@BenGuan go to the accepted thread for this year. There is someone on there who’s kid was accepted as ED at Syracuse. Maybe shoot them a PM. I’ll see if I can find the link for you. Found it. Gingersnap is the person I was thinking of. I thought they had a Pop music major. Go onto their website and check.
Thank you so much!! Honestly I never thought I would get this much of information from one thread! Also anyone has something to say about the music school application myth please educate me 
Music school application myth??? Not sure what you mean…
I mean enigma it’s quite complicated applying to those schools of music within a university. But thank you so much for your help!
@BenGuan as @MusakParent said it’s more unusual to find ED in music programs. And even if there is an ED option, the admission is still conditional on passing the audition. Both my first two applied ED to their schools (not as music majors) and it was an advantage I think. However, my 3rd applied to all 8 music programs Regular Decision.
Having gone through the process myself with my son, USC cares virtually nothing about GPA as long as it’s over a 3.0 average and you have the correct courses for them to check off/make the administration happy and then ignore. Despite what they say on their site, it’s almost entirely based on talent ( 95%+ ). Think Juliard and you are in the right mindset of where their priorities lie.
This makes it extremely hard to get in unless you have been studying with an opera coach for about 2 years. They don’t really teach modern music in the vocal program there for undergrad and focus on classical technique as it really is a good foundation for later in life.
They also have a problem in that two years ago three of their five voice faculty retired at once. The end result is all of the remaining full time faculty are working with the grad students for the most part, though they do have a couple of promising new faculty.
That said, you should NOT got to USC as undergrad in voice. They are competent, but their focus is on their grad students almost entirely. My son wanted an undergrad focused program and the best college was Houston. They are one of the few state colleges in the country that has a private college level endowment for their program and it’s a true conservatory experience without the egos or price. Full opera house, amazing staff, affordable tuition, and very undergrad focused as a rule. ( any scholarship of $1000 or more waives out of state tuition surcharges in Texas )
They also have private school money to throw around on scholarships, trips, teachers, and all of the rest. No student pays more than a few dollars a year out of pocket ( t shirt, music folder, etc ). Virtually every expense is covered/there are no hidden extras to pay for. Any trip is automatically covered. And they take lots of trips to compete.
USC? We’re considering it highly for grad school. And for that, it’s well worth it.
(USC did accept him, but Houston was simply a better undergrad choice - zero regrets )
USCs pop vocal program is completely separate from the classical voice program. Pop is considered one of the top programs in the nation for undergrad.
We’re doing EA at Berklee, is that a possibility?
@BenGuan Hi Ben, I am a freshman at USC Thornton and I have somewhat of an idea of the kind of students that they take.
First of all, although I’m in jazz studies and not the popular music program, the students I know in popular music are some of the most talented, kind, fun, and hardworking people I have ever met. The faculty and program seem amazing so you’re definitely looking at one of the right places.
With your GPA, it is possible but extremely difficult to gain admission to Thornton. I have some (but not many) classmates with <3.5 GPAs but it’s usually very clear why they’re here. With lower stats, you have to be an outstanding player with major achievements or have an strong legacy connection.
If you can get your GPA to 3.6 or above, gaining admission to Thornton is still very difficult but your stats would be more typical of the average Thornton student. If you could get a high SAT (1400+) with a 3.6+ GPA, you’d be in little better of a position. Unfortunately you still would most likely not qualify for any merit aid even if your audition went amazing, as large university scholarships generally go to students with 3.9+ UW GPA and 1500+ SAT.
Here’s another tip: I don’t know if this is the case for popular music, but for Thornton jazz studies at least, your attitude during the audition means A LOT. I have seen them reject amazing players from the program if they don’t come off as humble, respectful, and excited to learn. I would imagine this applies to the rest of Thornton too, as I haven’t met a student yet with a bad attitude.
In general though, make sure you have a good relationship with the program before you even audition. Show interest by writing to faculty members, sitting in on classes, or even requesting a Skype lesson from a professor. I took lessons with Alan Pasqua, the professor I cutrently study privately with before my audition. He appreciated the dedication I showed to him and to Thornton and I have no doubt this was one of the reasons I was accepted.
PM if you have any additional questions. Good luck.
Great advice right there from someone who knows… nice post @piranhavator
My son says that @piranhavator is one of the nicest people he has met at Thornton and that he is INSANELY talented!!!
@SpartanDrew thanks!
@astute12 likewise, your son is one of the nicest and most talented guys I’ve met at Thornton. Really enjoy being in theory and aural skills with him.
we met @piranhavator in Miami during auditions and found we have some music friends in the same circles. Small world for jazz musicians I think. And you are right @astute12, super talented really nice guy!! Sounds like a great group of kids at Thornton.
From experience, a 3.4 to 3.5 GPA is in the ball park for Thornton. A decent SAT score (1400+) would also help.
USC does not have ED - do remember that the deadline for music apps is earlier anyway - Dec 1 if I’m not mistaken.
Good Luck
Thank you so much for your reply! My GPA is in that range and my SAT superscore is a 1450. I am taking the A-Level curriculum in an international high school in China. For my portfolio I believe it’s one of the strong parts of the application. I just hope Thornton will focus less on my GPA ^:)^
@BenGuan - 1450 super scorer is approx what my child had. So focus on your audition. I expect your prescreen was sent in a couple of weeks ago, and you should be hearing from Thornton soon. Good Luck !