<p>Does anyone know what kind of scores for SATs schools such as Northwestern and Oberlin require for music school applicants?</p>
<p>Northwestern requires that you have about the average of their student body overall - they have a little wiggle room, but only a little. Oberlin (the Conservatory) will take you if they like your audition - grades and board scores are not very important (unless they are really awful).</p>
<p>Northwestern gives very little "wiggle" room for music students since they almost expect a double major there (just over 50% do). They expect "normal" Northwestern standards to be attained: ACT/SAT scores, GPA, Class Rank and all required courses like 4 years of science, etc.</p>
<p>Do you think it is necessary to declare a double major at the app process? Could that give you an edge? Or is it ok to apply to the music school only then decide if you want to double major?</p>
<p>We're also figuring this stuff out as we head into Senior year. The schools we have talked to each have their own methods for dealing with this. Your best bet is to deal with it on a school-by-school basis. If I recall...</p>
<p>Oberlin Con - cares mostly about audition. Con and Coll Require SEPARATE APPLICATIONS. About 50% of entering Con students have also been accepted to the Coll and are planning to double major.</p>
<p>U Michigan - you have to qualify academically for admission to U Mich before the School of Music will consider you. (Perhaps there's a little wiggle room, but you can't be off the charts.) Double majoring (at least with the arts/sciences college - LSA?) is looked upon favorably. Don't know how many actually complete double majors, and in which fields.</p>
<p>Rice - you have to qualify academically, but there is definitely wiggle room for exceptional musicians. Not too many successfully double major; some applied teachers discourage; BUT the gen ed requirements are same for music perf. students as for everyone else, so you do get a more rounded education than you might elsewhere.</p>
<p>IU - don't know, but the academic bar at IU is on the low side anyways (compared to the schools above).</p>
<p>I'll let other posters (re-)post about Peabody/JHU, Northwestern, Vandy, and more....</p>
<p>I do have an opinion about whether declaring a desire to double major gives you an edge....I DON'T think it does. Consider from a studio teacher's point of view - a kid who double majors is definitely going to have less time to practice than one who doesn't. Sure, it's possible to be more organized, to 'practice smarter', to simply be more brilliant, and thereby to make it all work, but on the whole, a studio teacher has reason to prefer students who want to commit to the BM degree alone. THAT SAID, my advice for my daughter (who does want to double major) is that she'll be better off at a school where double majoring is close to the norm than one at which double majors comprise a small minority of BM students. Obviously, right?</p>
<p>There are students receiving double degrees at Rice. I would agree it is not easy but can be done with planning. A lot of kids take 20 credits a semester and since everyone has to take the distribution credits you have a core already done. </p>
<p>From last year's Student survey (the second degree ins in ()):
Number of students receiving degrees in music: 36
Number of students responding to survey: 17</p>
<p>B.A. Degree Recipients – 6 Respondents
Graduate schools, fields of study, and second degrees (where applicable):
Global Advertising 1st Media Assistant/Buyer
Tennessee Republican Party Field Operations Coordinator (POLI)</p>
<p>B.Mus. Degree Recipients – 11 Respondents
Employers, job titles, and second degrees (where applicable):
St. Paul Travelers Insurance Account Executive, Environmental Claims Division</p>
<p>Graduate schools, fields of study, and second degrees (where applicable):</p>
<p>Rice University, Organ Performance
Royal Academy of Music, London Baroque Violin
School for Designing a Society, Designing Society
Stanford Law School, Law (PHIL)
University of Cincinnati, Opera Performance (HIST)
University of Maryland, Music Performance
University of Michigan School of Law, Law (POLI)</p>
<p>Can't comment about "declaring" a double major at NW prior at audition or not. Personal knowledge based on D who was considering applying there for clarinet performance and even though she had exceeded expected ACT, class rank and GPA criteria, was told her application would be "problematic" because she only had 3 years of science or math, can't remember which, so she declined to apply. Additional phone calls to both university and music school admissions reiterated this.</p>
<p>From NW website, you can see that over 50% are double majors, but they are 5-year attendees so add that extra year of very expensive NW tuition into your models.</p>
