Does anyone know how soon after submitting an application to the Oberlin Conservatory you find out if you passed the prescreen? Thanks!
I just went back and checked, and it looks my son heard back on December 17 2 years ago. I have another kid who has one out there this year, and I haven’t heard a specific date for this year. ETA: about the Oberlin prescreen I mean…meant to post as a reply to @Cordelia_Jensen
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ha–and just realized this isn’t the general application thread, so it was probably already clear!
Thanks so much! Do they get back to individuals all on the same day? Or as they apply? My son applied this past weekend for Comp. I didn’t know if it varied by major? Do you have a sense from being in this world what percentage of kids get through this first round? So appreciate any intel!
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I think everyone hears on the same day; that’s my memory from last time around. I don’t know any more than that, though…my kid two years ago passed the prescreen and then was waitlisted and ultimately not admitted on clarinet. Current kid isn’t really expecting to pass the prescreen (on horn), but we’ll see! My best guess is that different schools use the prescreen in different ways…for some it’s just a way to filter out kids who clearly aren’t at the right level, and they let a big number through…for others it acts more as an actual first round of auditions intended to narrow the field significantly. But I don’t really know! Clarinet kid had 3 prescreens, passed all 3, but then was denied at one of the schools, waitlisted at the other 2, and admitted off the waitlist to one (Blair, which is where he is now). But that’s a tiny sample size, obviously!
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Ok thank you!!
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2 years ago, my S22 heard on 12/17 as well, so that may well mean that they all hear on the same day.
Best of luck!
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Great! Thank you!
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Hi DD also waiting on pre screen outcome - good luck!
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@CJTwinMom - I’m hijacking your thread a bit. My son is applying for Comp, too! Not at Oberlin, though. Where else did he apply? Mine applied to Curtis, CIM, Eastman, Jacobs, Rice and Florida State.
Let me know when you hear!
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He only applied to Oberlin & Carnegie Mellon for music schools. He is mostly applying to non music schools so he’s also applying to regular Oberlin, Brown, Wesleyan, Tufts, Clark, Occidental, Amherst, poss the music school at U of Denver. He wants to double major in music and something in the humanities…Oberlin/Oberlin would be a good combo for him because he doesn’t want to just be in a conservatory…Thanks for reaching out!! I hope your son makes it through the prescreeens for those schools!
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Thank you! And same for your son!!! 
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Good luck!! From D23’s experience last year at OC&C different studios treated pre-screen differently. For trumpet, the pre-screen was the big cut moment, with a fairly small number of in-person auditioners. It was obvious at the in-person auditions, though, that some other studios had let in a larger number of pre-screen folks. But for trumpet, and a good number of other studios, they treated it in part as a big recruitment event.
Next spring when decisions must be made, feel free to reach out to me on CC if your son is thinking about Amherst for music+humanities; that’s what my daughter’s doing, including the UMass trumpet studio.
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I believe this depends on the numbers needed due to graduating seniors/5th years. My son’s studio (voice) admitted a lot of new first years last year and they mostly accepted the offers, so his studio is very large this year. So, it’s a game of figuring out how to admit the right number and taking a guess at yield.
There are 6 or 7 graduating out between winter and spring, though, so there will be space next fall. Lots of Oberlin kids seem to stay an extra semester or year, so that makes things a little unpredictable overall.
@CJTwinMom, feel very free to PM me with any Oberlin questions. My S22 is not a double degree student, however, many in his cohort are and he works in the admissions department at the Conservatory, so you’ll likely see him if you’re there for auditions in February.
He also only applied to three music schools (Oberlin, CMU, and Ithaca) for the exact same reasons as you stated. He did not want to apply to any standalone conservatories, as he wanted to experience a college with people studying all kinds of things and wanted the opportunity to do the same.
Best of luck, all- this is a stressful time, I remember!
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This is so helpful! Maybe we met your son when we toured there in September! Thank you!! My son took the music theory test today!! I’m hoping it isn’t long until we hear if he made it through the prescreen. Helpful to know its also a lot about space and current openings. It seems like the composition program is maybe a bit less popular than some of the others?
His twin sister got accepted ED to Middlebury today!! So, it’s college, college, college around here!
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Thank you, that is helpful! My son is doing composition…so there are interviews rather than auditions…I wonder how competitve the composition prescreen is…
And thank you about Amherst!!
Congrats on the ED Middlebury acceptance- that is wonderful!
I do think composition at Oberlin is a smaller program- but those kids are so cool! There is actually a new student choral ensemble forming that will perform works by living composers and works from Oberlin composers. It is being organized by a comp major.
It’s a great place for opportunities and a very supportive environment. Can’t wait to hear how it goes for yours!
Thank you! And wow yeah that sounds amazing!! I will let you know what happens with the prescreen!
Any news from O prescreens?