<p>I'm a sophomore and go to one of the continuously rated top 100 schools of the nation which involves a very great amount of rigor, and correspondingly do not have the best grades. I know if I dedicated myself to it I could get close straight A's, but spending way too much time immersing myself in music directly (negatively) impacts my grades. Last year I finished with a 4.14 (Out of 5) GPA and this year have about a 4.4, but with 2/5's of my final grade to be determined am reaching for a 4.5-4.6. By the time I finish high school I want to have about a 4.6. Will these grades seriously hurt me with my chances in being accepted into Thornton? What should I am for? I want major in jazz guitar performance.</p>
<p>Tripsounds, audition-based programs at USC take the audition AND the grades into account. A fantastic audition can better make up for lower stats than a mediocre one - but only to a point. The admissions department and Thornton work out who to admit together (after auditions), and USC wants students it feels can succeed academically as well as musically. Given two equally great auditions and in the event of one remaining “spot” for that instrument, USC is likely to accept the student with higher grades.</p>
<p>I know that’s not a straight answer, but it’s the one they give, and from what we’ve seen, it seems to be the case.</p>
<p>Other major universities with conservatories take similar, but not exact, approaches (Michigan, NYU, U of Miami, etc.) with regard to talent vs. grades.</p>
<p>While my son had “USC acceptable” grades, they were not “USC sure thing grades” - he might not have been admitted based on his grades alone.</p>
<p>Also, USC uses the UW GPA. You can google the USC 2010 admitted students profile to see the GPA/SAT averages (and soon the 2011 one will be out), but keep in mind these are averages; audition and portfolio-based majors likely have different numbers due to the talent factor. </p>
<p>You’re way ahead of the game as a sophomore.</p>
<p>I hope that helps!</p>
<p>Tripsounds - take a deep breath, inhale, exhale, relax. </p>
<p>First, I’ll start off by saying everything jazz/shred said is totally correct.</p>
<p>The thing is, you have time. Take the time you have left to perfect yourself both musically and academically, and you’ll be set. I do understand your concern, though - I was considering applying to Peabody’s Computer Music program, IU’s Comp program, and UMich’s Music Tech program for the longest time and had similar talent-academics concerns.</p>