COLLEGE  ADMISSIONS  AND  BAND

Hi Justin,

Thank you for reaching out; our apologies for the delay in response. 

When discussing criteria, it can be difficult to generalize about what we look for because we understand that students travel many different roads to get to Carolina, and we celebrate the variety of interests, backgrounds, and aspirations that they bring with them. At the same time, it's fair to say that we seek excellence. We consider everything that a student submits as part of their application to try and understand not only their achievements and potential, but the context in which those achievements occurred and potential forged. 

It's important to note that because of the comprehensive nature of our review, there is no formula for admission--no one is automatically admitted or denied because of a single number. In seeking students who will join our community, we're excited to learn more about each student beyond their grades or test scores. That's why we also review things such as extracurricular activities, the essay, and recommendation letters very carefully.

Throughout application review, we see tons of students who are involved in band (marching, concert, jazz, etc.). Academically, we encourage students to take rigorous courses offered at their schools such as AP, IB, and dual enrollment. However, given that we conduct a comprehensive review, we are looking to see how students are involved outside of the classroom as well (extracurriculars - leadership, volunteer, sports, band, etc.). So students are more than welcome to continue with band as that allows us to see their passions/interests and activities outside of academics. 

Our best advice to students when crafting their application is to be authentic and genuine throughout: it is their opportunity to tell us their story. We'll see how they've challenged themselves and thrived in the classroom from their transcript, and they can tell us what they care about and how they've invested their time and energy outside of the classroom through the extracurricular activities and writing sections. A student's teacher letter of recommendation is also critical, since their teacher knows them well and can tell us the student's story from their perspective. 

Every student must work with their teachers and counselor to make selections that best fit their schedule and interests at their school. We recommend that students continue to work with their counseling team to assist with scheduling as they can provide additional support related to your high school offerings and requirements. Ultimately, we encourage students to take the courses that best align with their academic and personal journies.

I hope this provides clarification. Have a great rest of your week!

Hello Justin,

Thank you for your email. I'd be happy to assist you!

NC State takes a holistic approach to its application review, which means that we consider everything that's submitted in the application. We place academic achievement at the forefront, which includes students getting As and Bs in their classes, mostly As, and strong course rigor (such as honors, AP/IB, or dual enrollment courses). Also, academically, we look for students to have Precalculus completed, and those interested in STEM or business-related majors to have calculus completed, or at least in progress. 

Part of that holistic review means that we will also look at students' involvement outside of the classroom, which can include band. If they have leadership roles within a high school band, they are welcome to include that information. However, if a student stops participating in band to focus on their academics, that will not negatively impact them. 

I hope this provides you with some clarity, but please let us know if you have any other questions.

Hello,

Every year, thousands of the world's best students apply to Duke. They come from public, private and parochial schools, and from all points on the economic, political, and geographic spectrum. Most have graduated in the top 10 percent of their secondary school class. These top students are attracted to Duke for its academic challenge, stimulating campus environment, and reputation for educating scholars of influence and achievement. From those students, Duke's Admissions Committee selects a first-year class of about 1,700 students. 

First, please understand that we do not have a minimum required score for either the SAT or ACT, nor do we have a minimum required GPA or class rank. We do not report average SAT or ACT scores, but you can view the middle 50 percent range for standardized test scores of last year's admitted students here. Likewise, we do not quote an average GPA. We ask for a student’s GPA and class rank, when available, but we also realize that many schools consider GPA on different scales and some schools do not consider GPA or class rank at all. We consider this information in the context of what school counselors tell us about their schools. Their secondary school record should include the most challenging courses their school offers. We recommend four years of English and at least three years of mathematics, natural science, foreign language and social studies. We also encourage enrolling in advanced-level work in as many of these areas as possible. We generally expect students to enroll in five academic courses per year, and if a student does not take four years in a particular subject area, it should be replaced with an academic course of equal rigor. If applying to the Pratt School of Engineering, calculus is required before enrolling. We also strongly recommend, but do not require, that they have taken physics.Successful Duke applicants typically have significant extracurricular commitments, all of which we value. Most students admitted to Duke have demonstrated, in a word, impact. In some venue, they have made a difference. It might be in the classroom, in the community, or on the athletic field. It could be doing one thing brilliantly, or several things exceedingly well. 

Admissions committee members spend countless hours reading and evaluating applications each year within the context of their particular circumstances and the applicant pool as a whole. We review applications under two timelines – Early & Regular Decision – and discuss applications in our admissions selection committee. As we seek to determine which students will make the best match with Duke, we’re guided initially by our assessment of five primary factors: 

• The rigor of a candidate's academic program 

• ·Academic performance as measured by grades in academic courses 

• Letters of recommendation from two teachers and a counselor 

• Extracurricular activities 

• The quality of thought and expression in the application essay 

Our evaluation process is both personal and contextual, which means we consider both the academic and personal qualities of each student. We think about what a student has accomplished within the context of the opportunities and challenges he or she has faced. And we seek those students who will bring a variety of experiences, backgrounds, interests and opinions to the campus. The students we accept tend to have one or more of the following characteristics: 

• Engagement with ideas, people, and their community 

• Interest in being challenged intellectually and personally 

• Drive to make an impact 

• Imagination, creativity, curiosity, and a sense of fun 

• Openness to opportunities 

Generally, we hope to see that students are taking advantage of rigorous courses offered within their high school curriculum first, but we ultimately feel that students must make the curricular choices best suited to their unique needs and circumstances. We would encourage them to talk to their school counselors before making final decisions. 

Thanks for your email and interest in Duke!

Good afternoon, 

Thanks for reaching out! Absolutely, these are great questions. 

For App specifically, we review our students' applications holistically. With that being said, any extra-curricular activity, leadership role, and so on look great on an application! The band would be added to their activities list just like any sport or club would.

Something I will mention is that if a student wants to join the marching band or music program in college, it is definitely going to help their application when applying to specific programs like that. 

While the GPA does play a huge part in the application, and we do like to see honors and AP courses, it is not something they are required to do. I do not want to speak for other schools, but we are not looking for students to have a crazy number of AP courses. 

As mentioned above, we do look at the students' activities list. With that being said, the more involved they are, the better it looks. I do not reccomend a student drop all activities for AP classes. We really want to bring well-rounded students to App who will contribute to our community and engage with others! 

I hope this information is helpful! If you, any students, or families have other questions, I am more than happy to answer them! 

Hi Justin,

These are good questions! Personally, I love to see band (marching or otherwise) on a student's application. Wake Forest utilizes a holistic review process so, while I am looking at a student's grades and academic rigor, I am also looking at so much more. 

For extracurricular involvements: We are looking for students who are involved in their school/community in some capacity. We are not necessarily looking for any specific involvement, rather that a student is pursuing their passions and is committed to activities of their choosing. I'd say in this instance, depth is more important than breadth - meaning that we would prefer to see you deeply committed to a few organizations rather than having surface-level involvement in lots and lots of organizations.

Leadership positions in band are always a plus since they exemplify this commitment to what is presumably a passion of the student, though they are certainly not required. If a student loves band and feels strongly about remaining in band during high school, I would encourage them to do just that! 

To your last question, I feel the most critical piece is going to be balance. Many universities, Wake included, are going to want to see students take advantage of the rigorous academic courses available to them (whether that's AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment). I would encourage students to find what that balance is for them, personally, between academics and band/music. Overall, if music is a student's passion, they certainly should continue that in whatever form makes the most sense to them - marching band, orchestra, concert band, jazz band, etc. 

Does this help?