I’m about halfway through my 1st quarter of Junior year and luckily things have been pretty good so far! I’m taking 4 AP classes (AP Lang, APES, APUSH, AP Research and I’m also working on publishing said research once the year is over), and I currently have A’s and B’s in all of them. But my main concern is my Sophomore and Freshman year grades. I ended the year with a 3.1 GPA (unweighted) because I spent most of 9th and 10th grade helping take care of my severely ill Father who is disabled. I do plan to put that info somewhere in my college app because it kinda retired the course of my teen years, but I also know a sob story isn’t going to take me very far. I know that for music schools and conservatories grades aren’t all that, but then again most applicants AT LEAST have a 3.5. I’ve also heard that colleges look for upward trends so I kind of have everything relying on this year.
I’ve been singing recreationally for about 13 years, have gotten into county, district, region, and state choirs on scholarships, sing competitively, have leadership in my school’s Tri-M chapter, am in my school’s top choir, and am the music director for our competitive A Capella group. I’m planning to apply in Opera and Vocal studies if that helps. My research is also involving mathematical sequences (golden ratio/fibonacci sequence) in music composition and (if there is one) correlation to human psychology, I’m working on composing 4 classical pieces. Sorry this is kind of word vomit, I’m just desperate for either support or a reality check lol.
You are doing great! These achievements, going to state, regionals, district, and county, along with doing research in your intended field of study while also composing pieces will show your dedication! GPA is not everything. If you include the information about your father, colleges will consider it when reviewing your application. I would consider doing community service to help with your college application. Maybe hold a musicians day, or help younger kids with singing.
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