<p>I took private lessons at a university, one hour per week.
I performed in recitals, played as a part of a quartet, and was in a local youth orchestra.
All of this was done outside of school; however, I quit about halfway through my freshman year because of schoolwork.</p>
<p>However, I'm lacking in extracurriculars; could I still write on my application that I played the instrument for 7 years?</p>
<p>On the application you enter your EC name and tick check boxes if you participated in 9th, 10th, 11th, and/or 12th grade. If you didn’t participate much in 9th, then I wouldn’t write it your application. If it was a very significant experience, you could mention it somewhere in your application. But unless you were very, very good (as in the nationally competitive scene), it probably isn’t worth it.</p>
<p>On the application for one of the schools I’m applying to, it’s not a checkbox; you just write what you did in a box.</p>
<p>I think you can write it in the activities list, if you don’t have more important things to add. The common app asks you to write how many times you’ve done the activity, right? like how many times a week and how many weeks? so you don’t have to mention when you quitted.</p>
<p>Unless you plan on majoring in music, somehow have kept those “skills” sharp and plan on sending your schools a supplemental video or link to YouTube demonstrating said “skills,” don’t bother mentioning it at all.</p>
<p>I agree. Unless you are going to be a music major, or begin playing an instrument again in college, do not mention it. It is not about the number of extracurricular that you have participated in, but your commitment to them. Universities want to know who you are now, and where your interests lie at the time that you apply. Have you been actively involved in something for several years throughout high school? Have held leadership positions? Have you volunteered with an organization that you are passionate about? Have you held part-time jobs for several years? Have you participated in something unique in high school that meant something to you?</p>
<p>I think that such a level of commitment to musical study at a young age shows a capacity for studious, serious effort that many children do not have. If you performed at a high level, perhaps you can convey this through an essay AND indicate that your passions changed as you got older and you transferred this energy to some other EC or interest. </p>
<p>Yes, adcoms want to know what you are doing in H.S. But the longevity of your efforts shows something about your character. Obviously, if you quit music and are playing video games all day now, that’s another story…</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Why would this matter on your college application? It doesn’t say anything about you, your passions, or what you would bring to campus, so why would you include it? Unless, perhaps, it was used in an essay to demonstrate some facet of your personality or experience that you want the schools to know about.</p>
<p>Colleges know that you are not a fully formed person That’s why many don’t pay attention to freshman grades. An EC that happened between age 8 and age 14 is ancient history as far as they are concerned. Unless you can demonstrate why that experience still matters, it’s meaningless.</p>
<p>No. During the relevant period adcoms are looking at–high school–you only played the instrument for half a year. And then you quit, which is a red flag. Remember that many students with just as much schoolwork as you have did NOT quit their instruments, but continued to play and improve and do other things too. Better not to mention it at all, I’m afraid.</p>
<p>I would again suggest that it could be included, carefully, in an essay. My son was very accomplished in an EC (chess) in elementary and middle school, won city and state-wide competitions, but lost interest in high school because there were no teams/ECs related to it at his school. I would assume that briefly noting his accomplishment may have helped, since it showed his strengths (e.g., strategic/spatial skills, endurance for rigorous competition), and complemented his other H.S. strengths (math/physics skills). But he made it clear, also, that his passions changed, and his ECs were more focused on other activities.</p>
<p>Again, an early EC involving high level ability may show an individual’s strengths, as long as the individual continues to develop additional skills.</p>