I will be attending the University of Alabama in the fall and was contemplating auditioning for marching band. I have loved band since sixth grade and thoroughly enjoyed marching band in high school.
My main concern would be the time management. I would be a ChemE major and a part of the Blount Program. Would I have enough time for the marching band? Is anyone else in both Blount Scholars and the MDB?
I had no problem juggling AP classes and extracurriculars (Band,theater, etc) in HS, but everything is centered around the school day in HS.
I can definitely help here! So my freshman year I was not in Band or Blount, but I had many friends that were in the Blount program. The first year, it is A LOT of work. Students can certainly manage it, but on the large essay weeks be prepared to spend a lot of time working.
I was in MDB this past year as a sophomore, and it was a fantastic experience. I don’t plan on doing next year however, and that is mostly due to the time commitment. There is practice every day from 4-5:30, but with warmups and walking to the practice field, expect MDB to block off 3:30-6:00ish pm. Again, it was a great experience but be prepared for a substantial time commitment the entire semester.
So, your first semester at Alabama will probably be pretty overwhelming between ChemE, Band, and Blount, but it is doable given your high school life. I can think of a couple students in MDB that are in the same boat as you-Blount, MDB, and a tough major. I would just say be prepared to work all day on Sunday after a busy week. Not every Sunday, but MDB can take up quite literally all Saturday on game days. It is a great study break though!
It all depends on what you were used to in high school IMO. I too was a very busy high school student, juggling work, AP’s and many extracurriculars. I felt the adjustment to college was quite easy because I was used to buckling down and working when I had to. Other students not used to studying in high school really struggle when they realize there might not be a single block of free time in the entire day during midterms season.