<p>Pastel-
I read that post, and I can’t say that I’m overly impressed by the piano awards that the poster presented. Coming from New Jersey, performing at Carnegie / Kimmel / Lincoln Center really isn’t as big of a deal as many people think it is. There are literally a dozen local auditions and competitions that culminate in a recital at major concert venues. I’m not saying that asinine isn’t talented but I just don’t think that according to that one post, piano is what got him in (a supplement may have been more convincing. Also, reading through the rest of his post, it seems that he was pretty well rounded </p>
<p>I do however know of a couple of Yale-acceptees who probably did get in mostly on musical merit. These are applicants with international and well-known national awards who may have been the top of their pre-college programs. They are much harder to come by than your typical musically strong applicant like me. Unfortunately, of the few amazing musical talents I know of, all have decided to attend elsewhere, including Harvard/NEC, Princeton, and Columbia/Julliard. </p>
<p>That being said, I believe that music can be a significant hook to one’s application, but it just isn’t as prevalent as athletics is. You have to be really really talented at music to have such a “hook”, otherwise, like varsity athletics, it simply shows dedication and a level of talent.</p>
<p>I chose Yale over similar-caliber schools because of the openness that I found on campus. Unlike some other schools, there doesn’t seem to be much of a distinction between high-income and low-income and it doesn’t seem to be as big of a deal to people which area or high school you come from. Compared to the list of top-25 schools, most of which are considered “rich kids schools”, Yale is incredibly open-minded and integrated.</p>