I’m currently a sophomore in high school. Freshmen year wasn’t great and I had a 3.5. This year I had 4.3 and next year I’m taking 5 aps (most likely a 5.0). Right now, my target is Harvard and columbia, and I need to get my gpa up. However, if I quit band then I can’t do music groups except marching band. Will doing music groups help me more than taking another ap? The boost by the end of junior year would be from a 4.34 to a 4.37 or 4.39. Also these are my EC’s:
Likely to be president/captain
^Nationally ranked
Debate^
Newspaper
Math Club
Model UN^
Marching Band*
Sax Choir
Jazz Band
Track^*
NHS*
Would I not lose anything by quitting band and not being and getting my gpa as competitive/high as possible? Would the music groups boost me more than .03-4 points? Are my other EC’s already solid? I know there are other aspects of my application to focus on but this is a conflict between gpa and EC’s.
I think choosing band would look more impressive than any AP. The minuscule GPA gain wouldn’t do anything to enhance your chances. A matter of fact it would most likely hurt you. Harvard and Columbia gets thousands of kids going for quantity instead of quality of AP’s. On top of it those schools aren’t that interested in AP’s to begin with.
The “boost” (and that assumes all A’s, which is a huge assumption) is 3 to 5 basis points, which is a pimple on an elephant’s ass. If you do not get into your top college, it will not be because of a 5 basis point difference in GPA. If you want to continue in band, then continue in band. If you don’t want to continue in band, then drop band. But don’t drop band just to take another AP course. Top colleges are looking for much more than one-dimensional academic drones.
Well, they are interested in course rigor, which AP courses bring.But they are also interested in a host of other things.
There are plenty of reasons to drop band, if you are so inclined. I don’t believe any admissions officer out there will think that dropping it for an AP class and a possible minute bump in weighted GPA should be one of those reasons.
Colleges are more concerned with unweighted GPA than with weighted GPA (every school weighs differently). Also, it is not quantity of ECs but quality: what you contribute and accomplish, how you grow and challenge yourself, and how you express all that.
The likelihood of acceptance at Harvard or Columbia are very small. I would not make your scheduling decisions based on reach schools and a tiny bump in GPA.
I believe I can achieve all A’s in 5 AP’s I had 3 A’s 2 A-s this year ( 4.37 exact). Will this be enough to show Harvard that I’ve challenged myself and ready for their curriculum. Freshmen year wasn’t great and I was hoping my junior year would make up for that and demonstrate my academic ability
I think that you have too many APs. IMHO it is probably better to have a few APs that you are truly interested in, rather than a long list that you just dabble in a bit. As such, dropping band seems fine to me.
I thought that “target” meant a university where you have a realistic chance of admission. Harvard and Columbia are high reaches for you (as is Stanford). They are not targets.
You could have all A’s, 1600 SAT and Harvard still probably won’t take you. Don’t plan around Harvard…plan around yourself, and you will find a GREAT college that fits YOU. Maybe that is Harvard, maybe not.
Stanford U says:
“We expect applicants to pursue a reasonably challenging curriculum, choosing courses from among the most demanding courses available at your school. We ask you to exercise good judgment and to consult with your counselor, teachers and parents as you construct a curriculum that is right for you. Our hope is that your curriculum will inspire you to develop your intellectual passions, not suffer from unnecessary stress. The students who thrive at Stanford are those who are genuinely excited about learning, not necessarily those who take every single AP or IB, Honors or Accelerated class just because it has that designation.”
“The College Board needs to say a similar thing about taking A.P. courses. We have data that taking up to five A.P. courses over the course of high school helps students complete college on time. But there is no evidence that excessively cramming your schedule with A.P. classes advances you. Let us say to students, ‘If you would like to take more than 5 A.P. courses because you love the class, do so, but not to get into college.’ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/opinion/higher-education-double-major-extracurricular-activities.html
Mantra for the HS student:
Do not think 'Every point I get off of a homework or test is a point away from going to Harvard."
Think: “I need to do my best, and there will be a college that is right for me when I graduate.”
Do not think “If I don’t go to an Ivy League School/Top20, I am doomed forever.”
Think: “No matter where I go, I can bloom where I am planted. I can get involved and shine.”
Do not think: “My life is over…the kid in my math class is taking 20 APs and I am taking 5. I will never succeed.”
Think: “I need to challenge myself, but only to the point where I can still do well.”
Don’t quit something you’re passionate about for an AP. Trust me, I will be a junior next year and I know tons of people that have done this and regret it immensely.
my kid did exactly that, he dropped Symphonic Band/Marching Band so that he could better handle 4 APs. He wound up filling the schedule void with a 7am PE class and a Robotics class that was pretty useless. Although he didn’t regret at all all the August 90 degree practices, I think throwing away a probable leadership opportunity on one of the state’s best marching bands probably was not a good idea.
What APs are you taking if you stay in band, and what extra AP would you add? That can make a difference too. In terms of rigor, are you taking enough difficult classes that you will be considered to have taken a “most rigorous” course load? If so, don’t worry about the extra AP. If Band is only offered when the classes you really want are available, that would be a different story - but also might be grounds to request permission to stay in the other ensembles.
The music department has this rule that in order to participate in music groups (with the exception of marching band), you must be in band. The only space available for me to take AP CS is during my band period. I have a rigorous course load but I like computer science/coding. My question is, am I already involved in strong areas that would quitting band not take away from my application? I decided that I was going to stay in band because according to my research, I still have a chance at getting into an elite school with a 3.7 especially with an upward progression. I will just focus on my EC’s
My answer remains the same regardless of how many times you rephrase the question.
If you want to take band, take band. APCS will not be the determining factor in your admissions decision and no college is going to ding you because of HS rules.