<p>Today, I got my preescreening results from a top choice school, and unfortunately I did not pass. However, just few weeks ago I met with a professor from that school for a lesson, and he said that he was very confident that I would be admitted to the school, and that he would be willing to take me into his studio. And now, I haven't even passed the prescreening. Admittedly, my prescreening CD was not my best work for several reasons, but my teacher was still confident that it demonstrated a high enough level of ability to pass at most places. Obviously, there are never guarantees with these things, and I understand how competitive this process is. But my question is, how set in stone is this decision? Should I bother contacting the professor I met with about my prescreening results, or does that just put him in an awkward position? I feel like I'm being a bit of a sore loser, but I was just disappointed after that professor seemed to have such a positive reaction to my playing.</p>
<p>Of course you are disappointed. Definitely call him. You have nothing to lose at this point and in the future your paths may cross again, so keep that door open in a positive way.</p>
<p>I seem to recall a poster here from a few years back who was denied at pre-screen after having had positive feedback at a lesson, just like you. They contacted the teacher, the decision was changed to yes, then later that student was admitted. So, yes, definitely contact the teacher. Best wishes to you.</p>
<p>At this point, you have very little to lose and a fair amount to gain by making the contact. Perhaps you could start by asking for an honest critique of what was on the CD because you were disappointed by the outcome, and for suggestions for improvement should you want to try to transfer in or attend grad school there. I suggest not bringing up the prediction that the prof made some weeks back. Sometimes the incoming recordings just happen to be much better than in a normal year and a prediction that would usually come true does not. Also, sometimes errors get made resulting in the wrong letter being sent out and sometimes minds are changed by persistence. Call and find out.</p>
<p>This is a prime example of why you should never settle for less than your best work on a recording. Take the attitude that there are no auditions, only performances. You wouldn’t want to settle for second or third best at a performance, right? Perhaps there were reasons you feel are beyond your control that prevented you from making a better recording this time around. Learn from the experience and figure out how to prevent the same thing from happening again.</p>
<p>Definitely contact him! It could have been an administrative mistake, and even if not, if the professor contacts them, they will probably take a second look. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>I’m of the same mind as sopranomom92. While an off the cuff remark made at a trial lesson is by no means a guarantee of anything, it may indeed be to your benefit to contact the faculty member directly, and quickly.</p>
<p>You may get an honest assessment, or you may get veiled generalities or nothing concrete, but as others have said, you have nothing to lose, and potentially, an audition slot to gain.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>allegrovivace: You definitely have the right attitude: I don<code>t sense any of the</code><code>sore loser</code>` attitude that you are worried about conveying. You should follow up. It is somewhat awkward to do so, but definitely worthwhile, whether the result is an audition or just information about how your prescreen was viewed.
A related story about following up on unexpectedly disappointing results: My oldest son was not awarded an expected major scholarship this fall. When I anonymously inquired twice in the fall, I was told that all scholarships had been awarded in September and that obviously my son didn`t qualify. My son sent a non-anonymous polite email two weeks ago which got a polite response, but no money. Suddenly today, he received an email congratulating him on winning the scholarship. There was no admission of error, but we are just happy to have several thousand extra dollars, especially at this time of year. Moral of the story: do inquire politely about results which do not seem to add up. </p>
<p>Errors can occur (there are several posts about the music school that a few years ago infamously mixed up its acceptance and rejection lists when sending out letters of acceptance).</p>
<p>^Congrats to VDSon – what a great way to ring in the new year!</p>