Acceptance to University vs Music Program

musicmomtimes3
Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:36:22 +0000

Been following along for a while and thought I would jump in here to suggest, based on my own son’s experience, that your son apply to IU Jacobs if you think his caliber of playing meets their standards. I have seen a couple other people suggest this program here as well. My son, who attended Jacobs for jazz guitar, did not have a stellar high school academic record by any means. He was diagnosed with late-stage Lyme Disease (which he caught on our farm) that led to both physical and mental health challenges. He even ended up completing high school online. He applied to IU with a 3.02 GPA, only 1 Honors class (freshman English), and an F on his transcript for freshman Spanish. He also did not meet the 4-semester application requirement for world languages–he only had 3. His English SAT score was in the super high range (he is an avid reader), but his math was absolutely abysmal—and back then (2019) test scores were required. He had no extracurriculars other than music activities. His application essay did discuss the health hurdles he had faced which I would recommend your son consider as a topic unless there is some other space on the application to discuss his learning disabilities. He also scheduled a sample lesson and attended a masterclass with the jazz guitar prof the fall of his senior year before applying. Now I’m not going to say it was all rosy. My son did not complete his degree. Unfortunately Covid hit just as he was hitting his stride and he never really got back into the groove after that. 8AM theory classes (a weed out for the best of students;) and staying organized were just hurdles he could not overcome. But hopefully, barring another pandemic or other catastrophe, your son would thrive there—or a similar state school (which generally have a little lower academic bar) with a strong music program.