Eastlake HS Music Classes
 
Search this site

Subpages Navigation

To access class subpages, please, use the links on the bottom of each class home page.

College Q&A

College admissions and high school performing groups

In response to my last email about GPAs and SAT scores of band students versus the whole freshman class at Whitworth University, several people asked for more specific information about how being in band [choir, orchestra] in high school can impact a student’s college application and chances for acceptance.

So a few weeks ago, I sat down with Fred Pfursich, who is the Vice President for Enrollment Services (a.k.a. Dean of Admissions) here at Whitworth and asked him for his thoughts. Whitworth is a pretty good example of a school that is more selective in the admissions process (less than 50% of applicants are accepted), and where involvement in music can have a more significant impact. Some of what he said challenges the conventional wisdom about getting into a selective college. Please keep in mind that this comes from our admissions office, and not the band [choir, orchestra] guy. Again, I hope that this is information that you find useful and that you will share it with your students (and their parents).

Fred made four interesting observations:

Band [choir, orchestra] on the transcript does make a difference.

First, he told me that flat out, all other things being equal, consistent involvement in band [choir, orchestra] – as well as other extra-curricular activities – is an advantage. The student who has been active in other things besides just academics definitely has a leg-up.

Music students are academically above average.

Second, he said that in the admissions office, they do notice that students who have band (or other music groups) on their transcripts tend also to stand out academically. The information about GPAs and SATs that I showed him simply confirmed what they have been seeing all along.

Performing group and the optional SAT

Third, at Whitworth, SAT or ACT scores are optional for admission – we don’t want to cut out students who do great work but, perhaps, just don’t do as well on standardized tests. But when a student doesn’t submit test scores, admissions needs to look at other things in the application that will provide evidence that the student will be successful academically in college, and one of the biggies is involvement in music, because…(see above).

Quantity vs. quality 

The fourth thing came as a bit of a surprise.

The conventional wisdom is that when a student applies to college, a long resume of a wide variety of extracurricular activities – maybe, band, a bunch of clubs, community projects, athletics – is important to catch the eye of the admissions officer, and the more stuff on that list, the better.

Well, here is the surprise. At Whitworth, when a student sends in that long resume of stuff, it actually can set off a red warning light. The big question for admissions is whether this student is a “dabbler”, and lacks the focus and commitment needed to be successful in college. When, on the other hand, a student mentions only a handful of thing, like having been in band [orchestra, choir] all four years, that show a record of consistent commitment, admissions looks much more favorably on that applicant.

 Bottom line? If a student is thinking about having to drop out of band [choir or orchestra] because they are “just too busy” with clubs, projects, and a million other things that they think they need to do to get into college, DON’T! As I have said to many students, an average trombone player who has been in band all four years often has much more going for them in the college acceptance and scholarship game than a star quarterback.

Scholarship Auditions

Audition information and a scholarship application can be found here:

http://www.whitworth.edu/Academic/Department/Music/Index.asp

(Music scholarships are available for all instruments, regardless of major…)

 

All the best,

Richard Strauch, DMA

Director, Whitworth Wind Symphony

Whitworth University

Spokane, WA 99251

(509) 777-4587