Hi, I’m a freshman in high school. The course selection for next year is coming up, and I’m really hesitated about whether I should stay in band or not. I was in cross country in middle school and I liked it(though I was never good at it). I have been doing band for 4 years, and I’m first chair in concert band. The reason why I’m not sure whether stick with band will affect my college application in the future is that last year I applied to the best private school in the city, instead of asking me questions about my musical experiences( I won several awards and had a recommendation letter from my former band director), they focused on cross country and asked me a lot of questions about it. Of course it wasn’t so exciting after they heard me telling them that I had only been doing it for a year and didn’t have any position in the team.This made me wonder: does this mean good school/colleges value sports over fine art? I love band, though I’m not a fan of marching season because it takes so much time from studying, which is also one of the reasons why I’m hesitating. If I want to apply to an Ivy League in the future, should I switch to a sport? Thank you so much!
I would stick with what you love. There are plenty of ways to build your resume with band, and at least at my hs, the band community is like a family. I’m sure you’ll find your niche. Now, I followed the path of sports bc I was not musically inclined. I played violin for a few years, but I just did it to do it. My heart wasn’t there. Stick with what you like to do. If you focus so much on your resume, you’ll forget to enjoy yourself. Your extracurriculars should show what you like to do in your spare time.
For ivy leagues, however, it is less common for applicants to participate in sports. But I would never suggest doing something merely for the resume. As long as you spend your time on something and show dedication in that something, you’ll have nothing to worry about.
Thank you!!!