It is important to realize why certain schools require a stricter level of academic excellence for admission. NYU and UMich want to make sure their MT students can handle the rigor of their gen ed requirements. My students who have gone to NYU, although not necessarily at the level of the non performance majors, agreed that the academic component of the school has a level of difficulty that a totally non-academic student might find overly challenging. In the end the schools want their students to succeed and not be set up to crash and burn and I have found that the kids end up with a good fit for many reasons, this is simply one of them. Just my opinion …