Good schools for me? (Violinist)

Hi

A little about yourself would be helpful.

Sorry, I posted in the middle of typing. I just joined, I have no idea how to use this site haha. I’m a high school freshman only just starting the college search, I haven’t taken the ACT or SAT yet. I am starting to be flooded with questions by my school, music teachers and family and just wanted some insight.
I’m the highest seated freshman for my grade my school district, and go to a very competitive school for music. I have been concertmaster and a soloist for various orchestras, and have participated in IMEA District for middle school and Chicago youth symphony (IL resident). I have also been a concertmaster at Elgin youth symphony, and was accepted into the Blue Lake International Orchestra in eighth grade. I also have a 5.6 gpa and am in the highest possible classes for a freshman to take at my school. I would love to go to a school in my beloved city of Chicago, but obviously it’s more about the music. I also would like to go to a music school or conservatory that’s a part of a university or college. I’m planning on competing in some local concerto competitions in the next few years to see if I can get some scholarship money out of it, but I’m not a child prodigy or anything (As in, I know my Juilliard chances are slim.) I’m young, but very serious about music and welcome any suggestions, as I’ve still got a few years before I really have to start worrying :slight_smile:

Northwestern is very close to Chicago; their school of music is highly respected and is part of a university, and that university is academically rigorous. So it sounds like a good fit. Other possibilities: Oberlin, Boston University, University of Michigan, Indiana, Bard.

Hi. Before college time, you also have access to MYA (mya.org) if you want additional playing groups.

If you are a freshman, it is hard to know what you may want in 4 years :slight_smile: You sound very accomplished already. In many ways. I think this might be helpful to you in thinking about various paths for the future, but for now enjoy what you are doing and keep working!! http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/admissions/tips/doubledegree.html

One note out of your post, op, don’t put yourself down with your abilities on violin. It might seem that high level programs like Juilliard and Northwestern and the rest are full of prodigies (whatever the heck that is), but I can tell you as can others on here that isn’t true, that many of those kids you see at your age going from competition to competion, with this long resume of competition wins, glorious debuts at places like Carnegie Hall or other prestigious concert halls, are more hype than substance and many of them never even make it into the high level schools (among other things, kids pushed that early to excel often burn out in my experience), and the real key to getting into the high level programs is going to be doing what you are doing, working on your music, gaining experience through performance opportunities like chamber and orchestra programs , a lot of it is going to be desire to do music and work hard, people like my son and some of the other posters on here that I know of personally have kids who weren’t the ones on the competition circuit, weren’t the ones who were promoted as prodigies and so forth, and yet got into top level undergrad and grad programs. So don’t assume the image is the reality, it isn’t, I can promise you that:)