<p>Hi all. I attend a school in Fairfax County and it has a lot of classes that are only at a certain period. My band class (wind symphony, the highest band) and my AP Spanish Lit class are the same period, 3rd. There was no way I could continue on with Spanish because it is only that period and it is the highest Spanish available so I would have had to drop it to take band. So I asked my teacher and my counselor to put me in the second highest band (symphonic, 2/3 bands). I was in that band for sophomore and junior year. So my schedule says that I am enrolled in intermediate band instead of advanced. If I get my counselor to write in his report that I had to do this in order to continue on with spanish and band, do you think colleges won't look down on it? Thank you!</p>
<p>Unless you’re a prospective music major, no college will care how well you toot your horn.</p>
<p>^LOL, for sure.</p>
<p>I wasn’t in the highest level musical group at my high school, either. It really won’t matter.</p>
<p>Ohokay. I just heard that it looks better if you get into higher bands and such so I was worried. Thank you! (:</p>
<p>It only looks better to be in better bands if music is a focus of your application (e.g. a major EC, your intended major/career). Otherwise, it just looks good to have made a commitment to band and to have stuck with it for four years (although that’s definitely not necessary if band isn’t your thing).</p>
<p>At most colleges ECs don’t matter or barely do. If you’re aiming at the most selective colleges (Stanford, Amerst, etc) then member of this or that is not that a competitive of an EC and so it won’t really matter which level you belong to; schools like that look for leadership and awards to stand out. As Stanford says in its FAQ
So either way you’re fine taking the lower level band.</p>
<p>Well band is probably my second, only to girl scouts, most extensive EC. I have been section leader of concert season in 10th grade, assistant section leader of marching band 11th grade, section leader 12th. I’ve lettered in band and I got the student of the year award in 10th grade. But after all this, it still isn’t what I would like to major in.</p>
<p>And mikemac, is it a bad thing that I’m pretty heavily involved in a bunch of things? I don’t like talking about ECs because I have done a lot and a lot of people think of me as cocky because of it. But I have been involved in five clubs since 9th or 10th grade. I joined honor societies and have been elected a leader in all but spanish honor society. I have a leadership position in two/five of my clubs. So if I have leadership positions and am legitimately involved it won’t seem like I just joined the clubs to beef up my ECs right? Because I genuinely joined all these clubs because I wanted to not because I thought they would look good.</p>