<p>joecollegedad—both my D’s GPA and SAT’s were well below the average acceptance criteria in both her reaches, but she is a talented Mezzo-Soprano
and both schools had an accute shortage of Mezzos in their respective music schools. In both situations, the head of the department argued with admissions
on her behalf and they were also able to get her academic scholarships on top of the merit scholarships. But she was applying as a performance major and the scholarships would only be in effect if she kept this major.</p>