<p>-Recommendations: Stellar. I was told by two professors that their recommendations would be glowing. (History and Music Theory professors.) Also sending in supplementary recommendation from music director/conductor of the Maryland Symphony.</p>
<p>-Statement: Very strong. I want a broader approach to my musical/intellectual education and have already exhausted my options at USC, as I have finished every undergraduate orchestral conducting and theory class offered here. I need more rigorous courses in said areas and want more interdisciplinary options. Very few music electives available.</p>
<p>Schools</p>
<p>Columbia
Cornell
Dartmouth
Harvard
Northwestern
NYU
UPenn
Yale</p>
<p>Obviously schools like Harvard and Yale, with their sub-5% acceptance rate are long shots. And you could definitely use a few safety schools to keep your options open. But I think that generally, you'd be a strong applicant at most of those schools, or would at least have an average chance at getting into them from among the transfer pool.</p>
<p>Columbia---toss up
Cornell---which school?
Dartmouth---in
Harvard---dinged
Northwestern---in
NYU---in ..no matter what school
UPenn---depends on school
Yale---toss up</p>
<p>ixjunitxi- he said he was interested in certain MUSICAL areas of study. so, i wasn't sure. and he certainly is not IN if there are artistic elements to his application that you, nor I, can gauge from an online discussion board. but he is applying to CAS, so he will get in most likely.</p>
<p>Thanks for editing in the names of the schools you are considering. Have you actually researched the orchestral conducting options at each of them? Northwestern and Yale are the only ones that I know of that have significant offerings in conducting. Dartmouth is a great school but with very limited possibilities for advanced music study. Academically you seem well qualified for all of them, but of course it's impossible to predict admission results at such competitive schools.</p>
<p>Columbia has a great conducting professor and I would really like to study with him. The other schools, as one would expect, have really solid and intense theory programs.</p>
<p>None of the schools you name are schools that spring to my mind when I think about schools for serious music majors. I could be wrong, of course. But I wonder if you are more taken by the name of the school, rather than by the actual courses offered. Have you looked into the music programs at non-ivies (yes, I realize NW & NYU aren't ivies)? I am just concerned that you are jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.</p>
<p>I am still puzzled by your choice of schools. Have you spoken with music professionals? You state that the director of the MD symphony can give you a good rec. Have you talked to him/her? BA programs usually allow 9 classes for music, with the rest distribution courses. You seem sure of your decision to be a conductor. I would think you might want a BM. As I said before, I could definitely be off base here (I am not expert). Have you posted in the College Majors section? There are a number of music experts that read that section. They might know more.</p>
<p>have you thought of Bard College? I'm pretty sure we've got a conducting major/BA. plus our president is a conductor himself, and the ASO is always at bard...</p>