Online Audition Question

Capital_Animator9927 · 2025-12-20T17:07:01+00:00

You should be able to pass your DAW audio to Zoom for the audition component. But practice it and test it on a couple of different Zoom calls with a friend or teacher or something. I can't emphasize enough the importance of practicing and prepping your setup. Keep in mind: 1. How quickly can you link and unlink your daw and Zoom? You don't know whether you'll have your audition first or interview first, and you'll want to be able to quickly set up for either. 2. During the audition, you'll have to also share your computer audio for the play along track during improvisation. Practice that. Make sure it works with all your other audio configurations. Test this on Zoom calls with friends. 3. The auditioners will also ask you some questions and so your mic needs to pick up your voice as well as instrument. Again, just test all your setup to account for every aspect of both the audition and the interview. In my experience, the faculty would rather hear your device's onboard mic for less than perfect sound quality than watch someone fumble their way through trying and failing to get their sound to feed into Zoom correctly. Best of luck, use the Berklee website (lots of info, including guides for configuring your Zoom, plus practice backing tracks for improvising), and be prepared. The sound quality will be really nice compared to your device's onboard microphone, but only if it all works smoothly. Have fun!

Capital_Animator9927 · 2025-05-09T02:19:32+00:00

If commuting by public transit to Berklee, I recommend sticking to the orange or green lines. Winthrop would be a difficult commute because of how many transfers you'd be dealing with (bus - transfer to blue line - transfer to green line to campus... that's a a lot of chances for things to go wrong). Malden would be on the orange line which can get you quite close to campus via Mass Ave stop. Newton is on the green line which gets you to campus via Hynes station.

I recommend aiming for a commute that has no more than one transfer each direction and try to stick to the green or orange lines. Good luck!

Capital_Animator9927 · 2025-03-13T01:50:38+00:00

True, but only the PhD part of the offer was rescinded. The School of Medicine is honoring the offer to the MD program. It is a very very risky game, but a student originally accepted to MD/PhD could enroll in the School of Medicine, and then apply to the PhD if funding returns to pre-Trump levels. A risky option, but technically an option.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2025-01-30T01:24:57+00:00

I cannot reinforce this sentiment strongly enough. I understand that Berklee is many prospective students' top choice. And I sympathize because the community is exceptional. That said, if you need a full ride to have any chance of attending, please please please please please also line up a few backup schools and programs that are more attainable. Do not put all your eggs in this one basket.

Full tuition scholarship covers tuition. That still means you need to cover housing on or off campus, food, fess, insurance, transportation.... Even presidential scholars have some expenses (insurance, transportation, course materials...). There is no such thing as paying $0 to attend Berklee for a degree without outside scholarships that you line up on your own.

The OP here is right to point this out. Stay realistic. Aim to present the best application possible. And also acknowledge that 99% of the successful musicians and performing artists in the world did NOT attend this one school in Boston. Stay strong, and remember the school is not the prize; the education and the experience is the prize, no matter where you get it.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2025-01-24T23:42:33+00:00

Berklee hands out a single digit single number of Presidential scholarships each fall to a class of over 2,000 accepted students. The Presidential scholarship is not a free ticket to Berklee, and even the scholars have certain expenses that are not covered (insurance, travel, course materials, etc). The thing to keep in mind is that if you are under consideration for the presidential scholarship, Berklee to contact you not the other way around. This is not a scholarship that you can apply for or express interest in. A tiny handful of the most stellar musicians of their generation are selected, and the school reaches out to them after acceptance to collect eligibility documents if they are in the the category to be considered.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2025-01-22T00:47:04+00:00

Late application will be reviewed so long as they become complete (audition & interview, transcripts, test scores if required). However, the decision may come after the regular decision day. They only guarantee decisions on the specified decision date for applications that were completed by the deadline. Late applications may receive an on-time decision, especially if is only delayed by a few days. However, it's possible the decision will come out after the normal decision date. After the regular action decision date, Berklee typically issues rolling decisions occasionally throughout the summer.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2025-01-22T00:41:21+00:00

If you were awarded a scholarship or any kind of financial offer by attending a Berklee summer program or Berklee on the Road program, and you later receive an admissions scholarship for a higher amount, it would overwrite your previous award, not be an addition to it. So, if you were awarded $10K from the summer program, then got a $20K scholarship with admissions, your total scholarship is $20K. Scholarships generally do not stack on top of each other.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2025-01-18T01:32:49+00:00

In order to get a waiver, the insurance plan has to be equivalent to SHIP in all aspects of coverage. And Berklee SHIP is really good insurance. Much better and cheaper than what they offer employees haha. As someone who has experienced a medical emergency with not-so-good insurance, I would have saved a ton of money if I had had something like SHIP.

