Acceptance to University vs Music Program

Mom2aphysicsgeek
Tue, 27 Jan 2026 03:53:33 +0000

I apologize if I sidetracked your question. Reading your original post, though, stressed me out for your ds. I have had 6 kids already go through the college admissions process (not music, though, thank goodness!). Most of your non-conservatory list is stressful even for top academic musicians. Your ds is in a difficult position for admissions at top schools that are not conservatories. (Conservatives are out of my realm. Your ds’s teacher knows what he needs there, so you have that covered.)

Regardless of test optional, his transcript is its own hurdle. Holistic admissions will look at the rigor of his courses, not only what he took but also compared to what was available to take at his school. I know I have mentioned the CDS multiple times, but it is where you’ll see how schools rank rigor of academics. Schools like Vanderbilt, Oberlin, Miami all list rigor of course work as very important. Their reported mid-50th% SAT ranges are all 1400+. They only accept a fraction of applicants. A fabulous audition might help, but it is still a hurdle. It would be worth calling admissions and asking questions.

If you want him to apply to any safety schools, they would be schools where his transcript is more on par with accepted students. That is where looking at the CDS, seeing what is defined as very important/important/considered, % of students in the upper/lower 10/50% of their graduating class, and test scores will give at least a generalized idea of the accepted students. (For example, 48% of students accepted to Oberlin in the 24/25 CDS submitted test scores. 70% of the SAT scores were 1400+ and 89% of the ACT scores were 30+. )

Having gone through college apps with lots of kids, having at least one school where they are confident of being accepted is a stress relief even if it isn’t somewhere they really want to attend.