Hi.
I am currently a senior in high school looking into some colleges with good music programs. I play piano and have been playing piano for over 12 years, and I have won numerous regional and state awards for my performances.
My problem is this: I am worried that my grades and test scores may not be satisfactory for the college admissions. Right now I am looking at schools with very good music programs like Northwestern, Rice, USC, University of Texas, and University of Rochester. It also goes without saying that they are very high up there in terms of prestige.
Right now, I have a 4.2 weighted GPA, a 3.6 unweighted GPA, and a 29 on the ACT. My coursework is also filled up with plenty of AP courses, and I am actively involved in things like National Honors Society, Student Council, etc. I also play piano at a local restaurant as a part-time job.
I don’t know. I find it hard to believe that many high-level musicians auditioning at these high-level schools would have to meet the same demands as a student that applies there for something like medicine or law. I am confident in my ability to audition well, but this whole academics dilemma is a very vague one, and I have never found an exact answer. Does my ACT score/GPA have to be within their range if I have a good audition? Does the audition matter more than academics in terms of audition?