<p>I've been playing music for about ten years and now im in my mid twenties. I dropped out of high school my junior year after growing tiresome of being bullied. I continued to pursue my passion for playing music and I've done some recording and toured the west coast a few times. I have yet to take any college classes and mostly work and practice a couple hours a day. It would be a dream for me to (for the lack of a better word) legitimize my talents and attend a good school out of state. Live in Utah by the way. A couple of my friends are currently attending Berklee and say that I'm more than good enough to get in, pass the audition etc. My question is, Is this a realistic dream for me? Am I too old? Will not graduating high school hold me back from getting into a good school? Are there scholarships and grants for musicians with exceptional talent? I'm afraid I'm gonna miss out on life and these are some questions that have been burning my brain. Thanks for reading.</p>
<p>All the schools/universities I’ve seen require some sort of certification that you have finished high school studies, which can include completing an online high school, GED, homeschooling or regular high school. I’m sure there are some programs somewhere, non-degree type, that would accept students without the high school diploma or equivalent.</p>
<p>I got my GED a few years ago. so that’s not a problem I just wonder if some universities would scowl at that fact, regardless of how talented one is. The guitar is my instrument of choice if I failed to mention. thanks for the reply!</p>
<p>Hey pp - why not take a few Community College classes first? It will prove to yourself that you have the self discipline and desire to start an expensive four year commitment. Take classes that aren’t directly music related but are in your area of interest perhaps.</p>
<p>A GED is fine at most schools. Clearly you were pursuing a talent all these years, too. There are many people of various talents who have not )yet) attended school at the college or conservatory level. These days, the majority of college students are not 18-22 and do not live on campus. You are on the youngest end of the “adult learner” group and might also be comfortable with traditional age students who are near finishing or have taken a break here and there. Good luck!</p>
<p>I had a friend in college who dropped out of high school his senior year, after he was accepted to college. The college didn’t realize that until his second year and college, they basically told him “no problem” but they did require that he get his GED before graduating college.</p>
<p>The wonderful thing about most music schools is that most of the time they care more about your performance level than they do about high school. My son was accepted at one school where his SAT was about 150 points below the average accepted student, and another where his SAT was about 300 points below average. His good auditions and demonstrated musicianship somehow made his lackluster SAT and high school grades acceptable.</p>
<p>And I believe that you are never too old to go to college. The stats on older college students arn’t great, but many older college students find that they are more successful than their younger more immature peers. I have an aquantance who is 42 years old with two kids in high school, and he is in his second year of college, at the end of his first year he had a 4.0 gpa. Talk about setting a good example for the “youngens”!</p>
<p>Manny, at son’s state music school there are a number of older 20 somethings and a few married ones who are pursuing music. They seem to be thriving and the younger players respect the life experiences of the older students. Plus they seem to be be pretty astute about booking paying gigs which all musicians like. Depending on where you live, there are community colleges that do funnel many students over to Berklee. So you could test the waters with a few courses at a community college before signing up for Berklee which is expensive. Good luck pursuing your dreams.</p>