How important are rigorous classes for high profile MT schools?

speezagmom
Thu, 25 Apr 2019 16:28:20 +0000

@chinagrace I think that anything is a possibility. That said, I also think you should consider if you want to go to one of those schools badly enough to stress out over a huge AP load for the next 3 years. The fact that they consider academics so highly also means that the academic classes once you get there are likely more challenging than the classes at other institutions. On those schools specifically, I will add that the word on CC is that CMU does not consider academics as stringently as the others. They go more off the audition. NYU is known for giving virtually no merit aid and costing somewhere near $70K per year so if you don’t qualify for need based aid, it’s one of the most expensive programs. U Mich and CMU are both known as lottery programs taking really small classes. I think CMU is 6 students and UMich is something like 18 (OK - let’s be real - most of the programs are getting to be lottery programs when they accept between 2-10% of auditioners,but the schools you noted are particularly known for small acceptance rates.). My personal opinion is that your health and happiness is more important. If you keep your grades up in regular classes, have an AP here or there that you feel comfortable with, and spend more time on your training, you will likely stand out more to the many many other great programs out there that base admission more on your audition than your academics. And you never know…you still might make it into those lottery programs that consider grades at 50% of the equation.