<p>A number of friends and I have been turned down for graduate vocal performance. What is going on? We have undergraduate degrees from state universities and small liberal arts colleges (no conservatories). We applied all over the country to nationally ranked schools and schools not ranked at all. We all have GPAs over 3.0. We all are in our mid-20s and work hard at our craft.
Have budgets been slashed?
Do schools just take their own?
Are we not old enough?
Do we not have the right connections and references?
What is the inside scoop?</p>
<p>One of us has tried for 3 years and she has a magnificant voice. Some of us have sung in the choruses of opera companies. Most of us were the lead role in our college operas.
What are we missing?
Do we just skip graduate school?
But what do we do instead, sing in the chorus forever?
Should we take private lessons from voice professors at the schools where we want to attend?
What is the ratio of of successful applicants, .0001 percent?
What do we do?
Are we trying the wrong schools? Which schools should we try instead?
We are all quite lost. We have tried so hard (and spent a great deal of money for live and taped auditions) but to no avail!</p>