<p>Okay, don't get me wrong, I used to love orchestra. I really did. I haven't been particularly strong with orchestra, but I've still been passionate. I played the violin from 3rd-5th and from 7th-11th grade and even founded and headed the Orchestra Fundraising Committee, which earned over $150 last year at just one event to buy all of the cellos and basses stoppers. </p>
<p>But my teacher in the second half of my junior year drove me crazy and I literally was unhappy going to orchestra every day (at 7:30 AM every morning) because all of my schoolwork and commitments prevented me from practicing often. My teacher treated me like dirt even when I sacrificed my time in the day to practice with the first chair violinist, who saw nothing wrong with my playing. My teacher dropped my grade every quarter, blamed me for the orchestra's faults, and had the nerve to write on my report card that she hoped I came back the next year. I was just so miserable in orchestra this year, and
I'm going to be a senior next year and I hope to go into International Relations, nothing musically related. </p>
<p>I'm taking 3 languages, one of the heads of the Italian Club, Co-Pres of Italian National Honor Society, in National Honor Society, Head of Communications of Model UN, I'm very VERY likely going to be the Editor of the school's literary magazine, Head of Fundraising in our Survive to Five, am a member of STAND, a Kindergarten Religion Teacher every Sunday, and I'm trying to start a Debate Team in my school. I'm also trying to learn Arabic on my own and I'm self studying AP Comparative gov't, and have been in chorus and Girl Scouts since 3rd grade. (I didn't mention awards and such because I'm strictly talking about my other ECs and commitments atm) (Plus I'm sure I'm forgetting something!)</p>
<p>I want to take something out of my schedule to make my life easier, and more bearable, during my senior year. Will dropping orchestra hurt my chances of getting into a great college?</p>
<p>You definitely need to drop SOMETHING; in fact, you need to drop about half of those commitments. That schedule is insane. BTW, admissions officers would rather see a handful of ECs that demonstrate passion, growth, leadership and commitment, than a long laundry list of activities that look like someone trying to beef up college applications. Quality is far more important than quantity.</p>
<p>Is there any chance that orchestra would be better next year? Would you have the same teacher? My D, who had danced since age 3, had a miserable dance year when she was a junior. She almost quit, but decided to hang on for senior year because despite all the drama at the studio, she just flat loved dance. Do you love orchestra enough to put up with difficult personalities and situations?</p>
<p>The majority of colleges make admissions decisions based on your stats – and for public schools – your state of residence, with in-state residents being preferred.</p>
<p>The few colleges that factor ECs, etc. are places like Harvard that can pick and choose from an overabundance of high stat applicants the ones that will most contribute to creating an active, well rounded student body. For such colleges, depth of involvement including the student’s impact on the organization (for instance, the type of projects the student has organized or major awards won with the organization) is what’s important, not the length of the list or the years a student has been involved.</p>
<p>The musicians that stand out at such colleges are the ones who were child prodigies, people like Yoyo Ma, a Harvard grad. Such colleges wouldn’t care if you drop orchestra.</p>
<p>Such colleges also aren’t impressed by titles such as being club president. They know that many students are club officers or start clubs, but don’t do anything with the club. What the colleges would care about is what you accomplished with your organizations.</p>
<p>Such colleges know that it’s virtually impossible to be deeply involved with the kind of long list of activities that you have. They’d rather select a student who has deep involvement with impact in 2-3 activities than to select someone with a laundry list that is basically resume decoration.</p>
<p>Also, I’m the same way with ECs. I have so many, because I just like being busy and being involved in my school and community. I have the ECs that relate to my passions and the ECs that relate more to my desire to be involved.</p>
<p>Thank you so much everyone, so many people have been telling me that dropping would seem like I’m a quitter, and that I should wait it out for the rest of the year! To be honest, I don’t really want to practice violin when I should be filling out apps. Plus most of the people in my orchestra are planning on going into musically related careers, and… I’m not. </p>
<p>I guess I never really thought of my activities as a laundry list–I love and am really passionate about everything I do, and I love being busy too–just not miserable Plus nothing is on the same day, so I have something different to do every day of the week. Thanks for the advice everyone once again! You have no idea how relieved I am :D</p>
<p>I dropped my most time-consuming EC after junior year, and it didn’t seem to hurt too much. What I wouldn’t do: refer to it frequently in your essays; that’d be a little disingenuous. I ended up not putting mine anywhere on the apps.</p>
<p>I figured that was the case. But it’s a fact of life that we can’t do everything we want to do – there just aren’t enough hours in the day, as you’re discovering. It’s not as if you have to choose between bad things and good things. You have to choose AMONG a bunch of good things, which is alot harder – but very necessary. But if you pare down your list, you’ll be able to dive deeply into the ones that are left, and in the end you will serve both that passion and yourself better. :)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone again-- I’ve officially dropped it. Considering my schedule this year, it would’ve been impossible anyway. Now I’m part of a woman’s choir after school with my chorus and I enjoy singing more so it’s a win win :)</p>
<p>Read Cal Newport’s new book then go drop 90% of those EC’s and focus on 1 diligently and do 1 or two more… you will be much happier and it will look much better on college applications…</p>
Plus nothing is on the same day, so I have something different to do every day of the week. Thanks for the advice everyone once again! You have no idea how relieved I am :D</p>