<p>Apply to a range of schools that includes conservatory/music schools as well as colleges/universities, and decide in April of senior year.</p>
<p>If money is an issue, know that conservatories don’t do much financial aid (some merit though). If it isn’t an issue, than you will have choices that April that are free from that particular constraint.</p>
<p>I don’t know why you are so fixed on the position in an orchestra. There are all kinds of ensembles, conductorless orchestras and other groups that you can play in. You can be entrepreneurial and start your own.</p>
<p>I know many musicians who work full-time in jobs marginally related to music, or even not related, who spend most of their time off practicing, rehearsing or performing. Other performers and artists too.</p>
<p>So I would echo others to say you might want to be more flexible.</p>
<p>Go ahead and do the music (if that is still what you want to do in April). You will have a bachelor’s degree and can postpone further decisions until you graduate, which is a few years away. You never know what you might get into, musically or otherwise, in the interim.</p>
<p>Maybe try to relax about the more distant future,and cover all your options up until the moment when you actually have to decide about music versus academics (and even then once on campus, of course you can continue with music at whatever level unfolds).</p>