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.
I think/hope he can get into temple Which is his backup plan. His current teacher teaches there so it’s actually a good plan but the crime has become worse there as of late .
Just to add a positive note…We cannot predict what admissions will value. Commitment to music at the expense of academics is honored by the most selective schools. We also cannot predict how the audition will go since musicality may be a factor more than perfection. Relying on an experienced teacher for repertoire seems wise.
The focus here should be the most fulfilling undergrad experience, in the light of love of music as well as support for ADHD, dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Challenge and growth without undue stress. This young man has done exceptionally well with a GPA of 3.8 along with apparently high level performance. He must be a very hard worker. Character counts too.
He has a teacher who can suggest schools. Off the top: Hartt, Lawrence, St. Olaf, College of Wooster, Mannes , Temple, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, University of the Pacific, San Francisco Conservatory, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, University of Illinois Urbana Champlain, DePaul, many state universities…trying to be geographically diverse here! Peabody and Oberlin have been mentioned. Sunderland and Shenandoah. I am sure there are many others.
Temple and UDel are the 2 on your list that I quickly looked at that looked like matches. I didn’t make it past there in the list. (But I like to have a true safety…..one where they are above avg in the admissions pool, iow 75th+%.)
I’m sorry if my posts come across as negative. They certainly are not written in that tone. I am very much a realist with my kids. I have 3 dyslexics as well as a ds who is high functioning autistic with a long laundry list of comorbidities. So, my posts are truly coming from the pov of trying to be helpful. I am my kids’ harshest critic when it comes to evaluating where they fit in the applicant pool (it has worked for them bc I have been able to match them well in terms of scholarships which are a need when you have as many kids as we do. And matched well in terms of long- term success. All of them have graduated from college and graduated with honors.)
Since university admission decisions don’t necessarily come out before auditions, it could make for a lot stressful scenarios (traveling, timing/juggling dates) to only result in not being admitted. Curating a realistic list with my kids would be a priority. If they didn’t fit decently in the 50% admitted profile, I would remove it from the list, not even just in terms of admissions but in terms of not being overwhelmed on campus. I also would want them to be at their best for auditions where they are more likely to fit in.
But, like I said, I’m brutally honest. I have some super focused kids who can work hard and push themselves to master content way beyond their base knowledge (and are energized by challenges) but I also have kids who mentally shutdown when they are overwhelmed. For them, functioning at level, not pushing their limits, is a much better approach when looking at 4 yrs of a demanding schedule. My adhd kid spirals or hyper fixates when overwhelmed….balance and juggling are not his strength.
I’ll bow out of the conversation now. Best wishes to your ds. I hope you find a good fit for him, not just in admissions but where he can thrive.
Great post @Mom2aphysicsgeek. I like your pointing out that admissions isn’t the most important end goal, but instead it is the student experience. I have a dancer kid with similar issues and totally get it. I am sure @3mandl is thinking about best fit as well and you make important points about best choices. When parental support is no longer handy, avoiding stress is important, and a supportive environment is one criterion. I noted on some school sites that this is emphasized so the OP can look at that as well as academic and music safeties, matches and reaches.
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.
Ok thank you! I will put that on the list. And yes he is planning to write about all he overcame , which was a lot. He also had motor delays. I remember when he was 5 he had on ot that told me he will never be able to play the violin and to jsut give up. He really struggled with it physically when he was little. Also academically he overcome so much.
Just adding a few things. This is a good time to add to your list, not to pare it down. You can always scale back and be more selective next year, but try to cast your net wide and see what look like good fits. Make sure you check audition requirements for each - and discuss with his teacher - to make sure you’re on track to hit all the required marks. I’ll try to share more on some of the schools once we make it through auditions.
MSM, Mannes, and BoCo are worth checking. Had a few recommendations for Baldwin Wallace, but not on our list. Good luck!
(And I’m pretty sure I know your teacher! You’ll get solid advice there. Philly representing here… mine is in PYO but not Temple)