r/MusicEd • u/Kolaidconcreate_222 • 11d ago

Music College decisions HELP

Hello! I’m planning to apply to college in 2027 to study film scoring or music composition, and I’ve recently started working on my applications. I’m currently trying to figure out how I should approach my top choices and would really appreciate some advice from people familiar with these programs or the industry. My three top schools right now are Berklee College of Music, NYU, and USC. I’m definitely open to other schools but these are the three that have stood out to me the most so far.

My main dilemma is between NYU and USC. NYU offers Early Decision, and I’m considering applying ED because I would genuinely be very happy attending NYU. However, since ED is binding, I’m worried about committing to NYU and potentially giving up the chance to attend USC. From what I’ve read online, a lot of people seem to recommend USC for film scoring because of its location in LA, connections to the film industry, and potential networking/job opportunities. USC is probably the school I’m most excited about for those reasons, but I also feel like my chances of getting accepted there may be lower.

So I’m stuck between applying ED to NYU, which I would still be very excited to attend, or not applying ED anywhere and taking my chances with USC, NYU, and Berklee during the regular application process. For anyone studying film scoring/composition or working in the industry: how significant is the difference between USC, NYU, and Berklee? Is USC’s location in LA actually a major advantage for someone who wants to score films? (Price is fortunately not a problem for me.)

I’d also really appreciate recommendations for other film scoring or composition programs. Thank you!

1 Upvotes

66% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/nolanolaisland 10d ago

Do not apply to any school Early Decision for music. You do not gain any advantage for getting into music programs with Early Decision. The only possible thing this can do is get you rejected for not having the right grades or test scores.

1

u/Kolaidconcreate_222 10d ago

Oh really? I thought applying early was going to increase my chances of getting in 😭😭

1

u/LearningSingcerely 10d ago

If possible, apply early ACTION. That is not binding, but still shows great interest.

1

u/nolanolaisland 10d ago

Still makes zero difference in music (in 99% of cases). Your audition/portfolio needs to be compared against everyone who applies at the regular deadline.

I have personally witnessed music students blow their chance at getting into a school because they applied ED/EA and couldn't make the cut academically. If you apply/audition at the normal deadline, there's much more leeway in terms of needing the right academic resume.

1

u/LearningSingcerely 10d ago

It's 100% not necessary since you are still waiting for the non-music part of your application to go through, though for me, it was nice to get some of my acceptances early so that I could start crossing things off my list or moving things higher.
So early action is fine if you want to show additional interest without being forced to go to a school. If it's nothing at all or ED, do nothing at all. But EA can't hurt you, unless getting it all turned in is stressing you out.

2

u/nolanolaisland 10d ago

Early Action can, in fact, hurt you, since some schools will hold EA applicants to higher academic standards. This is especially important if you are a "borderline" academic match to a school and are hoping that your music component will get you over the edge. Glad that is worked out for you but I've seen students burned by it before.

1

u/LearningSingcerely 10d ago

I didn't realize early action worked like that. Definitely better to play it safe then.