<p>I saw this on another board from a recently admitted student at FSU:</p>
<p>*A few notes as I was accepted a year ago:</p>
<li><p>APPLY EARLY. I know it has been said a lot already, but it really gives you the best chance at getting in.</p></li>
<li><p>APPLY FOR SUMMER. I loved having my first term at FSU being over the Summer. Not only does it give you a better chance at getting into the school, but it also allows you to be on campus and get used to the college life before all the students come in the fall.</p></li>
<li><p>DON’T UNDERESTIMATE EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. I don’t care how high your GPA/SAT scores are. If you don’t show your a well rounded student and are not involved with your school outside the class room, you wont get into FSU.</p></li>
<li><p>KEEP A GOOD GRADE TREND. This is very important and something I haven’t seen mentioned yet. I have always believed that this is what really got me into FSU. I had an ok gpa (3.4) and decent test scores, BUT my grades had been steadily getting better throughout my high school career. I know for a fact admissions people looks for this, so if you have a little bit of a lower GPA, but your grades have been vastly improving, you have a good shot at getting in.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Remember, FSU is picking kids they think have the best chance at graduating. Something like improving grades really means a lot to them. P.S. Notice there are a lot of parents on this topic. Feel free to ask questions for one who is pretty familiar w/ the admissions process.*</p>
<p>**and this was added by someone who worked in Admissions:</p>
<p>I will strongly agree with the comment about the trend. Even 7 years ago that was a big deal, and can act as a big tiebreaker to get you over the edge. That said, I think far more people OVERESTIMATE extracurriculars. I know many students whose grades suffer because they’re trying to meet the extracurricular “expectations” to get into colleges. If the extracurricular isn’t getting you into school (sports, art, music, & dance), it’s not important. I’ve heard people mention in other threads that they thought things like Eagle Scout and other high-quality extracurriculars would make them a ‘shoo-in.’ Very few students ever make it to a point at FSU where their extracurriculars are even considered.</p>
<p>See especially: [FSU</a> Admissions | Requirements | U.S. Freshman](<a href=“http://www.fsu.edu/students/prospective/admissions/requirements/froshreq.html]FSU”>http://www.fsu.edu/students/prospective/admissions/requirements/froshreq.html)</p>
<p>parent2noles,
Thank you for this helpful thread. </p>
<p>My son visited FSU 2 weeks ago and only wants to attend FSU now. Everything was perfect to him. Good tour & admissions session, great College of Music tour and trial lesson, etc., lunch in a dining hall, Cawthon Hall visit. </p>
<p>Now here's our concern - - how is FSU about oos kids? I plan on researching this over this weekend. But any recent insight would be helpful ammunition.</p>
<p>Also, EC's in music would still be helpful to show, no??</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>Generally, FSU holds out-of-state applicants to higher standards. Unless your student is an extremely talented musician (which he'd have to be to want to enroll in the FSU College of Music as a major) he will need to exceed the typical freshmen requirements. The most recent SAT average for enrolled Fall students is 1218 - before FSU cut freshmen enrollment by 20%. Exceeding this score would likely be essential, but things may be different for talented musicians. </p>
<p>I'd guess the new Fall enrolled average will be somewhere from 1220 to 1270 or more, since the current information I've heard is that the lowest scoring applicants will not be admitted.</p>
<p>Probably the best thing to do would be directly contact with the CoM and discuss options and probabilities with them...this is from the Admissions website: Applicants interested in majoring in music; dance; theatre; or motion picture, television, and recording arts should contact the academic department directly. Here's a link: <a href="http://www.music.fsu.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.music.fsu.edu/</a></p>
<p>How do those SAT scores equate to ACT scores?</p>
<p>Plus he received a very positive evaluation and feedback at his trial lesson. That is promising.</p>
<p>never mind, I found a conversion chart.</p>
<p>RM</p>
<p>we just went through this process with our son who will be starting this summer. we are from the ny metro area and visited fsu last august during seminole sensation week. our s really loved the campus and all that fsu had to offer.</p>
<p>we followed the advice of many on this board and encouraged our s to apply as soon as the application became available (i think it was around mid august). he aslo applied for the summer C session. his academic profile was mid 1200's ( i can't remember if it was 1240-1260) a 3.5 gpa. he had tons of ec's and cs.</p>
<p>I would add the following. APPLY EARLY. Where we live, there is a small stigma associated with starting school in the summer. many kids want to spend their "last summer" at home with friends. the realty is that now our s is so excited about going and can't wait to start this summer. the other thing you should know is that the florida state universities require that every student take college courses over one summer in college. its best to get this done early on while also increasing your chances of gaining acceptance and giving your child a chance to get acclimated to the school over the summer session. this early start, combined with any AP or dual enrollement credits your s may have could allow him to take only 12 credits first semester, making the academic adjustment a bit easier, especialy during football season!</p>
<p>The other suggestion I would make is to have your s establish email contact with an admissions rep at fsu. our s corresponded with the person who gave us the admissions talk when we visited. she was a great help to him and I think this really kept him on her radar.</p>
