EDM scene and College?

December 28, 2010 8:58 PM

Whats a good college with a good engineering program and is close to a large EDM (electronic dance music) scene?

I'm 17, a junior in highschool, and its about time that I start figuring out what college I want to go to. Besides my interest in engineering, DJing and music production have been on my mind as well...

Obviously its a long shot, but who knows we'll see where it leads to. But at least I will get a degree in engineering and go that route with my life if things don't work out.

So now comes the challenge of finding a college with an engineering program that has a large EDM scene that I can throw myself into and learn my craft, but I doubt I will find a college that says so on their website. So thats why I come here and maybe someone can give me some incite. :D

Just to give a little light on my resume, I have 3.4 or a 3.7ish depending on if the college will take into consideration that I took weighted classes. I've been in a robotics club for 6 years that participates in FIRST.

So what do you think? Thanks!! :D

posted by NotSoSiniSter to Education (12 answers total)

What kind of electronic music do you listen to? Dance encompasses a lot.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:14 PM on December 28, 2010

The University of Delaware has a good engineering school (or at least it did when I graduated from there 10 years ago, I don't think it's changed) and it's near a bunch of major cities (Philadelphia is 30 minutes away, Baltimore/DC is an hour, NYC is two hours) and I can't imagine with that many big cities close by that you wouldn't be able to find any scene you were interested in.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 9:24 PM on December 28, 2010

Response by poster: exactly what kind? erg. progressive house, dubstep, and trance.
posted by NotSoSiniSter at 9:26 PM on December 28, 2010

Georgia Tech has one of the best engineering programs in the country, and Atlanta has a thriving electronic music scene.
posted by deadmessenger at 9:27 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

How are your SAT/ACTs? GA Tech is a great fit, but (rightly) very hard to get into with that many Bs on yr transcript.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:28 PM on December 28, 2010

UCSD has the DVC and has a great engineering program. (Full disclosure, I'm a UCSD grad)

Harvey Mudd and Cal Tech both have pretty good EDM scenes and are close enough to attend all the events LA has to offer.

All the bay area schools would work too since SF has a huge EDM scene. Berkeley, Stanford, etc. I've heard Cal Poly SLO has a decent scene as well, but I don't personally know anything about it. Anywhere near a major city should allow you to find what you're looking for.
posted by Arbac at 9:29 PM on December 28, 2010

Go Trojans! Little Dog. USC Robotics Society. USC used to be decently up there in Engineering, I think particularly Aerospace. My bones be too old to know of EDM scene, but it is Los Angeles so I'm sure there's something around.
posted by zengargoyle at 10:00 PM on December 28, 2010

I would focus on good schools in major cities. The truth, really, is that engineering is tough and you're not going to just be overflowing with club time, so the differences between la and georgia get smaller. Plus, in cities with a less pronounced scene there are often still neat places to go, and more room for people like you to define the scene. In a place like la that's going to be harder. La and ny are the best though, from sheer acts that go and number of clubs. But you'd be fine in sf philly chicago etc. Just have to work a little harder
posted by wooh at 5:30 AM on December 29, 2010

very hard to get into with that many Bs on yr transcript

Oh come on, unless you're working in admissions there, this is silly. What if the asker had straight As from the worst high school in America? What if those Bs are at the best prep school? And if they are the result of spending a good deal of time working on the outreach program he started locally to help underprivileged sea slugs get back to their habitat? I can't stand the idea that all schools require straight As and near-perfect SAT scores.

To the OP, I would caution you against this approach. College is what you make of it. Concentrate on finding the best school and throw yourself into it and the social scene there. I know it sounds preposterous, but you may discover by junior year that you have no interest in dance music anymore. Your tastes in things evolve as you age, especially around this time.

And while I know it's just AskMe, I'd strongly suggest having a person proofread your application essays ("insight" is what you're looking for, "incite" is what we try to avoid here).
posted by yerfatma at 5:49 AM on December 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I have several friends who are heavily involved in the Atlanta EDM scene and attend Georgia Tech. They are always looking to help out new talent, so you'd have a support network off the bat from people with good connections.
Obviously, Tech has a great engineering program.
posted by derogatorysphinx at 6:38 AM on December 29, 2010

another vote for Georgia Tech. You will not have as much time to go to shows as you think you might right now, but there was a good scene when I was there (1999-2003). I got to see a bunch of artists that were pretty huge at the time (Paul van Dyk, Carl Cox, Hybrid, DJ Dan, Crystal Method) and from what I understand the homegrown/local talent was good too.
posted by xbonesgt at 6:58 AM on December 29, 2010

Response by poster: blame Google chrome spell check for not knowing what I meant. :/ incite vs insight garr.

Georgia Tech looks like a good place. Its makes sense to not go to the best scenes because I would never get anywhere. :D
posted by NotSoSiniSter at 9:08 AM on December 29, 2010