The teachers were great when I was there but all of them are now gone with the exception of one. After my graduation the teachers just disappeared almost in a mass exodus within a couple of months time and I am not sure why. They were great teachers and I learned so much from them. Truely the teachers I had are the one positive thing I can say happened going to college here.

So be careful in any school you pick because it does have a long term impact on your career as I learned the hard way.

[Rockin_Chick_16]

Well I am 16 and looking at colleges and ummm McNally Smith was gonna be my first choice but I think I need to do somemore research ... thats terrible ... it seems like the worst college

[spectre000]

Here is a recent (and positive) article about the school from Finance and Commerce.

McNally Smith: A music mecca in St. Paul - Finance and Commerce

[myDarby]

If you are considering Audio Engineering or music production as a career, you may want to check out Record-Now.com. It offers one-on-one learning opportunities in a professional studio just a couple miles from MacNally Smith. You will have many more real-world opportunities than with a lecture based curriculum. They also have an extensive curriculum with analog tape machines that you won't have with MacNally.

Record-Now is also a whole lot less expensive so you will actually be able to pay off the cost of your tuition working in the field within a year or two.

I chose Record-Now over MacNally and IPR and am very happy.

Good luck with your search!