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Do your current and future debt laden self a favor and get a miraclone 186.plays just fine and it will probably make sense to keep and play for life after you change your major.

Amen

I heartily agree.

Go buy a 186 clone and don't touch the used 186 market, so I have a chance to buy when a nice one pops up.

Here are my thoughts on the whole "I need a CC tuba for college"
IMHO, music ed majors should definitely not be coerced to switch to CC - all their future students will be on BBb, as will the trombones and baritone-euphoniums that they teach in school band.
Non-perfomance majors also do not need to be pushed into CC. Whether music business, recording, composing/arranging, worship arts, or even a general "music" degree, there really is no legitimate need for a CC tuba.
That leaves performance majors.
Honestly assess yourself and the jobs that will be available when you graduate.
Then, either work your tail off at a top school (on CC and F) or see one of the above majors.

Piston or lacquer?

Funny thing all this "you must play CC and give up BBb".

When I was studying with Jake, he said not to bother changing as I would do just fine using my King monster rotary BBb. I did get an F to go with it. The F was for use "when appropriate" but he insisted I be able to play anything and everything on the big King.

k001k47 wrote:I heartily agree.

Go buy a 186 clone and don't touch the used 186 market, so I have a chance to buy when a nice one pops up.

...and, by the way, please only buy the clone if you want a more responsive, more resonant tuba that costs less than a used 186 CC, and if you also don't care about the brand name. Otherwise you'll just be driving up the cost of the new clone with pointless demand while driving down the price of used ones by supplying a tuba you didn't want anyway. Thanks.