Oberlin College

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi, everybody.</p>

<p>I'm a senior in high school and I'm planning to apply early decision to Oberlin College and pursue the double degree program in the college of arts and sciences and the music conservatory. </p>

<p>I really want to go to Oberlin. I think the school is great in terms of size and location, and I'm very excited and anxious about applying there. I'm really hoping I'll get accepted, because I don't want to worry about the rest of my apps, which I am feeling very apathetic about, most unfortunately. :( I'm worried that I'm not Oberlin material, though, and it makes me very scared! My college counselor says that I have a very good chance of getting in (I'm top 20% in my school) because my SAT I and IIs aren't that bad (I'm retaking them anyway), and my GPA is "not bad." </p>

<p>What do you guys think? </p>

<p>SCHOOL STATS:
- 3.67 unweighted GPA
- Have taken 5 APs, 4 Hs classes at my school (AP Calc BC, AP French, AP Chem, AP English, AP Bio) (Precalc H, French H, American Lit/Writ H, Chem H)
- Took 2 AP tests junior year. Got a 4 on English Language and Composition, and didn't do too well on the Chemistry one :/
- President and Founder of the new Appassionato Music Club
- Have leadership roles in other clubs on campus
- Played team tennis for two years
- SAT I: CR = 640, M = 690, W = 700
- SAT II: Math 2c = 730, Chemistry = 710</p>

<p>MUSIC STATS:
- Have been playing violin for 11 years
- Am in a youth orchestra, playing first violin, and I might become concertmaster this year (who knows... gotta keep practicing for my audition). Have been part of this youth orchestra for 7 years
- Have won and placed in NUMEROUS violin competitions
- Founded a quartet, which has won one county wide competition, two state wide competitions, and has received invitations to play at many conventions
- Achieved Certificate of Merit Panel at the state level
- Have recorded a CD with my youth orchestra
- Have toured Italy with my youth orchestra
- Have played in masterclasses with the quartet-in-residence of the Music@Menlo summer music festival, Geraldine Walther (principal violist of the San Francisco Symphony), Amy Hiraga (violinist in the San Francisco Symphony), and Jung-Min Amy Lee (winner of the 2004 Irving M. Klein International String Competition and the 2005 Corpus Christi International Music Competition). </p>

<p>OUTSIDE SCHOOL:
- Volunteer at the Stanford Hospital Gift Shop (where I am shift captain)
- Volunteer at the Tech Museum (where I received an award as Best Volunteer)
- Internship at the Center for Educational Research at Stanford
- Volunteer at the Santa Clara County Youth Court</p>

<p>RANDOM THINGS/AWARDS:
- First violin representative for my youth orchestra's musicians council
- Placed in section/state/national business competitions for Future Business Leaders of America
- Have college credit from Foothill College since 1999</p>

<p>Um, I might be leaving some stuff out, because I'm in a rush since I have to go eat lunch now. </p>

<p>Please be honest with me. Do I even have a chance of getting into Oberlin EARLY DECISION? On collegeboard.com, the acceptance rate for Oberlin is 40%, but on the U.S. News list, it dropped down to 37%. </p>

<p>Other colleges I am considering are...
Northwestern University
McGill University
Johns Hopkins University (Peabody Institute)
and Yale University
But, I am PRIMARILY concerned with my chances of getting into Oberlin.</p>

<p>Thanks for your input, everybody. I REALLY appreciate anything you guys have to say.</p>

2

<p>ANY thoughts?</p>

3

<p>Hi, I am also a violinist that is seeking to do dual degree with music and science. =) Your stats are DEFINITELY higher than mine. lol. I think you can get in. I congratulate you. Most serious musicians spend a lot of their time practicing, therefore not having enough time to study and everything. (like me) lol. But you have the grades. I'd say, Go for it! Have you done all eastern or all nationals? Maybe we met before.</p>

4

<p>Yeah, I certainly think you have a good shot at getting into the college if you apply ED. Whether you're accepted to the conservatory depends more on your audition than on your statistics. Good luck!</p>

5

<p>Actually, I'm transferring into Econ AP tomorrow.</p>

6

<p>therainman,
what do you know about Oberlin? i play the viola and i want to pursue music performance at a conservatory. i just realized my love for music recently, so i'm now scared out of my mind about the auditions. i'm a rising senior who's been focusing way too much on school and not enough on music. i'll go to any conservatory i can get in to, but i'm hoping for oberlin, peabody, or nec. i'm not quite as musically accomplished as you, but i have the heart and dedication. i'd appreciate any advice.</p>

7

<p>Hi, m24avalon,</p>

<p>Oberlin is a moderately medium-sized liberal arts college located in Oberlin, Ohio. Its music conservatory is one of the nation's best, and its violin faculty is especially strong. Many of today's great musicians graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory (the only one I can think of now is Don Ehrlich, who's like Associate Principal Viola of the San Francisco Symphony or something like that...). If you have been spending lots of time on academics, Oberlin's College of Arts and Sciences is also very prestigious. It's very strong in biology and chemistry, just to name a few. The College has many scientific facilities and research opportunities that are open only to undergraduates, since there are no graduate students on campus. This gives you, the undergraduate, first priority for any research projects you wish to undertake, and I'm sure any professor would be glad to assist you, as undergraduates are their first and only priority. </p>

<p>As for music, don't be afraid about the audition. If you're planning to major in music at a conservatory, you'll have to get rid of your fear for auditions, because they make you do juries a lot. There is a book out there for performing arts majors that has the audition sheet for Oberlin. That's the sheet that the adjudicators use for judging you. They mainly look for technique, musicality, intonation, potential, and all that stuff. Conservatories are pretty tough to get into... you might think I'm "accomplished" and stuff, but truthfully, I'm VERY worried that I won't get accepted into Oberlin Conservatory because the competition for violin is quite fierce. I'm not sure what advice to give you, but just make sure you practice tons and tons, rehearse well with your pianist, and PERFORM A LOT (PUBLICLY) before your audition to help get rid of any potential mistakes that would happen during a real audition. </p>

<p>Peabody doesn't really have a good string faculty, but NEC does. Hope this sort of helps. :)</p>

8

<p>...Peabody has Pamela Frank. Who also teaches at curtis. Ive had lessons with her and she is amazing. But 70% of the people who audition to Peabody get in. NEC is definitely harder to get in because they have the screening process.</p>

9

<p>I'm a senior at Upper Arlington High School in Ohio, and Oberlin is one of my top schools as well. I'm not quite dedicated enough to apply early decision (mainly due to financial issues, aid, scholarships, etc.) but I think it's an excellent school. I'd be pursuing the double degree program in political science and voice performance.</p>

<p>I visited the school this summer (it's a gorgeous campus) and got some info on their acceptance rates and what they expect from students. For the conservatory, you should be fine. They're mainly concerned with the audition, and you seem to be an outstanding player. (I've also played violin, since kindergarden, and I'm very impressed with your accomplishments). As far as the college goes, it's definitely a top tier school. Your GPA is ok, but their average high school GPA is about a 3.8 or so (despite what you may have heard from sites like princetonreview.com), while their average SAT is about 1350-1400. You definitely have a good shot, but I would put it as a slight reach or reach school. Make sure your essays and recommendations are top notch, and you'll be ok.</p>

10

<p>therainman - has your quartet been to fischoff?</p>

11

<p>Unfortunately, we haven't. We would like to, sometime in the future!</p>

12

<p>I've had lots of friends compete...one group even made it to the finals! They've all said that it's a fabulous experience...really worth it. Look into it, if you can. If you want to learn more about me, look at my post - "Am I setting myself up for dissapointment?" under "What are my chances?"</p>