I am a sophomore and have taken one AP class. Next year I can either take 4 APs and Orchestra or 5 APs without Orchestra. I want to go to Brown. Any tips on what I should do?
Do you really like orchestra? Then stick with orchestra. If you hate orchestra, then drop it.
Note: not every decision you make needs to be analyzed through the lens of what some admissions officer might think. Trust me, no admissions officer is going to say, “Oh gee, he/she took 4 APs and orchestra, tough luck… if he/she had only taken 5 APs, we would have admitted him/her.” They want to see a rigorous curriculum, but above a certain point, it isn’t going to matter.
“Orchestra” should not be viewed as a bad or non-rigorous class/activity. Heck, I would’ve loved it if my HS had an orchestral class, and I would’ve probably participated in it instead of taking AP Chem, for example. Furthermore, colleges (even very technical ones) like seeing students with an interest in the arts in addition to everything else.
That said, if you are interested in playing in an orchestra, go for it. Otherwise, don’t.
Like people before me said, it’s really dependent upon whether or not you like Orchestra. If you like it go for it, if not drop it. I’m in a similar situation. I’m taking 3 AP classes (APUSH, AP Lang, AP Psych). I could take AP HG instead of an ag class, but I enjoy ag so I’m opting for that rather than another AP.