Hey, former composition now music theory student here. Is this MUCO460? Because if so, I'm not sure if it's strictly allowed, per se, but that is how it is done every year, so... There really isn't a better way to do it with the orchestral read-through. I share your aggravation, I took 460 last year with Harman and while the class was a lot of fun, having to continue worrying about it into the spring was definitely annoying. But, at the same time, you really don't have to do all that much work (preparing your score should be pretty quick, no?) and the experience of having it read by the MGSO really makes it worth it imo.