<p>I think this depends a lot on the curriculum. Obviously, if you are in a BA program where you take one or two music classes per semester, you will have to put more time in on the non-musical courses than someone who is in a BM performance program taking about one non-musical class per semester.</p>
<p>It also depends on the non-music classes that you pick. It is one thing if you plan to satisfy that science requirement with “Intro to Astronomy for Non-Majors” and quite another if you intend to do it with “Physical Chemistry”. It becomes a matter of balancing your time against what you hope to get out of the non-musical portion of your education.</p>
<p>It also depends on how well the person uses their time. You spend a lot less time in class in college than in high school and, if you live on or near campus, you probably spend less time in transit. Depending on the high school, you may even spend less time doing homework for the non-music classes. If, like many musicians, you are not a morning person, it may be possible in college to schedule some classes later in the day when you can work more efficiently whereas in high school you might still be half asleep in your first three classes. Unless you are part of an ensemble that travels a lot in college, you probably save time that was spent in high school driving to youth orchestras, honors ensembles, private music lessons and so forth. That all adds up and, if it can be managed, turns into a fair amount of practice time.</p>
<p>I think that an organized student in a BM program who chooses their non-music classes with some care at a University can work in just as much productive practice time as most conservatory students. They have to be disciplined about it though, because there are going to be more opportunities to spend time on other things at a University.</p>