<p>ImperialZeppelin makes a good point. I have no idea if the double degrees at Rice took 4 or 5 years. That would be a good thing to check anywhere you are thinking about applying. You may want to consider if a minor in another subject would suit as well and not take as long.</p>
<p>Overall: 1421 (Fall 2007)
Arts and Sciences: 1436
Education: 1427
Journalism: 1403
Music: 1359
Communication: 1398
Engineering: 1427</p>
<p>My personal "network experiences" confirms what others have written re Northwestern and Oberlin. I know the following does not meet requirements for statistical validity! </p>
<p>Northwestern: We know several students who studied with Northwestern string faculty as middle/high schoolers. The profs would have been glad to see in them in their university studios. However, the grades or SATs/ACTs were too low and the profs couldn't get them in despite personally lobbying Music Admissions. (The students I'm aware of in this situation went to stand alone conservatories and did GREAT.) </p>
<p>Oberlin - at least in past years, has indicated on their website that they will consider high school students for the Con. I took this to mean that they were most concerned about the audition, not test scores. We know several students with national average level (in other words, low by typical CC standards) ACT/SAT scores who were admitted to the Conservatory with large scholarships. I know these students didn't load up with AP high school course work, and grades were in the 3.0 area. These kids also went the stand alone conservatory route - don't know how they would have found Oberlin's coursework - Conservatory and College - had they actually enrolled. (I do know their moms were concerned they would find keeping up difficult...)</p>
<p>Above info not current year - within last 5 years however!</p>
<p>How do you find the avg 2007 SAT scores? I get conflicting numbers, from websites, books, etc. Sam Lee posted numbers, but I am curious where they came from?
Thank you to all for helpful responses.</p>
<p>I wouldn't recommend going to Rice if one's academics are not VERY strong. There are enough requirements outside the Shepherd requirements and you are going to be in class with non-music majors.</p>
<p>momager,</p>
<p>I got them from the university databook maintained by their Office of Institutional Research. The numbers in college guidebooks are usually at least two years old. That's why you found different numbers.</p>
<p>The music school also has lower mean class rank: 87 percentile instead of 94/95 percentile for others.</p>
<p>What MomofWildChild says about Rice's academics is true for Northwestern too. I have a son who is a graduate of NU and I really think it is uniquely challenging. With one other kid at an Ivy, I can say that Northwestern might have been a tougher academic challenge. No easy A's there. We knew a music major there who dropped his double major.</p>
<p>No conservatory seemed to give a whit about SAT scores, when deciding whether to admit or deny. All I can figure is that perhaps having great scores is a tipping point if two students have equally strong auditions, and sometimes a little more scholarship money. That is definitely true about Eastman, for example.</p>
<p>DD was at or just below the midpoint for Rice and has been able to manage the classes so far. Hard work, yes. Not all A's, yes, even a C+ but she would not trade it for the world. She loves being in classes and having friends with other students. She was no slouch at HS and took IB courses, just not at the highest level of the Rice upper scores. I think if you can comfortably be around the midpoints you will most likely be fine. If you are too far below the midpoint on any university you may want to reconsider and try a conservatory..</p>
<p>^^ Agree. Midpoint(ish) is fine.</p>
<p>Beware when looking at the statistics: our experience this year, which I believe will be true at least one more year, was that the published scores did not correlate to this year's averages for acceptances. More kids to choose from as the classes are the biggest ever. And in fact some schools took a very hard line on the academic statistics to boost their national ranks, despite the results of their music school auditions. My D met published averages at a LAC and was turned down with the comment that if it had been a year or two ago, no problem with stats...and a recommendation to reapply as a transfer when they don't look at the stats any more.</p>
<p>They don't look at scores, once you are a transfer student?<br>
What are they looking at?</p>
<p>Courses, grades and audition. SAT is just a college success predictor (not starting that argument). Once you are in, they do not need it to predict your success anymore.</p>