How hard is it to get into these colleges for music?

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>I'm going to be auditioning for a music major- piano performance. How much emphasis do these schools put on the audition compared to your grades, test scores, rank, gpa, etc.?</p>

<p>(My parents are only allowing me to go somewhere in the midwest...incase you're curious why my list doesn't include certain schools in other areas.)</p>

<p>Northwestern University
Lawrence University
Oberlin College
Saint Olaf College
University of Saint Thomas
Concordia College at Moorhead
Illinois Wesleyan University
Butler University
DePauw University
Baldwin-Wallace College</p>

2

<p>Northwestern is probably the toughest academic admit, with Oberlin a very close second. There is a vast difference however. Northwestern requires an audition based acceptance at Bienen, and an academic admit to Northwestern proper. You can be admitted to Oberlin conservatory via audition (and meeting academic requirements)for a BM, be admitted to the college via academics into the BA music program, or to both entities via separate applications. There is some music school “pull” for those on (or in some cases) below the academic thresholds at both institutions.</p>

<p>Some specific Northwestern and Oberlin info and experiences:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/656219-northwestern-flute-audition-unfair.html?highlight=northwestern[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/656219-northwestern-flute-audition-unfair.html?highlight=northwestern&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/516132-northwestern-university.html?highlight=northwestern[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/516132-northwestern-university.html?highlight=northwestern&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/321400-umich-vs-northwestern-vs-oberlin.html?highlight=northwestern[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/321400-umich-vs-northwestern-vs-oberlin.html?highlight=northwestern&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/500604-oberlin-college-acceptance-but-how-hard-get-into-conservatory.html?highlight=Oberlin[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/500604-oberlin-college-acceptance-but-how-hard-get-into-conservatory.html?highlight=Oberlin&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/495435-eastman-vs-oberlin-vs-u-michigan.html?highlight=Oberlin[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/495435-eastman-vs-oberlin-vs-u-michigan.html?highlight=Oberlin&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/317584-waitlisted-oberlin.html?highlight=Oberlin[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/317584-waitlisted-oberlin.html?highlight=Oberlin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>A title search on the other names yields no threads relating to your list similar to what I linked above. A thread for general info and reference is here
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/505344-academics-vs-talent.html?highlight=academics[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/505344-academics-vs-talent.html?highlight=academics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>Well, based on your list, Northwestern is certainly the toughest to get into. You have to be academically solid and musically superior. From what I know, St. Olaf and Lawrence look at your grades as part of the whole application process as well, although I don’t think they stress academic solidity <em>heavily</em>.</p>

<p>Oberlin is a bit different. They are a conservatory and college. If you are looking to do a double degree, you have to excel both academically and musically (like Northwestern, except you need good grades anyways if you want to major in music). However, if you just want to be in the BM - Piano performance degree, Oberlin would be a good fit. Although good academic standing in high school is important, the Conservatory does not heavily stress academics. The audition is the most important factor for them (about 85% of their decision is made on the audition - I don’t have a source, I’ve read this somewhere!) </p>

<p>All of the other colleges should not be that difficult to get into (i.e. St. Thomas, Moorhead, Baldwin Wallace, DePauw) if you feel you are a high-level pianist.</p>