<p>I am considering to apply to some colleges for piano major.
My parents won't let me go to conservatory, so I am looking at only universities.
Based on the discussion between my parents and I, we have come up with three schools</p>
<p>Northwestern University (Bienen)
University of Chicago
Washington University in St. Louis
Carnegie Mellon</p>
<p>Among those fours schools, I want to know which one is the least competitive to get in and which one the most competitive!
Please help :) !</p>
<p>This question has two answers depending on whether you meant which school is most to least competitive academically or most to least competitive musically (in terms of audition competitive pool). </p>
<p>I don’t know much about Carnegie Mellon from an academic standpoint. The little I know about it tells me it is highly competitive. But living in the midwest, I know more about the other three schools, Washington University, University of Chicago and Northwestern. All three of these schools are generally regarded in the top 10 -15 of universities in the U.S. and are very competitive academically. </p>
<p>As for considering the relative competitiveness of these schools for a prospective piano major, they are too dissimilar to rate that way. For example, I am pretty sure that Washington University and University of Chicago do not have auditions for prospective music majors. Also, while Washington University offers a B.M. and a B.A. in music, the admission for those degrees seems to happen after a student already is enrolled in the university. University of Chicago does not offer a B.M. in music as far as I know, and while there may be instrumental study/performance opportunities for music majors at the University of Chicago, the department is known for music history/ethnomusicology and other academic areas of music. While you could send in a cd of your playing, I am pretty sure there is no audition for someone interested in being a music major at University of Chicago. There is someone who posts here as Cosmos attending University of Chicago who is a serious musician so you might be able to get some specific information about the music dept. there by sending a private message to Cosmos. </p>
<p>As I said, I do not know anything about the music dept. of Carnegie Mellon, but I see that it requires an audition. The fourth school you asked about, Northwestern, is without question the most difficult admission from an audition standpoint. The Bienen School of Music at Northwestern could be compared to a top conservatory, yet housed in a top university. The piano auditions there are highly competitive. I have heard that many students in the music school do double degrees including a Bachelor of Music and a major in some other school in the university.</p>
<p>Good luck with your college application process.</p>
<p>From what i know northwestern and carnegie mellon are part of my “crazy” list; extremely hard audition process, very competitive, high academics…just not for me that’s for sure</p>
<p>why don’t your parents wnat you to be in a conservatory?</p>
<p>You need to check if UChicago or WashU even offer a Bachelor’s of Music degree, because most top universities only offer a BA, and that’s more of a general music degree than a performance-focused one.</p>
<p>I would say Northwestern and Carnegie Mellon are similarly competitive in both academics and music (more confident about the academic evaluation, I’m not very experienced with music auditions).</p>
<p>rigaudon provides a fairly complete and detailed reply.</p>
<p>Basically, you are comparing apples and oranges musically.</p>
<p>To flesh out a bit more, definitely pm Cosmos. She is an extremely talented serious musician and has been very happy at UChicago. On that note, she has been seeking a degree in either music history or theory, not performance (I can’t recall specifically). UChicago does not offer a BM. To the best of my knowledge, instrumental instruction is arranged privately. </p>
<p>Washington U St. Louis rarely comes up on a list for those considering serious performance study.</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon is a serious and respected audition centered program, and historically has been represented as an option among those frequenting this forum. You will find a significant overlap in the audition pool with Northwestern. You can scan the master lists here for detail. Note the degree is a BFA as opposed to a BM. </p>
<p>Northwestern is highly competitive in both aspects as outlined.</p>
<p>A few observations, not meant to offend, but I feel they must be said:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Those seeking high level instruction for performance typically emphasize the instructor options, and peer level of fellow musicians as a primary criteria. I would hope that you have considered these in arriving at your choices.</p></li>
<li><p>These are all highly competitive academic admits, and your academic stats have not been revealed, nor has your level of musical training and experience. In the case of Northwestern and Carnegie Mellon, even an exceptional audition will not guarantee admission if stats and grades are below the respective thresholds.</p></li>
<li><p>I would question the absence of audition based musical “safeties”. Personally, I would not view UChicago or Washington U as musical safeties for a performance discipline. </p></li>
<li><p>The wording of your posts suggests English is not your first language. Perhaps there is a fixation on institutional name recognition in assembling the list presented. I would hope you have relied on input from your private instructor as to the best options for you musically.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>My observations, nothing more.</p>
<p>^ Please forgive me if this assumption is incorrect, but I think it’s the case in this situation.</p>
<p>The reason she doesn’t have the instructor emphasis and other things typically seen in serious performance degree seekers is that she’s one of those academically strong applicants who loves music but her parents won’t let her major in music alone. Thus, her college choices are based not on the elements you have mentioned but whether or not the school is prestigious academically. That also helps explain the presence of UChicago and WashU on the list. In other words, academics is the focus, at least by the demand of her parents.</p>
<p>YeloPen. That was my assumption. </p>
<p>My advice would be to “get over it”, and examine some alternatives musically. Northwestern and Carnegie Mellon are fine options if the music and academic criteria can be met. I would suggest Bard, Oberlin, JHU/Peabody and Eastman/Rochester as deserving consideration as well.</p>
<p>I would also suggest that both the student and parent read this: <a href=“http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/doubledegree[/url]”>http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/doubledegree</a></p>
<p>But that’s just my $.02.</p>