OOS Just in Range on Math SAT, Suggestions?

jingle
Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:24:23 +0000

No, submitting an arts supplement does not commit you to major in an arts field. UVA doesn’t have a separate School of Music the way Michigan does, nor does it issue a BFA degree. Everybody comes into the College of Arts and Sciences
“undeclared” and nobody needs to decide on a major field until the end of the second year. However, if you sound serious about continuing to participate in music in some way–not necessarily as a major–that might make the evaluation of your music supplement weigh more heavily in the minds of the admissions people. There are tons of people who participate in the chorus, marching band, symphony orchestra, jazz ensembles, etc. who are not music majors. But remember that the admissions people are trying to admit a class of people with diverse interests and talents, and obviously they want people who are going to manifest those talents once they get to Grounds.

As far as the process goes: you just send your CD or portfolio or whatever to Admissions, they forward it on to the appropriate department, some faculty member or other volunteers to evaluate it, and his/her evaluation is sent back to Admissions to be included in your file. In the case of music arts supplements, the evaluator is generally a performance faculty member in your field–the voice teachers listen to the singers, the violin principals to the violinists, the piano teachers to the pianists, the jazz faculty to the jazzers, and so on. Whereas in schools of art or music the portfolio or audition is going to be an absolutely central consideration, at UVA the arts supplement is going to be a tip factor at best. Every year there is gnashing of teeth among the music, art, or drama faculty because some especially talented kid was denied admission despite their endorsement.

I don’t do college admissions, but I would think that if your major and career plans have absolutely nothing to do with math, then your math SAT score wouldn’t be as important as it would be if, e.g., you were planning a career in physics. So maybe keep this in mind as you consider what you want to claim as possible major fields. Nobody will hold you to those “plans” once you’re admitted.