<p>SDiegoMom - I’m going through similar concerns regarding my HS jr who could be competitive at most top colleges and universities but needs to have access to a top marching band because he’s a passionate snare drummer. I’m glad he has the drumming because it’s a real high for him and gets him closely bonded with a great peer group. But at a big school with a top band, he could be the tenth-best snare drummer in a population of 30,000 and still never get onto the field. And at that point, he’d have made a decision in favor of a campus that he would have never chosen, but for the band opportunity. It’s a tough call.</p>