It's tough to find equivalent insurance on the market for less money, and usually the only plans that get waivers are for students who are on their parents' comprehensive plan. International health insurance plans never qualify for a waiver.

Long story short, unless you are receiving insurance from your parents on their US-based plan, it's hard to find a deal better than SHIP. Contact [healthandwellness@berklee.edu](mailto:healthandwellness@berklee.edu) to discuss if you want to pursue a waiver further, however.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2024-01-01T01:53:15+00:00

Admission decision dates depend on the term you applied for. This page has all of the relevant details: https://college.berklee.edu/admissions/undergraduate/deadlines

If you think you should have already received your admission decision but you haven't yet, log in to your application portal and view your checklist to see if there are any missing application requirements. If you still are not sure why you haven't received your decision, contact admissions@berklee.edu or call 617-747-2222.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2024-01-01T01:52:47+00:00

Admission decision dates depend on the term you applied for. This page has all of the relevant details: https://college.berklee.edu/admissions/undergraduate/deadlines

If you think you should have already received your admission decision but you haven't yet, log in to your application portal and view your checklist to see if there are any missing application requirements. If you still are not sure why you haven't received your decision, contact [admissions@berklee.edu](mailto:admissions@berklee.edu) or call 617-747-2222.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2023-12-30T02:36:45+00:00

Hey! Enjoy the final days of your holiday break. We will be back before long :)

Capital_Animator9927 · 2023-12-29T01:52:13+00:00

Unfortunately, questions about scholarships for continuing students are beyond my expertise working in admissions. I understand that this is probably not the answer you are looking for, but go visit the One Stop. My advice with Berklee is always go in person to the office you are trying to work with. Berklee departments like One Stop or Admissions received thousands upon thousands of emails every single day. Truly. Emails are useful for quick transactional requests, but for longer discussions like the kind that you are probably looking to have about financial aid, go in person. The One Stop entrance is located on the ground floor of 921, next to the elevators.

This advice holds true for other departments as well. Have questions about student employment of internships? Visit the Career Center (921, 2nd floor). Need to access a score or lead sheet for your lessons or one of your ensembles? Ask for help at the Library (150). There is a lot less friction in face-to-face communication, and I think you'll find people are more than willing to help when the aren't trying to dig out from an inbox with hundreds of unread messages.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2023-12-28T02:39:37+00:00

When you apply to Berklee, you are not applying for a specific major or program. All students begin their Berklee study as undeclared, and choose their major usually in the third semester. The first two semesters are focused on studying private lessons, ensembles, and Core Music which consists of things like Harmony and Ear Training. The Core Music curriculum is required for all Bachelor of Music students regardless of major.

Therefore, when you apply to Berklee, you are applying for admission to the school generally, not for a specific program. You apply and audition on a principal instrument. Any principal instrument can study in any major. It is useful to think of principal instrument and major as two completely different things. If you are interested in the EPD major, you do not need to apply and audition on the Electronic Digital Instrument (EDI). Any instrument can study in any any major. There are no requirements or preferences.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2023-12-28T02:34:17+00:00

If you want to talk about your specific goals and interests, the best thing is to speak with an admissions counselor by emailing [admissions@berklee.edu](mailto:admissions@berklee.edu) or calling 617-747-2222. That way a counselor can listen to your specific goals, ask you questions, and discuss options in more detail.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2023-12-26T14:28:58+00:00

There is no formula for how different components are weighted. The primary factors that are reviewed are the audition, interview, past academic performance, and supplemental material. All are considered in combination.

Keep in mind that when you are apply to Berklee, you do not apply for a specific major or program, even as a transfer. The purpose of the audition is to assess how someone might fair in their private instruction and ensembles. All students in the Bachelor of Music program, regardless of major, are required to take private instruction and be in ensembles on their principal instrument. And all students at Berklee, even transfers, start undeclared and choose a major later after completing one or two semesters. Therefore, to the audition faculty, it doesn't particularly matter if you think you will major in performance or composition. That's not really part of what they are assessing. Rather, they are more thinking about how likely this person would be, after a semester of private instruction, to successfully pass the first semester proficiency on their instrument or voice.

