It’s summer and I am on my way to my junior year. I’m currently in the top 10 of my class and I am worried about my spot. Next year, I will be in regular orchestra (JV) while everyone else will be in like top 20 will be in HONORS orchestra (varsity). Although I love orchestra, I’m not that good and haven’t received any awards for it. I don’t want to quit orchestra, but I’m just not that great. I could always play violin outside of school but it’s not the same. I’ve been contemplating on quitting it for an HONORS science fair research class that came out of a research club that i was a founding member of, but I am still stuck in between the two. I want to be a neurosurgeon or biomedical engineer when I grow up so taking the research class would do well, but I also love playing the violin. If I stay in orchestra it will bring down my rank, but I’ll still get to play. If I don’t, my rank will stay the same or drop. What should I do?
Hmm, that’s a tough situation and as much as I hate to say it, I believe you should drop orchestra and take the honors science fair research class. Considering that you’re planning to major in some science field, or at least go into a science-related career, taking that class well likely benefit/prepare you more for that major than taking the orchestra class.
Also, just because you’ll be dropping orchestra doesn’t mean you can’t continue to do what you love. I know it won’t be the same, but you can continue to explore your interests in orchestra by joining one outside of school (such as your city orchestra). It might turn out being more fun than orchestra class. From my experience, subjects are often much more fun outside of the classroom environment than in the classroom. The classroom environment may prevent you from enjoying the subject to its full extent.
As for your concern with your class rank, you shouldn’t worry too much about it. Don’t let that play a role in your decision on this matter. It’s much more important that you enjoy what you’re doing than that you’re getting a higher GPA.
I totally disagree with post 2. This student has all of his/her college years ahead to do scientific research, when it actually matters. It’s very unlikely that research undertaken as a high schooler is going to be any kind of game changer. Orchestra won’t be either, for that matter, but at least this student loves it. If it’s not practical to do orchestra at school, it certainly isn’t going to be practical to participate outside of school.
I do not think students should sacrifice things they genuinely enjoy doing at the expense of personal happiness. There will be many years to come for this student to do things he/she won’t necessarily enjoy as much as playing the violin in orchestra.
Reading this seems like an essay in the making. Why I didn’t quit, even though I could have…what really matters in life, etc. If you love violin, keep it up. There are many years ahead of you for research.
You have your whole college career and adult life to conduct science research. Do what you love. You don’t have to be super good at something to spend time on it.
You do not have to be good at something to enjoy the act.
A list of things I’m bad at but still enjoy doing: singing, cycling, picking out fashionable clothing, dancing, coming up with puns, taking care of plants, painting my nails, breathing (lol I have asthma), hiking, trail running… the list goes on.
That these things bring me happiness is reason enough to continue doing them. There is more to life than birth, school, a career, and a coffin.
I think continuing organized activities in reality has to have a result at the end. If it’s a stress reliever or something like that fine, but being a run-of-the-mill performer, I don’t think that being in the orchestra just to be in the orchestra is worth much, at least not compared to something that has potential major benefits. On the other hand, I’m not sure why it has to come down to a choice. Do you have to practice and perform that much such that it interferes with school? I’m pretty sure half of the top 20 in my kid’s HS senior class (around 650 grads) was in marching band which takes a decent commitment, and every single one of them is at an elite school. The issue sounds more like a time management issue.
OP said “an HONORS science fair research class.” Not like this is joining a long running, funded project somewhere.
And when one has stem hopes, nice to show your rounding, dedicated over a few years, playing with peers. Getting into college isn’t about being in the top orchestra. You don’t need awards.
But, as usual, we have no idea what college targets, whether ANY of this matters.
Please please please don’t quit orchestra! I can tell you from my personal experience and that of my boyfriend that you are unlikely to return after stopping. I did concert band through middle and high school and joined my college’s orchestra. Not only did I meet one of my best friends there, I always felt like I had a place to go and was able to take a break from all my work to go to band. My boyfriend, on the other hand, felt in high school that he wasn’t progressing in orchestra (and he had a personality difference with the teacher) and decided to leave. Because he had lapsed he didn’t feel comfortable rejoining orchestra in college and really regrets this decision. Now he’s trying to pick violin back up again. Music is something you’ll never lose no matter how good you are at it. If you love it you will always regret stopping; and it’s something you will almost always be able to make time for it. And as previous posters have said, it is very important to show admissions that you are well rounded. Even though I majored in STEM, my Common App essay was about being a musician.
You have to do what you think is right, but I can tell you that (in my view, of course) too, too, too many people in our world consider the arts as an unnecessary afterthought. Without the expression of creativity there is no beauty in the world. It is what makes us human. If you go to a community open mic night you will hear musicians, singers, poets, and storytellers, many of whom may not be very good but who just seek the chance to connect to others. If you are a creative person, then giving it up is like giving up breathing. It doesn’t matter how good you are–you can’t deny your essence without dying a little bit inside. Create. Connect. Live. Love.
I don’t think Einstein was very good, but he played his entire life. Which leads me to the old truism that doubles as a joke: What do you get when you put four Nobel Prize winners in the same room? Answer: A string quartet.
As many here mentioned, don’t quit something you love just because you don’t excel in it, but I would also suggest you do not stick with the activity just to prove you are not a quitter. If all your friends have moved on to the Honors band and you feel slightly inferior for not making the cut, why not join an outside of school band, as someone else has suggested? I believe most colleges appreciate out of the box thinking, but the main thing is to ask yourself, what would you enjoy more.
KNow what? This isn’t about an admit hanging on this one decision. OP needs to understand what his targets look for, assess whether he offers that. This choice is just one of many that add to a best shot application package. Or not.