I am a high school senior, and I have decided to apply to colleges as a music major but have not finalized my college list yet. I play the viola at school and also at CODA and SCSBOA for the past three years, but I don’t have any awards from competitions. I started playing viola a little late and I’m not the most talented violist at my school. At all state I sat near the middle of the orchestra. I was wondering if anyone can tell me which schools I would have a good shot at getting into. I would prefer medium to large campuses. So far I’m considering U Michigan, UCLA, Northwestern, and Boston University. Will these schools be a reach for me?
Hi @lauren999 - you might want to head over to the Music Major forum where you will find lots of music parents and students: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/
Are you planning to apply for a BA in Music or a BM (performance degree)? That makes a difference. There is an essay pinned to the top of the Music Major forum called “The Double Degree Dilemma” that talks about the different ways to study music in college. What is your goal with the music major?
FYI - in case you were not aware, if you are looking for BM programs, U of Michigan and Northwestern are among the very best music schools in the US (at the level of the top conservatories), so it is extremely competitive to get in musically on most instruments. In fact, those two schools can be even more attractive to some top musicians than stand alone conservatories because they offer the whole package of excellent academics, a more traditional college experience, and a conservatory level music school.
It is impossible for anyone in this forum to say what might be a reach/match/safety for you. With audition-based programs (which include almost all BM programs), the audition is the #1 most important factor in admissions so there is not really any such thing as a “safety.” Does your private viola teacher have any suggestions of schools that might be a good fit for you? Private teachers who have sent many students on to college level music programs are often the best resource for creating a college list. If your teacher does not have that experience perhaps you can pay for a lesson from a viola teacher who does (or from a nearby university-level viola professor) in order to get an assessment of your talent level and what schools to target.
Also be aware that music school application deadlines for performance programs come much earlier than most general admissions deadlines, often 12/1, so the sooner you can finalize your list, the better. You’ll need to make sure your audition repertoire fits the requirements of each school, that any required prescreen recordings are done, etc. Most schools want music resumes and repertoire lists, and each school seems to want them in a different format or in a different order, so music school applications can be time consuming, and that’s in addition to the standard admissions applications for the university or college.
Good luck!
Excellent advice from @classicalsaxmom here! I completely agree with everything she said.
Additionally, you may want to keep in mind that all of the schools you listed above, with the exception of Boston University, do require that viola applicants upload a pre-screening recording with the application by December 1. If you are seriously considering these schools, make sure you are familiar with the repertoire requirements for both their pre-screening and live rounds. December 1 will be here before you know it! Also, the school’s websites sometimes are very busy right before the December 1 deadline, so it is always a good idea to get the application started early and your recordings uploaded a little bit early.
Have you had trial lessons with teachers at any of the schools you are interested in? If you are looking to be a performance major, your teacher will be the most important part of your decision on where you would like to attend. This is slightly less important if you are majoring in another area of music, but it is still a large part of your life as a music major! If you haven’t done so already, I would encourage you to reach out to some of the teachers you might be interested in working with and seeing if there is any way to spend some time working with them prior to live auditions.
If you could share a little more information about exactly what your career goals are, I think you could get more specific advice from this forum!
Best wishes to you!
Another violist!! 
Can you share a little information about what region of the country you’re interested in, are you looking for conservatory/music program within a university, your intended audition rep etc,?
For audition-based programs, there are no “safeties” - but there are schools with tougher and relatively easier admissions. The three you mention are all relatively tough admits.
You made all-state, so that’s a good sign. If you want a larger university, your state flagship campus probably has a music major available. You mention SCSBOA - are you in California? UColorado Boulder might be worth looking at.
Three cheers for violists! Lauren, I sent you a PM.