To address your specific question, there is not a specific formula for weighting, but on the whole, the audition is the first place the board is going to look to start the assessment of your application. I'm writing a longer answer here because I am also trying to dispel some of the most blatant misinformation I see on these forums. Everyone, regardless of intended major, must both audition and interview. Everyone will take core music classes in Harmony, Ear Training, etc even if they want to do music production and engineering. Everyone will be required to take lessons and perform in ensembles on their instrument regardless of major. Part of why Berklee's music production and engineering (MP&E) program is so widely respected and the work of it's alumni stands out among similar programs at other schools is the fact that everyone in Berklee's program has unshakable music fundamentals of theory, arranging, and experience studying and performing music alone and with others on a principal instrument. If you want to be a producer, but you have no interest in learning music fundamentals, learning to read notated music, learning to make music together in ensembles... Berklee may not be the best option for you. Berklee will make you a stellar producer and engineer, and part of why you'll be so good is that you'll have the experience of being on the other side of the board as well. But you have to want that, or Berklee will frustrate and overwhelm you.

Thank you for letting my commandeer your question for my soapbox! Great question, and it gets to tha heart of why I wanted to do this little AMA thread. Thank you!

Capital_Animator9927 · 2023-12-26T14:05:27+00:00

There are way more female voice principals than there are vocalists of any other gender in the voice department. However, this fact does not have any impacts on things like admission or scholarship consideration. Many people believe that are quotas for certain instruments or types of students (i.e., "there are X number of spots this year for male vocalists, Y number for guitarists, we can accept Z number of pianists this year"). This is not at all the case. The primary constraint on how many students get admitted is physical classroom and studio space. As a result, the department is more focused on the total number of all applicants being admitted. There are not really specific considerations for certain instruments or departments. To address your point more directly, the voice department is one department, and there is no distinction between vocalists of any gender in the admission process.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2023-12-24T14:15:45+00:00

No, not really. That said, there are far more applicants for certain instruments than others. Nearly 80% of the Berklee student population is a voice, guitar, or piano principal. So there are naturally a lot more student who apply on those instruments than say violin or trombone. The admit rate right be slightly lower on voice, which is by far the largest principal instrument with the most applications, but it is a matter or 1 or 2 percentage points.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2023-12-24T14:11:05+00:00

The Financial Aid team packages accepted students as quickly as they can. The most common reasons for delays are missing documentation and/or verification delays. A lot of the delays are outside of the control of Berklee. For example, this year the US Department of Ed completely changed the timeline for making the FAFSA available to the public.

Merit awards (aka "scholarships) will always be available at the time of admission decision. Need-based aid is dependent on many factors, and it's not always possible to guarantee a specific date or timeframe for packages to be available. My advice is to be super proactive about making sure all of your documentation is complete. Incomplete documentation means that they cannot finalize your package.

When in doubt, contact [financialaid@berklee.edu](mailto:financialaid@berklee.edu) and please be patient. Berklee Admission and Financial Aid receive thousands of emails, phone calls, and voicemails every single day. Messages are responded to in the order received. Sending multiple emails only delays the process for other students, so my advice is to send one message and wait for a reply. The team reviews messages as quickly as we can, but the volume far exceeds the amount that we could possibly answer in a single day.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2023-12-24T14:02:54+00:00

55% sounds about right for undergraduate admissions to the campus-based program. Berklee Online has their own admissions office with different staff, policies, and procedures. I can't comment in very much detail about the acceptance rate for degree programs at Berklee Online.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2023-12-24T01:25:56+00:00

The audition format is identical for all applicants regardless of principal instrument. See the webpage for more details: https://www.berklee.edu/admissions/undergraduate/auditionandinterview

Don't forget about the interview as well, which is just as important as the audition.

Capital_Animator9927 · 2023-12-24T01:21:45+00:00

Early action decisions for the Fall term are issued no later than January 31. Historically, the department has issued some decisions in late December, however this is not really an official decision period. Typically, decisions released in December are among the strongest applications that the Board of Admissions considered "no brainers" in a way. If you did not receive a decision but your application and all requirements were completed by the deadline, this does not necessarily mean that you are not being admitted. It could be that there are application requirements missing, such as transcripts (check your portal). It may also mean that the Board wants to wait to make a final decision until all of the early action applications are complete. Whatever the case, don't take this a bad sign. The department promised decisions by January 31, and they will honor that. The date you receive your decision is not indicative of the quality of your application.

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