<p>To answer your original question, I do think being oos makes it a bit more challenging to get in. With enrollment having been reduced significantly this year, applying early made all the difference. we are not sure he would have been accepted had he not applied early and for summer c. two of his firends also applied, but missed the first deadline. Both were initially deferred and then rejected last tuesday. One of them had SAT's of 1320. our s will not know anyone when he goes down, although he has made some "friends" already on facebook. </p>
<p>On the other hand, the additional revenue obtained from oos students may help your chances a bit. the key is applying early, visiting (which you have already done) and establishing contact with an admissions rep.</p>
<p>Good luck, Go Noles and I hope he gets in!</p>
<p>I agree with all that has been posted, especially making contact with an admissions rep, and keeping in contact even with just an email from your son every so often.. In addition, have your soon email any contacts he made in the Dept of Music as the months go by. If he has a question, email. We found everyone at FSU not only interested in answering questions, but eager to put students at ease about asking them. I think this also helps to show continued interest in FSU. Does FSU have any summer programs in music your son would be interested in? That is also a way to show interest and get to know FSU. My D spent a week on campus summer before her HS senior year at a "camp" run by FSU for high school students in a field she was interested in. At the time she applied, FSU was not that high on her radar. She went to learn and have fun staying on a campus for a week. She fell absolutely in love with the school And I don't think it hurt to be able to list the program and its director on her resume.</p>
<p>If the major/program you son is interested in is by audition, his talent will trump his SAT scores, which allows him some slack. (On the boards, I think this is what you call a hook. ) You can be below the 25-75% SAT range but get in with a strong audition.</p>
<p>Good luck. We will be rooting for him. D can't wait to start, and is Soooooooo glad she applied for Summer. In Florida, applying for summer is common, and over half of her friends will be going a summer session at FSU or UF. And some of those who applied for fall are rethinking their choices. Around here, if you stay home summer before starting college, you risk a quiet/boring summer as many of your friends already left.</p>
<p>I should point out that the FSU College of Music is extremely demanding and NOT for a student who is not totally committed to excellence. Note that I am not a music major and know this only by conversation with folks who personally know, but they say this particular college is only for those who will be professionals in whatever music related field.</p>
<p>The occasions we have had conversations with FSU music majors have indicated that evaluations known as "juries" are generally dreaded as being difficult. The few kids we know who have selected FSU (and where FSU selected them) were, in my musically uneducated opinion, extremely good.</p>
<p>I don't say this to scare you away, but to give you a sense of what to expect. It is not a program for everyone.</p>
<p>nycdad - our oos s had (almost) exactly the same experience, and I can't stress enough: APPLY EARLY. The minute the opportunity arose, he had his essay ready to go. I can't remember if it was June or July, but we got it done over summer. A lot of kids forget to ask for those sealed transcripts at the end of junior year...and then they're stuck over summer because they can't apply without them! So don't forget that part. Our s had a 1260 SAT (converted ACT score) and a 3.6 GPA and we are thanking our lucky stars that he got in over summer. He also had very strong ecs and a career-related internship, and we made a personal visit to the admissions office and had a contact there when we did our college tours in Spring 07. So I guess this just reinforces what everyone's saying. And as for the "stigma" of summer...well yes...at first he thought he 'wasn't good enough' to get in for Fall...now he is so excited to start the next chapter of his life and can't wait! And honestly I think summer gives kids a chance to get situated (both academically and socially) before busy fall. So that's this parent's perspective! The other thing he did was take his SATs and ACTs several times Junior Year, along with a prep class, to get them out of the way before his senior year. He did WAY better on ACTs than SATs, and only used his ACT to apply. (28, converts to a decent SAT). Enough rambling, but that is real-world advice from this OOS family!</p>
<p>Are we talking about applying in the fall of senior year for that upcoming summer session? My son is currently finishing his jr. year in HS. **I'm stressing out. **</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for very helpful information and advice. This all makes so much sense. </p>
<p>I'm still open for more help if anyone has more to give, please do.</p>
<p>Applications for FSU as an entering freshman for FALL 3009 go live online about 8/15/08 based on last year's experience. You can then apply during the summer between junior and senior year to enter FSU as a freshman the summer after your senior year or the fall term. With the tightening of admissions, they have not taken spring admits for two years now. </p>
<p>You can apply for summer start or fall. Anyone who starts summer automatically continues on in the fall. Some like a head start on college over the summer. Since many students without AP or DE credits will need summer hours to graduate (9), some like to get some of those summer hours out of the way early. Others know that admissions does offer students who are not quite as competative with theiir GPA or their SAT scores a summer admit, and decide to just ask for summer start. THey would rather be admitted during the November notification date than deferred and offered summer later. Or risk not getting admitted at all. </p>
<p>Does that help?</p>
