<p>Okay, so first off I'd like to say that I'm applying to several schools but USC is my top pick. My violin teacher is a professor @ Thornton (but that doesn't really help I think) and here are my stats...</p>
<p>SAT I: Not submitted yet
SAT II: Scores will be up June 23
APs: Music Theory, Literature, Statistics</p>
<p>Subjective:
Essays: Assume they are stellar
Counselor rec: Will probably be pretty good</p>
<p>Location/Person:
State/Country: California
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Egyptian
Gender: Female</p>
<p>Other Factors:</p>
<p>EC's -- Over 100 hrs of community service
Colburn Orchestra da Camera
Colburn Chamber Orchestra
Colburn School Annual Recital
Masterclasses w/ LA Phil members
Member of HS book club, math club, and fashion club
American Honors Performance Series @ Carnegie Hall</p>
<p>Do you guys think I have a chance @ Thornton? I want to double major in Violin Performance & Music Industry</p>
<p>You have not mentioned your GPA. USC looks holistically at the entire application, but your test scores and grades are considered. Since SC’s Thornton is essentially a conservatory within a major research university you must be at your absolute best during the audition and have the ability for success in the college curriculum.</p>
<p>Music is a demanding major. I do not know if it is feasible to double major in Music Industry. A minor may be possible. If accepted, you will need to discuss this with your music professor and academic counselor.</p>
<p>Visit the music forum here for more information about the audition process. Apply to a range of conservatories/universities. Have a safety that is also a financial safety. SC is a private university, as you know. Discuss with your parents/guardians about costs and how much is available for your college expenses.</p>
<p>Actually, it’s pretty common and I know it’s been done.</p>
<p>But, as someone with firsthand experience with the music industry program, I do think that if you’re not looking to be a top recording engineer and are more interested in the business classes offered by Thornton, the music industry minor will suffice. It’s a pretty comprehensive minor and you’re placed in (almost) all the same classes with music industry majors with the same professors. If there’s a music industry class you want to take outside the scope of the minor, you can take it as an elective.</p>
<p>But as far as your chances – I’ll echo the concern that no one can say anything of substance until you post your GPA and SAT scores. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t rule out your violin teacher though; you should ask him/her to write you a recommendation letter if they are not part of the admissions panel. If they do have a control in admissions, I’m sure he or she will make note of your student/teacher relationship and (hopefully) put in a good word for you.</p>
<p>The problem is that most performance majors at Thornton have very few elective units, making a double major impossible in 4 years (even with a few overlapping courses). Actually a quick check of the Thornton catalog shows that a Violin performance major has only 6 elective units (and I thought jazz guitar was restrictive at 10)!</p>
<p>Most minors require more units than that, let alone majors. It is much easier to double major or minor with a non-performance major as your other subject.</p>
<p>I agree that 6 units is not a lot! (I had no idea…) That’s a class and a half! If you wanted to minor as a strings major, you might have to take 18 units for a few semesters or take a summer class or two.</p>
<p>I guess it depends – do you want to be a professional violinist or work in the business side of music? What job opportunities are you hoping to get after college? If you’re not looking to join an orchestra/touring company or do session work, I don’t think a performance major is right for you. Even so, I bet you could still be a session musician if you keep up with your lessons in school and do music industry, composition or film recording as your major instead. There’s always SCA students looking for student musicians for their 310/480 and grad project scores.</p>
<p>Judging by the fact that the OP studies at Colburn and privately with a Thornton violinist (LA Phil master classes, etc.), I’m guessing a performance major is highest on his/her list.</p>
<p>I highly recommend you spend some time in cc’s music forum. There are many like you there, and tons of Thornton discussion, as well as other conservatories.</p>
<p>Couldn’t you just do the BM in Music Industry? It’d come with all the typical music classes and probably a decent amount of education in the instrument you’d be auditioning with. It even requires a junior recital. Maybe you could also audition for an ensemble after you enroll. Read these in order:</p>
<p>If that’s not enough violin for you, then maybe try the strings major and take music industry classes for elective credit. If you’re willing/able to do both majors, it probably will take 5 years considering the fact that Thornton students have rigorous schedules and are not exempt from having to fulfill the 6 gen ed requirements and 1 “diversity” requirement. You could also go the route I took - put your favorite program as your first choice on your application, put the other as the second, and audition for both. If you only get into one, that’s your major.</p>
<p>As far as chances go, it’s very difficult to chance for a music school. Having an instructor who teaches at Thornton is a plus, because even though they can’t get you in, you’ll know more of what they’re looking for in their students. Check the academic profile of USC and if you fall mid-range or higher in GPA and test scores, I’d say you have a fair shot and maybe even a leg up. If not, try to pull up those grades/scores and be sure to have an amazing audition.</p>
<p>They say at Thornton that admission is 50% academics 50% supplement (ie audition, resume, teacher). If you are a very good violinist, you should audition as a performance major. If you have exceptional academics as well (above 2000 SAT, high GPA) then you could audition for the BM Music Industry program. If you aren’t that good of a performer, I would say apply to BS Music Industry, take more lessons when you get there and then audition for performance. I think that it is helpful to have a USC-related teacher. My voice teacher graduated from Thornton and though that probably isn’t the reason I got in, it can’t hurt to tell them!</p>
<p>I asked the academics/audition question of the Dean of Thornton two years ago. My memory is that he said first of all they need to want you based on your audition (or songs I suspect if your are a composer). If they want you then they look at the academics and depending on how bad they want you based on your audition they will determine how much they will bend the academics if you are not a clear academic admit. I doubt that it has changed that everything starts with the audition.</p>
<p>Define suck. (Unless you are not comfortable, but no one will make fun of you or insult your grades. People just give honest assessments, which is what I think you want anyway.)</p>
<p>If your grades aren’t up to USC’s standards, try enrolling in an SAT prep course or studying on your own. Your SAT score should be somewhere around 2000+ for “good” chances at admission; many students are accepted with lower SATs, but if you want to make sure you have the best chance of acceptance, this should be your target.</p>
<p>If you hit an SAT score around this level and have a good audition, I am sure your chances will be favorable – especially with knowing a faculty member.</p>
<p>Well it’s in the 3.4 range…
I’m going to be taking the ACT 2x and the SAT 2x
so I will have 4 more times to improve my score…i’m just concerned because some people tell me no matter what your grades are, as long as you have an amazing audition, you’re in.</p>
<p>Life, do post this in the music forum, if you haven’t already. The question of grades vs. audition for performance majors at Thornton and similar schools has been answered many times in all its nuances. Many Thornton admits have lower grades and scores than the school at large, but they also had stellar auditions. The better the audition, the lower the grades can be, as long as the Admissions department feels the student can succeed academically at USC. Again, search the music forum for more specifics.</p>