First, You sound amazing!!!
My son is going to be a Jazz Studies freshman at UNT (guitar) Fall '23. We did the college summer programs to get a feel for schools and instructors. He did NYU, Eastman, Berklee, and UNT. It helped him meet professors and get “the vibe” these kids talk about lol. Ultimately UNT was his fave and became his first choice. He cultivated a nice relationship with the guitar professor there and made communication during applications/auditions easy. I can give you details about any of the programs, just ask. Mine started doing the programs after freshman year so your timing is right
2. Common. Obviously based on skill level but I feel like if they want you they will offer. They will reach out after auditions to gauge interest.
3. We started with 10 schools in mind, applied to 6, and auditioned at 3 ultimately! He happened “to know.” The work we did early on helped in the end.