I’m a freshman and am taking Orchestra. We’re deciding schedules right now and was wondering if I should take Orchesstra again next year instead of higher level courses. If I take it again next year, then I will continue to take it all throughout high school. I want to know what I should take because I’ve heard that top colleges really like consistency (ex. 4 years orchestra). But then, I would be missing out on 4 AP classes that I could’ve possibly taken.
How many AP classes will you be able to take if you take orchestra? How many AP course does your school offer? What do you think your major might be in college?
If you look here http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/1739442-what-classes-should-i-take-next-year.html?new=1 I have the classes I’m planning to take. I’m definitely not going to major in Orchestra. Btw, I’m in a lot of clubs and I play tennis and figure skate too
So I was thinking if I take Orchestra, wouldn’t it lower my GPA? Because I’ll be taking a lot of AP and Honors classes so doesn’t it actually lower my GPA? Or do they look at unweighted GPA.
There is a lot to think about here. First, you seem to be conflicted between taking courses you enjoy (French and orchestra) and getting into a top college. Passion vs. ambition. There is plenty of advice on CC about how to maximize your chances of getting into an Ivy. If that is your overriding goal, you take the most rigorous course load offered by your school–that is why I asked about how many APs your school offers–and get super high SATs/ACTs. And, yes, taking orchestra would lower your GPA if your school gives extra weight to AP courses and you would be foregoing an AP to take orchestra. But, remember that top schools want to see passion as well as top academics. Getting good at one thing–really good–sets you apart, while at the same time shows passion. So, pick orchestra, tennis, French or skating and concentrate on it. Get good at it. Win awards, teach others, or turn it in to something more than just an interest. You could very well be able to pursue what you love and get into a top school.
Don’t worry about the lowering of GPA,
I felt the same way, but I stuck with band for all four years. And i really don’t think a college is turning me down because my 98 in band is lower than my 98.4 weighted average 
Actually, I’m not all that into Orchestra. But does it really affect my GPA? Because I heard that colleges look at your unweighted grade even more. I’m much better at Skating than I am at tennis, however I’ve been skating a lot less with school work and everything. I’ve been skating for seven years now but does that make a difference to colleges? I haven’t and am not planning on going to any major competitions, and we don’t have any like certificate stuff (well there are levels but I don’t think colleges would know what they mean) but you get a certificate for the highest levels which is really hard to get
Stay in orchestra. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/1681550-should-i-quit-music-questions-p1.html
take a look at this thread and the video I posted there. Colleges will not penalize you for taking 4 years of performing arts. In the end, its not worth quitting to increase your GPA because there are other factors, such as the dedication and creativity it shows.
Usually when I see threads like this - it’s someone who actually enjoys band/orchestra/choir but just wants to drop it so they can pad their whole schedule with AP classes…
But in your case - it’s different b/c you say you’re “not all that into Orchestra” - which makes me question why you even took it for your freshman year and also makes me question why you would continue. It’s better to quit now than, say junior year. If you don’t enjoy orchestra, then you’re gonna dread being in class by junior year (or maybe even sophomore year).
I don’t really know how true that is, but personally, I don’t believe that they care more about the unweighted GPA. They can tell the difference between a kid who only took AP/IB/Honors classes and has a 3.9 GPA - and a kid who only took P.E. classes but has a 4.0 GPA. The weighted GPA shows the rigor - and distinguishes between the kid who took easy courses to get easy A’s and the kid who actually challenged themselves.
What makes you think that it wouldn’t make a difference? This is an honest question - skating for 7 years shows a lot of commitment, even without regional/national/international competitions. There’s no need to downplay it. And it doesn’t matter if the admissions doesn’t know what the certificates mean - you should put it anyways.
I also need to mention that those top schools aren’t looking for the kid who only takes AP classes and doesn’t really show anything through ECs. The kids at my school who got into the Ivy League schools had strong courseloads - but they didn’t have perfect GPAs or SAT scores and they didn’t only take AP/IB classes - what really made them stand out were their extracurricular activities and impressive accomplishments outside of school. At the same time, a lot of students who applied to Ivy League schools with perfect GPAs & SAT scores, the most rigorous courseloads, but little-to-no ECs to make them stand out - got rejected. So yes, your ECs are important.