trumpet. i was one of 2
/3 people on the first part
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thanks for your reply. jazz and wind band are school classes, so the extracurricular component is just practicing outside of class and performances. marching band and orchestra are fall and spring, respectively, so the time commitment isnt horrible.
yes, iâm gonna do UCs + a few CSUs + less selective privates.
i know that iâm gonna be competitive for top schools, but so will thousands of other people. i know my shot for HYPSM is pretty low, whether that be 2% or 20%, as it is for everybody who is unhooked. so yes i have plenty of other options.
If you are referring to the following AMA:
then be aware that many of his posts were highly highly controversial on this site. I would add greater context, but have been advised by counsel to refrain. 
Deleted.
My kid was an engineering major (not at StanfordâŠbut that was the major). The main EC this kid had was musicâŠprecollege orchestra and wind ensemble at a nearby conservatory program, 1st chair regional and all state festivals, years of study on oboe/English horn, and piano, member of a prestigious auditioned childrenâs choir. College essay was about something done in relation to high school band. Kid received complimentary written comments on acceptance letters about the essays written. Clearly NONE of these ECs had anything to do with engineering!
Do what you love and love what you do. MJS and I totally disagreed on this issue. Many, many students have very significant High School ECs that have nothing to do with their eventual college major (whichâŠby the wayâŠcan change multiple times during college).
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Mine was ALL about the music, with three top conservatory programs (not all simultaneously), jazz and classical, and two intâl level awards. And got into a tippy-top for an intended major in which all theyâd done was an AP and read a couple of books. They used the additional essay space to tell the school the why and how of this major, and why that school was the right place for them, for this major. It worked, last year.
You did what you loved, and did very well in it, while also compiling an amazing academic record. Look at that string of 5âs on the AP exams! You are going to do great, wherever you wind up going to college.
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You donât have to package yourself in the way that someone may have suggested in a post you read in the past. Itâs fine to do whatever you love to do and many CS professionals have music in their background.
Honestly, you donât even have to refer to your intended major on an application unless directly asked. Colleges know that many change their majors anyway.
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I reject that. I have a child currently attending one of those colleges listed in your title, and he had a major EC outside where he spent 25+ hours per week that was unrelated to his area of study. Some of his classmates also have varied interests.
IMO, your obvious passion for music can only help with your admission. And at this point, the rest of your resume is largely set and will be evaluated on its merits.
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Musical ability is relatively common in high tech. I have worked in high tech for decades, and have on more than one occasion showed up at a music event and been surprised to see someone I know from work get up on stage and play. I do not think that admissions will be surprised nor bothered at all to see an applicant for CS (or math) who has significant musical ability.
As others have said, your dedication to music shows the ability to focus and excel on an activity that you care about. I think that this is a very good EC.
I also feel that you are a very strong applicant in multiple ways. You are competitive at any university. Of course the famous and highly ranked schools are reaches for everyone and you need safeties (as you know).
Several years ago Stanford included an article on admissions in the magazine that they send to alumni. One thing that they said was related to the fact that admissions is hard to predict. If the tuba player on their marching band is graduating that year, then they might admit a small number of tuba players hoping that one will join the band. This is something that you have no control over. Of course the Stanford marching band also needs a drum player, and in their case âmarchingâ is not really an accurate description (or at least wasnât back when I was there).
Admissions at schools at this level is not possible for us to predict with any accuracy, but you are a very competitive applicant.
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Just be careful in terms of how many schools you apply to. Application fatigue is real, and you want to make sure that that the schools youâre applying to are a good fit for you and that you have sufficient time and energy to make each application as strong as possible.
UCs = 1 app
Cal States = 1 app
HYPSM = 5 appsâŠthough you may want to consider finding the right schools for your interests and not just the most prestigious
OOS publics = ? how many?
Less selective privates = ? how many?
If you need help fine-tuning your list to make sure it matches up with what youâre wanting out of your college experience, please let us know.
Also, how would you like to continue with music in college (i.e. marching band, orchestra, jazz, etc)?
A lot of musicians turn out to be really good at coding. If you love music, it is part of who you are. Embrace this.
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Just to set the record straight, the marching band at Princeton is completely nonselective and will take anybody â you donât even need to play an instrument, which is why the band has members playing âauxiliary percussionâ (e.g., folks who bang on plastic pink flamingos or other odd objects with drumsticks). You might be thinking of the university orchestra, which IS quite selective. Ditto the jazz ensembles, I believe.
I mention this mostly because I expect that Princetonâs admission office gives little or no weight in the application process to candidates who are looking to join the band â but highly talented musicians who are potential orchestra members might get a boost.
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Hooray for scramble bands!
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