What to Expect When You Arrive
Checking In On Campus
In the week leading up to your program, please check the email address associated with your Berklee Registration Portal account for an email titled "Important Arrival Information." This email will include critical details such as the assigned time and location for your program check-in, and a reminder to complete any remaining requirements.
Many of Berklee's Summer Program check-in events will take place in the morning hours, with program activities beginning shortly after. Your specific check-in location and check-in time frame will be included in the Important Arrival Information email. Prior to receiving this email and for the purpose of making travel arrangements, please reference your specific program webpage for general check-in times.
Getting Your ID Card
We ask all registered students who will be attending a program at our Boston campus to submit a photo for your ID. You will be issued an ID card when you arrive at Berklee for your program. This card gives you access to facilities and the dining hall if you've opted to stay in our residence halls. If you do not upload a photo at least two weeks prior to the start of your program, your photo will be taken once you arrive on campus. However, we very strongly recommend advance submission to avoid delays at check-in. Upload your photo here.
CrowdCompass
A few days prior to the start of your program, you will receive instructions at the email address on file with us to download a mobile app called CrowdCompass Events. This app will give you access to your program's schedule and announcements and allow you to connect with other students.
Health and Wellness
Our Boston campus has a nurse’s station with services that include:
- basic first aid for minor ailments and injuries
- direct observation of students taking their own medications as prescribed
- triaging possible next steps (e.g., a referral to urgent care or the emergency room)
Visit the Summer Programs Help Center for more information on medication administration and additional healthcare facilities.
In the event of a mental health crisis, Summer Programs staff might refer Aspire: Five-Week students to Berklee's Counseling Services for urgent support. Ongoing counseling and therapy are not offered. If you already have mental health care at home, we recommend working with current providers on a plan to attend to your mental health while away from home (e.g. plan for medication, review telehealth options, identify what support persons or local emergency rooms are nearby in the event of a crisis, etc.).
Students experiencing a mental health emergency should call Public Safety at 617-747-8888 to be connected to the on-call team for further support. They may also call 911 or go to a local emergency room for assistance.
Student Safety
Escort Feature
Public Safety provides a 24/7 personal safety escort within one mile of campus upon request. This service is for personal safety concerns only and not for convenience (e.g., inclement weather, to move items, etc.). The dispatcher will send a security officer or police officer to accompany a community member from an off-campus residence to a Berklee campus building, from a campus building to an off-campus residence, or from any Berklee campus building to another Berklee campus building.
The fulfillment of this service is subject to proper staffing levels at the time requested. Public Safety staff will make every effort to accommodate a community member’s request for transport in a timely manner and/or to communicate appropriately around the timing and availability of transport. There may be times when this service is delayed due to staffing or emergency situations.
To request a Public Safety escort, call the Public Safety Control Center at 617-747-2682, or make the request in person directly to any uniformed Public Safety personnel.
Public Safety
Berklee is located in one of the most popular and liveliest areas in the city. However, as in any urban setting, it is necessary to exercise caution and common sense. We stress neighborhood and residence hall safety, and highlight the importance of security with Summer Programs students. Berklee's Public Safety department is responsible for campus safety, security, law enforcement, and emergency response on campus. It is the department's mission to provide a comprehensive program of services to help ensure that the campus remains a safe environment in which to live, study, and work. Officers are on duty 24/7. To read more about public safety, please visit berklee.edu/public-safety.
Berklee takes pride in treating Summer Programs attendees as real college students in order to give them a true Berklee experience. We strive to give them as much independence as possible, so students will be walking to class through Berklee's urban campus unattended, and on the weekends and in the evenings they will have spare time to experience the city. It is important to be sure that students are responsible enough to handle this independence when deciding whether to attend one of our programs. Please note, students participating in Day Sessions: Music, Youth Musical Theater Summer Program, and ABLE: Day Sessions will have adult supervision at all times in order to best support the needs of our youngest students.
Supervision of Minors
Summer Programs students who stay on campus in Boston during their program are supervised by Resident Assistants and other professional staff, who enforce a strict 10:30 PM curfew. Our residence halls are also staffed by security guards who ensure that only registered students have access to the residence hall buildings, with the exception of the main dining hall located on the second floor of 160 Mass Ave. residence hall. We have a zero-tolerance policy for drinking, smoking, and drug use on campus. Summer Programs students will be immediately dismissed and parents will be notified if these policies are not respected.
The Commuter Experience
General Facility Access
Once you have checked into your program, your ID card will grant you access to the buildings in which you will have your classes. In addition, Summer Programs students living in the residence halls will be able to access their assigned building, as well as the dining hall.
Dining Hall Access
Meal plans are included as a part of the housing fee for Summer Programs students living on campus. The dining hall can be accessed by swiping your Berklee ID at the front entryway to the campus cafeteria.
The campus cafeteria will be accessible to commuter students. Commuter students can pay at the dining hall entrance with cash or a debit/credit card and eat with classmates.
Academic Experience
Berklee's Summer Programs are taught by members of the Berklee College of Music faculty and class sizes align with the college’s class size. At Berklee Summer Programs, you get a taste of what it would be like to attend Berklee.
What to Expect Day to Day
Visit your program page to browse sample schedules from years past. Though these schedules have not remained entirely identical from summer to summer, they offer a broad overview of what the day-to-day schedules of each program will look like.
You can expect to be in class for most of the day and enjoy occasional evening activities. Weekend and five-day programs tend to have full schedules, where the free times tend to be intended for meals and to devote to practicing material from the program.
For longer programs, there may be free time during the evenings and weekends. During that time, Summer Programs students are encouraged to practice, explore the area of Boston around Berklee, socialize with other students in your program, or—on weekends—explore the City of Boston together with friends.
During the Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive, there will be a full calendar of activities that Summer Programs students are encouraged to attend outside of class hours. Past events included outings to Red Sox games, trips to local museums, shopping trips in the city, arts and crafts events, and more.
Program Difficulty and Leveling
Our programs are designed to accommodate a variety of levels. Whether you are enrolling in a performance-based or skill-based program, there is very likely a place for you. Class placement for our performance-based programs is generally based on submission of placement audition materials, and our skill-based programs may allow you to choose a level you deem most appropriate for yourself. Visit this Summer Programs Help Center article to learn more about how class placement works.
End of Program
Performance Opportunities
Many of our performance-based programs will culminate in a final performance, typically on the last day of the program. Visit this Summer Programs Help Center article for our complete list of our programs and the details of any final performances.
Checking Out
Ensure that your room is clean and returned to the state it was in at check-in. There are trash rooms on each floor in the residence halls. Rooms that are left messy or damaged may incur an additional charge to all the residents in that room. Hand in your room key to the Public Safety officer stationed at the entryway to your assigned residence hall and check out by the designated time for your program. Visit your program page for check out times.