Note, I don’t have great stats (4.19 GPA weighted on 4.0 scale, 35 ACT, 760 Math 2 and 750 Biology), but I was thinking that my music extracurriculars might be a good spike.
played instrument since 7 (over 10 years playing)
played another piano previously, from 5-13
YoungArts Merit Winner, 2018
went to BU's Tanglewood Institute String Quartet Workshop twice (only 5 musicians for my instrument picked internationally)
went to Carnegie Hall's NYO2 twice, leadership position both times
won awards in two international competitions (note: not well-known)
won many regional competitions, performed with regional orchestras multiple times, will perform with multiple regional orchestras this year
principal for 2 years, associate principal for 1 year of well-known youth orchestra (nationally recognized, regularly sends members to renowned festivals such as NYO-USA, Verbier, etc.)
interned sophomore year at a new youth orchestra and volunteered at school-related events
Predicting how admissions will interpret your ECs is tough.
Personally I think that your ECs are great. You have shown a commitment to music over many years and have significant accomplishments. As I understand it, the point is not to flit from one EC to another. The point is to show commitment and success in whatever matters to you.
I’m not even gonna talk about your ECs, because it’s incredibly disingenuous to state you have terrible stats when you must know that your stats are fantastic.
Thanks for the advice! I’ve done some volunteering at the hospital and am in a few high school clubs, but I’ve mostly done music for my entire life, haha. I do want to major in biology and although hollistically my grades are definitely worse than competitive applicants (multuple Bs), I had As for honors and AP biology, and my teacher is writing my recommendation. Would this help?
@milgymfam Ah, I said that because there are people I know who are applying to Harvard with a 4.5 or even higher GPA at my school. Considering that I’ve taken AP classes and got more points from that, I have a lot of Bs and bad grades.
I don’t think you know what spike is.
Music can’t make up for wanting a stem major, but listing no math-sci ECs (another thread,) and you have an AP 3 in chem and 4 in bio. Plus the grade drop in soph year.
You’re mentioning Harvard, where the competition will be fierce. Did you ever calculate the unweighted GPA? By now, you should know it’s not about weighted GPA. They look at the transcript.
Hi @lookingforward, I don’t think you know what a spike is. I would check the Prepscholar article “How to Get into Harvard and the Ivy League, by a Harvard Alum,” where they talk about spikes in part 2, #4.
Also, I do believe I said the breadth of my grades were As and Bs in a previous thread you’re referencing. My school provides a weighted GPA, and yes, I know that they provide the transcript where Harvard will be able to see my grades.
Additionally, I know other music people who had similar achievements who got into Harvard this year (some of which are STEM majors), which is why I asked about my spike. Note, not about my grades in this thread, or whether I would get in or not.
Perhaps our definitions are spikes are different. I was referencing the Prepscholar version of something that sets one apart, essentially uniqueness, that much of one’s time has been invested in.
Not an AO but part of the process.
Don’t get your advice from a blog designed to be advertising for his company’s services. Any of those pro counselor sites can be helpful, but not nearly as much as digging into what the colleges themselves say and show.
You do not need to be world class. But, as a stem hopeful to a 4.x% college, you do need math and sci activities (along with the related rigor and grades.) Not just music activities. The 3 and 4 AP scores in stem will be an issue. The grade drop.
And you can bet you do need to be rounded, something Cheng denies.
The Prepscholar article is one person’s opinion on a commercial site. It should not be viewed as a guaranteed roadmap to any college. Your music ECs are excellent, as are your accomplishments in that field. However, you’ve posted the question in the Harvard forum. Bottom line, Harvard’s primary interest will be in your academic accomplishments, and any ECs will generally not make up for a shortfall there, IMO.
College AOs have “College Rep” as a tag under their username, showing that they have been vetted by this site’s admins. There may be some AOs who prefer to post anonymously, but then they cannot state that they are AOs. https://www.collegeconfidential.com/policies/terms-of-service/
Regarding being well-rounded vs. having a spike: you need both. What you want to convey is passion and commitment in the activities you care most about (in your case, music). You also want to show that you are well-rounded both academically and personally and don’t just focus on things you like.
You obviously are passionate about music (are you submitting an arts supplement? You probably should!) Your music-related ECs are great and you should try to tie in your STEM and creative interests with your music if you can – are you interested in neuroscience and the effect of music on the brain, for example? Have you been able to use your music to make a difference in your school activities or within the greater community (e.g., play for seniors at senior centers? Teach children from underrepresented populations without access to music education?)
Your music can make a difference in admissions, for sure. I don’t think you have to worry about being well-rounded or about activities related to STEM (you don’t apply for a concentration. You need to do arts supplement with recording/video, resume. with all the things you listed, and letters of recommendation from a couple of teachers or directors. It is all about what you can bring to the mix of the class, what you can contribute on campus. Don’t forget that character counts too, quite a lot, and that comes through in essays and recommendations.