The pads only seal if you press hard on the keys, is this a regulation issue or do they need new pads?

title ,, wow college auditions are a BEAST. any advice on literally any standard rep would be amazing. learning the standard concertos (mozart eugh) and literally any of the standard orchestral excerpts even i’m grasping at STRAWS.

for more context, i am primarily a bass clarinet player. i’m a completely self taught and i’m getting a clarinet teacher specifically to help with my auditions for college. i do not play Bb clarinet as often anymore (well until the past few months), and i also am a doubler in all my school ensembles so i jump around, primarily on bari sax, french horn, mellophone, and euphonium. weird combo.

with ever rising feelings of imposters syndrome and doubts about my abilities i would appreciate literally anything. i don’t really want to switch majors because a lot of the times music ed just requires your primary instrument and more and nothing else really peaks my interests. i just wanna know what i can do to help me learn my pieces better and some tips.