How does the committee weigh the various aspects of my application, i.e., audition, GRE scores, GPA and transcripts, letters of recommendation, and personal statement?
A. Since the M.S.M. is training people to function as pastoral musicians, musicianship and consequently the audition carry great weight. The GRE scores are necessary for your file to be considered for admission. Your GPA should be around 3.5, although the GPA of courses most closely related to Music is more important. The core of the application, however, is the profile created by the statement of intent and the letters of recommendation. You should therefore draft your statement and choose your recommenders with great care, so that we have the most clear and vivid sense of what kind of student you would be in our program. You may have up to four letters of recommendation, but three of these letters must be from academic faculty who can speak to your ability to work in music and theology at the masters’ level, although they do not have to be music or theology professors themselves.
Related Questions
- How do the faculty and committee weigh the various aspects of my application, i.e., GRE scores, GPA and transcripts, letters of recommendation, and personal statement?
- What if there are aspects of my application that aren’t as strong as I would like them to be (e.g. low GRE scores, low undergraduate GPA, etc.)?
- How much weight is given to the GPA and GRE scores in the application review?
