<p>Hi,
so I am applying to schools now
I am applying to USC, Juilliard, Pepperdine, UCM, UCR, Carnegie Mellon, Peabody institute, University of Washington, U of Massachusetts-Amherst
as a music major BA degree
my top choice is USC Thornton School of Music as a classical voice major; Soprano.
My problem is that my GPA is really low
its about 2.9-3.0 UW
and my SAT is about 1980
570 CR 770 Math 640 Writing
I got 1st and 2nd places in many competitions,
and did my internship at Colburn School of performing Arts
I also got a young artist award and performed with Southern Philharmonic Orchestra.
I have performed in Wat Disney Concert Hall as an Honor's choir,
I have been a section leader now 4 years,
I have been a soloist for 4 years also.
how much does grade matter for above schools ESPECIALLY USC
also I am currently studying with a professor at Pepperdine. Will it higher the chance of me getting into Pepperdine?
Thank you so much for your time!</p>
<p>I think I answered your question (or at least the part of it I can answer) on the other thread. But I want to make sure you know that GPA, etc. will matter very little, if at all, for places like Juilliard.</p>
<p>You may have trouble getting into U Mass Amherst. They are inundated with applications because of the relative bargain they offer in terms of tuition, so they can be picky. Also, their weighting system works against students in the arts. They only count one arts class per semester into the weighted GPA. So, for my son, for example, where he was taking 3 music classes and getting A’s in all of them, they were throwing out 2 of those A’s, and counting that in with his academic classes where his grades were not all A’s. He was accepted into U Mass after being wait listed. His GPA was slightly higher than yours, and he had similar SAT scores. He was accepted into the music department with a small talent scholarship.</p>
<p>You cannot really be chanced for music schools, you just have to audition and find out. Even your private teacher cannot tell you for sure if you’ll pass prescreens or not. Most schools bend some of their academic standards for music students. Know that you are NOT looking at a BA degree if you are applying to schools like Juilliard and Thornton. You are seeking a BM or Bachelor of Music degree. If you want a career in music you might want to avoid the BA. You can totally go places with it, you just might have to sacrifice some useful music classes to take general education classes. UW is a great school, but I would recommend it more strongly as an out-of-state student if you were looking to study, say, medicine. Go for it if you really want to study with one of the teachers there, but music isn’t the school’s strongest point. Also the school is actually highly selective with a 3.8 average GPA. I know girls with 3.5 and 3.6 GPAs that did not get in. I also know of students with grades under 3.0 that got in. It depends. (I’m from the area, that’s how I know) Good luck auditioning this year! I will be as well!</p>
<p>“If you want a career in music you might avoid the BA”
A BA in vocal performance is in no way an impediment to a career in voice. The two most important things an undergrad vocal performance major needs to do is to find a good teacher and not incur burdensome debt. Though my D got her BM before her MM, she see’s BA’s thrive along with the BM’s. She even encounters plenty of talent who never ever studied VP as an undergrad. What they do share is a history of fantastic teachers and very little debt.</p>
<p>Imthinking, Thornton also offers a BA degree in most music majors!</p>