<p>FSU had three admissions cycles this year. The application went live 8/15/07, and there was a deadline of 10/10 for notification 11/28. The next deadline was Jan 2 for Feb 20 notice, and finally Feb deadline for Apr notification. But there were very few offers of admissions by Apr. Those that want to show interest and motivation need to start working on their essays over the summer and get that application done in Aug or Sept. I believe D hit the submit button 9/10. As soon as school started back up she was requesting GC letters, teacher rec's etc. These are not required for FSU, but they DO accept them. She had transcripts sent and scores sent in Sept. She did retake the Sat in early Oct, and they did accept those scores when they arrived about 3 weeks later for consideration. You had to have some scores on file by the deadline, but they consider additional scores taken before the deadline but received after. </p>
<p>FYI, the essays listed online in Spring and Summer of 07 were CHANGED as of late July or Early August just before the new application went live. This was even after emails to admissions were sent and responses received that the essays would be the same. So be prepared in case you work on them over the summer and thenthey need to be tweeked when the application goes live. </p>
<p>GOOD LUCK!</p>
<p>I think you're getting solid information...the most important part is to apply early - the first day if possible, just get it submitted - online. </p>
<p>The second thing is to register for Housing the moment you find you're admitted. Get the all-important Housing Priority Number ASAP - also done online.</p>
<p>Take the SAT or ACT multiple times to achieve the best score. In the case of the SAT, FSU will take the best combination of scores. An instructor-led review course for the ACT/SAT can help. </p>
<p>Start early...get all your ducks lined up then you can relax. Of course, with a teenager, getting this done early may be easier SAID than done (:eek:), as some tend to want to wait to the last possible second...but preparation EARLY is essential.</p>
<p>We can help with many common questions but don't hesitate to call the university to corroborate everything you read here. A personal (early) appointment with an admissions officer helps, too.</p>
<p>I think you're in good position if your son is still a junior in hs. Excellent time to get the testing process started and submitted at the first possible opportunity. Now is the time to start asking questions and getting answers. Ensure that all scores are sent to FSU.</p>
<p>Also - get on FSU's mailing list. (Follow the link below and go to Request Info - Undergraduate)</p>
<p>Here's a handy page: FSU</a> Admissions | FSU Online</p>
<p>Thanks for the links.</p>
<p>He has taken the ACT once already - did fairly well but is currently in a prep course and will re-take it at least 2 more times.</p>
<p>You're in great shape. :) Rudy needs to thank his mom for being so sharp and on the ball!</p>
<p>rudysmom,
Tell me what you thought of the music department when you visited. My d is considering FSU for vocal performance but I am concerned that it will be too graduate driven and not enough attention to the undergrads. I am not sure my d is ready for that environment. We haven't yet visited. I would love to hear your opinions. Thanks!!</p>
<p>First of all, tell me what would be "graduate driven." Then, I can explain how we felt about the CoM.</p>
<p>Good Luck to your son, RudysMom. It's great that you are looking into all this now...hope it all goes well! We are rooting for him!!</p>
<p>"Graduate Driven"
What I mean is that all the attention/performance opportunities are given to the students that are part of the graduate school (masters, doctoral students). Some of the schools we have looked at that have a big graduate school, the undergrads are given grad. assist. for their studio teachers instead of a professor.
I am concerned that my d is not ready for a super competitive environment either.
Thanks for your insight! I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>collegesearch2,</p>
<p>It might depend on the instrument. Or is it voice/music theatre? Some studios are very large and depend on Teaching Assistants (grad students). We did not ask that question, tho I know we should have. However, I doubt it would make much difference to us or my son. He's also majoring in music therapy so the performance side (cello) is not as much as a priority as it once was. </p>
<p>I have read several times that TA's only teach about 1/4 of the undergrads. That's less than other larger stand alone conservatories. </p>
<p>Also, FSU is a bit less competitive than some of the large stand alone conservatories, we've found. But your daughter will need to decide if she is ready to be able to withstand the competitive nature of the business, always auditioning throughout college and beyond. This is one of the reasons my son has decided on music therapy as a back up.</p>
<p>PM me if you have more questions.</p>
<p>Some first hand info, fwiw:
1) Choral program has excellent director (per graduated students and parents) who is already internationally known but anticipated to be a definitive 'legend' once gone.
2) A capella group All Night Yatzhee just made it to the world competition for the 3rd time- apparently the only a capella group in the southeast to ever achieve that.
3) My d.s.'s high school choral director graduated from FSU and is an awesome instructor who regularly gets all her groups rated superior at the state level.
4) Audition Choral group (University Singers?) performs all over the world.
5) Some students change majors after realizing that performance music is sometimes too isolated for them due to the practice regime.
6) Student critique performances are open to interested audiences (available on the web at the SoM) exposing non-music majors to incredible music.
7) I personally know graduates who are just regular folk, using their music avocationally while earning their living using other skills. None regret their FSU Music School major.</p>
<p>Our younger daughter's hs orchestra director was an FSU grad who earned his BS and masters at FSU in music. He worked at the hs for a short time and then was admitted to Yale for his doctorate in music. He was great. By now he has graduated.</p>