Hi my daughter is equally interested in both tennis and Indian dance. so for the purpose of colleges which would be better?
She cannot do both. Both are time consuming and has to pick one… For someone with asian Indian background , to stand apart would tennis or Bollywood dance help? I am asking this question because this is CC web site and questions are mostly based towards admission to colleges. I always hear do what the child likes etc etc but what if child likes 2 things equally?
The one she enjoys more, assuming that recruited athlete is not an option.
Applicants (and their parents) need to eliminate the words “impressive,” “like,” “best,” or similar words from their vocabulary until after decisions are made. It is the rare application/course schedule/EC that will “impress” admissions. Perhaps the AO that read Malala’s application was “impressed” by her ECs, but she set the bar high. Students should do things that are right for them
Don’t worry about “what looks best”. There is no such thing, unless your daughter is so great at tennis that she could get an athletic scholarship.
This is an opportunity for her to wear her big girl pants and make a decision. She likes both, can’t do both.
What would benefit college is really a toss up and probably school specific. If she were playing Wimbledon at 15, ok. Otherwise she should pick what she finds fulfilling and improves her over-all mindset.
I said she likes them equally and has equal talent level in both so that’s where problem lies
Then **she/b should flip a coin. Or choose the one whose schedules work best with the rest of her life. Or the one with the better teacher. Or any other parameters of her choice. There are many times in life when choices have to be made.
Agree. Some times common sense is hard to follow 
I’d say tennis because it’s something that a lot of people play and it’s fun to do socially (you can always find some group at your ability level) plus it’s great exercise. I enjoyed tennis and played after college on community teams. I wish I had also learned to play golf when younger for the same reason.
Or the one that more friends are also doing. They are both pretty standard activities.
Indian dsnce getting to be more mainstream in USA now though. Tennis one csn play till you are in your 80s!
Why would she have to choose? I kept up my dance and my competitive tennis into college (and beyond). But if for one reason she has to choose one to quit and one to keep, let her choose whichever one makes her happy.
When my kids were in THIRD grade, they each had to choose between dance and children’s chorus. Both were things they were equally good at…and both were equally time consuming.
The kids had to make the choice.
If two third graders could do that…the OP’s daughter (who sounds older than an 8 year old) should be able to choose between these two activities herself.
How old is your daughter? If she’s in hs and just starting tennis then it’s not for college and I’d say just do what she thinks is fun. I was a recruited athlete for tennis in college but ended up not playing and going to another school I got in for normally. Choose what makes her happy.
She can do both.
(Just not at the same time, of course.)
She is 12 years old and starting 7 th grade. she has been learning both activities for last 4 years. I am sure there are kids who can do both but when time management is an issue , it is difficult. I see a common theme of doing what makes you happy in this thread…
At 12-yo I would say let her continue with both activities because with four-year (only) training, both are still at the (mostly) intermediate level. Since her school work is yet to pick up dramatically, wait till freshman yr in hs to decide.
Replying to mom of 3 rd graders. Yes sure she csn choose herself but I think kids need guidance at all ages and levels. Even adults need guidance. Nothing to do with age.
My daughter had to drop an activity in middle school. She was taking mostly a high school curriculum and she had a lot of homework. She dropped dance for volleyball because there was no way to do both. Sometimes the choices can’t wait until high school.
OP - just be prepared that your daughter may change her mind again in HS. Mine dropped volleyball after sophomore year and her dance training came in very handy for theater. It all works out!
Happy for your daughter ! Good job. Thanks for the advice. Agree with unpredictability.
I’m the parent of the third graders who had to choose.
Kids started dance at age three. At age 8, the kids wanted to audition for a children’s choir. Both were after school activities with a rather large time commitment.
When they were accepted into the choir, both asked if they could do both. We parents politely said…NO…and told them to pick the one they wanted to do. We gave them absolutely no guidance other than to say…choose. They liked both activities, but only one could be done.
They both made their choice…and told us. And that was that.
As a 7th grader, it’s likely that both tennis and dance are after school activities. If you only want your kiddo to do one of these, the she will need to choose.
If she chooses dance…You could also look into options for summer tennis for next year, and the summer before 9th grade. Than, if she chooses, she could try out for the HS tennis team in 9th grade.
Adding…we didn’t make the choice or even offer much in terms of guidance…because our kids had already made the decision they liked both activities…and we never wanted them to say that WE made them choose one activity over the other.