Oboe Time!

Yes, i change my life plan every month. OK, every week. But i got a call from my orchestra director last Friday night asking me to attend UNLV-I wouldn't have to pay. But I don't want to get a master's degree at another IUP band school with the big fish in a little pond complex.
Though my fear of being a professional oboe player is rejection, not being good enough, and never winning auditions-such a school would seem perfect. But the thought of grad school was always a conservatory to me.
My teacher was ecstatic and just waiting for this call for 2 years about when my vagabond lifestyle would finally retire. She offered some suggestions and told me to look into Oberlin because the teacher, Alex Klein, is easily "the best oboe player in the world right now." I should also check out Temple for Richard Woodhams of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Roosevelt because I like Chicago, and Boston University for all the pops and symphony faculty. She thinks I would benefit much more from an excellent orchestral player and teacher who can tell me how everything should be played, prepare me correctly for auditions, and look good on my resume.
I started to look at tuition costs ranging from $24000-$35000 and am starting to get discouraged already. But if i want a conservatory, I have to pay conservatory prices. I'm also worried about the audition process-but then I looked up Cleveland Institute, Cincinnati, New England, Yale, Manhattan, Mannes, Eastman...there's a ton out there that I'm sure I can manage to get in at least one!

I have about 9 months to prepare. Practicing always scares me a bit-there's so much to play and I don't know how to organize it well enough to keep up on etudes, scales, and just general technical building, but also kick ass at some concertos. So I've decided to write my daily work and alternate weekly between the Strauss and Mozart Concerti and my excerpts and etudes. (I'm sure this is very exciting to y'all).