US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident) or international student
US domestic
State/Location of residency: (state is important if you apply to any state universities)
New Jersey
Type of high school (current college for transfers):
Top 5 public high schools in the country (public magnet school)
Gender/Race/Ethnicity (optional):
Korean
Other special factors (first generation to college, legacy, athlete, etc.):
Legacy to CMU and West Point
Intended Major(s)
musicology or music performance
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 3.7 (3.73 in freshmen year, 3.43 in sophomore year, 4.0 in junior year, so far 4.0 in senior year)
I had a low GPA in sophomore year because I was sick and had many absences but I was planning on putting it in the additional information section
Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): We don’t do weighted
College GPA (for transfers):
Class Rank: We don’t do class rank
ACT/SAT Scores: 1570, (790 reading, 780 math)
Coursework (AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores for high school; also include level of math and foreign language reached and any unusual academic electives; for transfers, describe your college courses and preparation for your intended major(s))
Dual Enrollment for Music Theory and Creative Writing, got A’s in both
AP Music Theory, AP US Government, AP Calculus AB (4, 5, 5)
4 years of math and 4 years of spanish
All honors or AP’s
Awards
International music awards
National Spanish Exam 96% percentile
PSAT Merit Semifinalist
Nonprofit Grant Award
Scholastic Writing Award, National Silver
Extracurriculars (Include leadership, summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)
President and Founder of a national 501(c)(3) organization centered around music. Over 30 chapters. Collaborations with Target, Walmart, Dollar Tree, etc.
Research under a Columbia Professor. Met him through cold emails. Got it published in a national student journal. About music research.
Student Council Vice President. Held events throughout the year. Member of Student Council for 3 years. Raised 8k+
National Music Organization New Jersey Director. Promotes classical music to young students. Recruit skilled high school musicians to become members.
Member of a top orchestra. First violin. Member for 4 years.
National Organization Vice President. Raised 300k+.
National Orchestra member. 1 of 40 picked from the nation to be a part of the national orchestra.
Prestigious writing summer camp. One of a selected few chosen to go to a writing camp. Worked with top writers.
Editor of a national journal. Edited on 2+ submissions weekly. 3 years.
Featured on a national radio for music
Essays/LORs/Other (Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.)
Columbia Professor LOR
High school guidance counselor LOR (to explain my low grades + talk about how much I grew from my illness)
Cost Constraints / Budget (High school students: please get a budget from your parents and use the Net Price Calculators on the web sites of colleges of interest.)
None
Schools (List of colleges by your initial chance estimate; designate if applying ED/EA/RD; if a scholarship is necessary for affordability, indicate that you are aiming for a scholarship and use the scholarship chance to estimate it into the appropriate group below)
Safety (certain admission and affordability) Rutgers
Likely (would be possible, but very unlikely or surprising, for it not to admit or be affordable) UTAustin, CMU, Tufts, UIllinois, Boston University
Match UMich, Vanderbilt, UniSouth California, NYU, UNC, Emory
You seem like a very competitive applicant. But you need to re-do your list. UT Austin, Tufts, and BU aren’t a likely for anyone (not familiar with CMU or Ullinois). Same for your matches. With the possible exception of U of SC, those are reaches. Good luck to you.
Illinois is more appropriately a match rather than a likely.
Everything else on your list is a reach. You really need to research and add some true match/likely schools.
You also need at least one, and usually two LORs from high school teachers from core subjects. You’re lacking that right now. The Columbia LOR can work for schools that let you submit additional letters, but you need two from your high school.
I’d say this - from an academic POV maybe there’s some challenges but those expert in music performance (not me) say the auditions matter most - and if you have international awards, I’ll assume you’re strong.
So hopefully others with more knowledge will chime in - but I imagine you’ll be in good shape depending upon your audition, etc.
@compmom would be a good source of info…maybe for the musicology piece. @parentologist can speak to applying not as a music major and how something like a music supplement can enhance your application.
I will say, for music performance for auditioned programs, there is no such thing as a “safety” school. Your performance at your audition will be compared to others on the same instrument. The strength of your audition relative to all the others will be weighed. There is no way to predict the strength of those auditioning at a program from year to year.
You have a very strong academic profile, so that’s not a concern.
If you are applying as a major not auditioned to places like your reaches and matches…it’s highly likely they will expect LOR from two academic teachers. The Columbia Professor LOR would likely be an extra LOR where allowed.
Also, Vandy, BU, CMU and UMich have very competitive music performance programs if you decide to head that way.
From reading between the lines you are an intensely desired music applicant at LACs and Ivys (I am guessing your accomplishments). Your high school is also not typical. Have you prepared your music supplements and met with teachers/music departments to see who will offer support? And are you applying for music performance at vandy? Cmu? BU? Etc?
Your EC’s in music and writing are very impressive (you have not been specific but…).
I suggest you post this in the music major forum (you don’t have to be a music major) and also read the Double Degree Dilemma essay in the Read Me thread on that forum. It is about the different ways to study or do music at the college level.
You don’t give us any idea of what kind of school you want and your list is mixed: some schools offer BM’s at a school of music, some offer BA’s in music (but often not performance), some offer double degrees etc. It is fine to apply to audition BM schools as well as academic BA schools and decide later, if you are undecided.
A music supplement can really enhance a BA application and in your case you might want to do a creative writing one as well: ask the schools. The music supplement has a video/recording, music resume and letter(s) of recommendation (1-2) related to music.
I think, from what you have told us, that you have an excellent chance at some of your reaches. But do you need that many Ivies? You could whittle it down after looking at the music curricula, gen eds, lessons and performance opportunities etc.
Many talented kids go to some of your reach schools and do a BA in music or even major in something else entirely and continue music with lessons and extracurricular performance. But they do not have the immersive experience of a BM.
If you don’t want a BM, you should make sure that schools that do offer a BM will provide what you need, because sometimes the BM students will get the best teachers and opportunities.
ps as a tangent, I am wondering if your school served you well during your illness; if you were functional while ill they should have provided ways for you to keep up.
A chances calculator won’t tell you a single thing about auditioned BM programs.
And reach schools are not predictable. And really anything with less than a 20% acceptance rate is…not a target.
I think you also need to find out about music opportunities at colleges where you might not actually major in music. For example, Yale has a ton of excellent undergrad ensembles. There are many many talented musicians who attend that school and want to continue to play their instruments.
True. But those are talented grad students! And the availability of a lot of very good ensembles is there…even for someone not choosing to major in music at all.