A different high school student's opinion:
Right now, I'm in my Jr. year, have visited a few colleges, possibly
auditioning for one this summer, but I also have asked these questions to many
different representitives of colleges around the country.
I slacked off pretty badly, choosing to focus on horn instead, until this
past school year. I had been encouraged to really go for grades more this year
because no matter what, grades get you places. I had a 2.0 gpa going into
this year, which has changed into around a 3.0. I am looking to raise them
even more in the final weeks this year, and next school year as well. The fact
is, most private schools with conservatories don't base ones acceptence on
grades, but rather the audition instead. But, they all say that grades can
only help one to get into the school.
State schools, and many other public schools are entirely different. They
look at your grades almost as more of a factor than the audition. Basically,
if you don't make it into the school, you don't make it into the music
program. Scores matter. Now I have no idea of your ability, Mike, but I know from
myself that I have regretted slacking off my freshman and sophomore years.
It's weird, not until I started focusing on schoo, could I really focus and
improve on horn. I have improved great lengths this year. From never making
it past the district level before, I made both Region Band and Orchestra, and
was third chair at All-State Band. Once the school work came, I had a
desire to buckle down at my horn studies, as well.
On that note, there is another side of the story. I had an interesting
discussion with one of the representitives at Oberlin. Achievements account for
less than one would think. It really is about the audition at a place like
that. They say that they get people who make All-State, All-Eastern
everything, go to the prestigious camps, do everything you think you should do, but
then they go to the audition and they are just not what the college is looking
for. Fifteen minutes is not a lot of time to get to show who you are, so you
have to make the most of it.
My advice: if you decide to slack at school, you'd better knock them dead at
the audition, or you'll be ending up somewhere you don't want to be and
you'll be the one that has to accept the consequenses of your actions.
Michael Scheimer,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
High School Student
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