If you have decided to become a sound engineer, your next step should be to choose from the different audio engineering schools that are available to you. While this may seem overwhelming, because there are so many choices out there, the good news is that you should be able to find the school right for your particular needs by doing a bit of research. At the end of the day, you are the only one who can make the final decision about where to go. However, there are a few key things that you should consider, and those things are true for any type of degree, be that audio engineering or something completely different.
If you were to perform a global search for audio engineering schools, you will literally have thousands of options. Hence, your first step should be to eliminate those that you definitely cannot go to, even if it is just to stop yourself from getting tempted to go to the wrong place. So what are some of the things you should consider and use to eliminate at least some of the schools from your list? Below are three key factors that you have to take into consideration.
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Location
First of all, there is the location of the school. It may sound interesting to study in China, for instance, but is it really realistic? Do you even speak Chinese? Location is a very important thing to consider, because it will help you to hugely narrow down your search. Think about how far you are willing to travel: out of the country, out of the state, out of your county, out of your city, out of your neighborhood? Create a type of perimeter in which you can search for schools, and you will instantly see the number of available options drop to more manageable numbers.
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The Price
It must firstly be said that you cannot put a price on education. You should never, in other words, not go to a school just because it is expensive, nor should you pick a school solely because it happens to be cheap. Most students end up with some debt at the end of their degree, and you simply have to make sure that this debt is worth it. If you have to pay a bit more for your degree, but it delivers you into the workforce with something in far greater demand, then it is worth it.
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Reputation
Last but not least, you have to make sure that you go to a school that is highly respected across the country, if not the world. Accreditation is important, as this immediately guarantees that the school is of a good caliber. However, just accreditation is not enough. Speak to people in the industry and ask them whether they would be more or less inclined to interview someone with a degree from the school you are considering. Making sure that you make yourself attractive to prospective employers is very important, after all.