Getting into a top college is difficult, but getting into a top music school is almost impossible. In 2010, The Juilliard School boasted an acceptance rate of 8 percent, while the Curtis Institute of Music accepted only 5 percent of applicants, making it the most competitive school in the country.
The merciless acceptance rates of top music schools are indicative of the competition present in the music world at large: Musicians can practice their entire lives without ever having a chance at playing with a top tier orchestra such as the New York Philharmonic.
