My parents are presurring me into quitting band. I’ve done band 2 years in high school, I’m a current sophomore, but my parents don’t think that band is worth it anymore.
Before I go on: please don’t give me stuff like oh just do what you like, enjoy life, don’t worry about college, let your heart lead the way, etc. Etc. I’m here for purely reasons that pertain for colleges. I do appreciate advice like that, but no offense, it will have no impact on my decision.
Anyways, I’m planning to go to med school, so I really need to get working. Will colleges look negatively at me quitting and after two years? I’m not a leader and while my band is pretty great, (we just won state) apparently such accomplishments mean nothing if I’m not a leader. As an individual, I haven’t really done anything great, although I am most likely going to get an Outstanding in UIL state in my solo and ensemble. Again, this is probably nothing by med school standards.
Here’s the big cinch: next year we go to grand nationals and I am absolutely sure we will be a finalist. This competition is basically the best high school marching band competition and it’s global. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can be a leader next year either. How will colleges look at this grand nats? Will it be a huge boost on my application? Or be worth a negligible amount?
On the other hand: if I quit band, I will be taking 7 to 8 ap classes and boost my GPA significantly. My parents think quitting band is great because I can have more time to study and whatnot, but I think that having no ECs is a pretty big risk. I’m pretty sure my resume will be super boring if I don’t have something like band to embellish it. Please give me your feedback as soon as possible! Looking forward to it!
If you look at many other posts, the general agreement is that good grades - even killer grades - are simply not enough at the most selective schools. Keep in mind - med schools do not care about your high school experiences, so “med school standards” do not directly apply.
What will differentiate you from the mass of academic grinds? Will you use your time to do some research and publish a paper? Or will you simply take a large pile of AP classes with no overriding theme or demonstrated interest in anything but seeking to increase your GPA?
Can you transition into a different musical activity that is less time consuming? Is there maybe a jazz band or a smaller wind ensemble? If not - maybe you could found one and then you’d have a leadership credential. You could also (either solo or with friends) perform for community service, such as playing at a senior center on the weekend or for the holidays. Make your own schedule, still an interesting activity for your applications.
It wont count against you to go in a different direction from band but it will show well that you developed a passion and became competitive with it. Ultimately, your grades will count the most, and most schools are not recruiting band players, but if there is a chance to go down a competition road and get a little application bling, and if you enjoy it (that matters-sorry), then stick it out another year. Competing for a grand national title is nothing to sniff at.
From a strictly logical/college admissions perspective, my understanding is that admissions officers like to see sustained commitment to an activity for which you feel great passion. If you were my child, I would suggest you finish what you started. Yes, numerically, band kids tend to have lower GPAs as the coursework required is neither honors nor AP, but college admissions officers understand this issue. Maybe consider stepping down from the leadership position and take a handful of AP classes then compete with your band. As a high school and college band alumna, I can tell you I marched alongside many premed students who are successful doctors today. I also marched with freshmen who began their college years as premed majors, then changed their majors two or three times, and are now quite successful and happy in other careers. Both groups managed their time so that they could make time for their life’s passion: music. If you make time in life for your passions, you can’t go wrong. Best of luck to you as you make your decision.
Not all colleges think this way, some are simply stats driven, but many want to see a more complete package. At my D’s schools many of those in band leadership are also NMF, 4.0 UW GPA and take 6 APs a year. They find a way to do it all and they end up at the most competitive universities.
And why not leadership in your senior year? You are only a sophomore now, you have time time to grow and become a leader. That will help YOU more than 8 APs a year.
Sorry if I sound preachy, but that is what I would tell my D.
Getting into any top tier school is a crapshoot. They can fill their classes many times over with students who have amazing grades, boatloads of APs, perfect standardized tests, great recommendations/essays etc. Simply put you will need ECs be they band or otherwise to have any shot of getting into a top tier college. Even with band (a relatively small EC where you show no leadership) it will be tough. Top colleges are looking for people who will do well academically but will also contribute to campus life – not students who go to class, and then study all day/night.
Med schools do not care about EC’s and APs that you took in high school. Med schools care about grades in college, your MCAT scores and research/shadowing/other opportunities that you take advantage of in college.
You goal now is to get into college. So what type of college is best and how do you target yourself for them? Many here argue that those preparing for med school should go to inexpensive state schools where they can avoid paying a lot for undergrad (since med school is very expensive), and where they can more easily be at the top of the class and get top grades and get picked for special opportunites. If that is your goal, then your EC’s probably won’t matter. But your AP’s won’t matter either except to perhaps get you through college quicker. If you choose to go this route, just do what you enjoy, not what pads your resume.
If for some reason you are hung up on going to a top level selective college, then you are going to need EC’s that show commitment. Quitting band would be a mistake if that is your goal. These schools don’t want someone who took lots of AP’s and didn’t do anything else. You should recognize that getting the top grades needed for med school may be more of a challenge at more selective schools.
Marching band is a huge time commitment, more power to you. If you love it, and your friends come from MB, and you are excited about going to nationals etc., those sound like excellent reasons to continue to do it.
Can you continue to participate in other music programs at your school if you are not in MB? At some schools, MB participation is a requirement in order to be able to participate in school orchestra, jazz or other ensembles.
At schools with more competitive admissions, they are looking to see what else a student could contribute on campus, and also to see whether a student has challenged themselves, not just academically, but also balancing competing demands in high school. Loading up on academics, without anything else about what a student has done outside the classroom, is not going to show admissions what a student might contribute on campus other than academics.
What makes you say you won’t have leadership opportunities in MB? At our school, seniors and the occasional junior, are section leaders, never sophomores. Maybe think about ways you could show leadership potential for MB – could you offer to help out with recruiting or training new freshman for MB? Serve as a contact person for your old middle school? Help out with fundraising ideas for the band? And leadership is nice to be able to show, but given the few opportunities in an organization like MB, that isn’t the be all and end all.
The more important question in considering college apps as a pre-med student would be affordability. With med school funded for most students entirely with loans, the advice is, choose an undergrad school where you are minimizing debt. You also want to consider a school where you can rise to the top since med school acceptances are stat-based – gpa an MCATs. Finally, since many pre-med students decide to switch paths, you want a school which offers other academic opportunities.
Grand Nationals is quite an experience. The preparation for Grand Nationals is intense and the lessons a student learns in that preparation are priceless. You may even get a college application essay from that experience. Leadership in band is typically for seniors and some juniors. You’re not there yet. And if your band friends return from Grand Nationals with a finalist medal and you dropped out, you’ll wish you’d have stayed in band.
If it is your only EC, absolutely don’t quite and honestly, you should be actively looking for more at this time. EC’s are a HUGE part of college acceptances as there are going to be literally thousands of kids with the same or better grades.
Colleges are going to compare you with the other kids in your school. What are they doing? how many classes/ EC’s do they have? because they are the first people you will be competing with in admissions.
Remember also that Med school, unlike undergrad, focuses almost exclusively on three things. Grades, MCAT and experience. When you get into colleges, think carefully about where you are choosing to go. If a top tier med school is your goal then a school notorious for giving low grades like UChicago or MIT, is probably not going to be the best choice for you.
You can go to a state directional college and still go to med school. Your parents sound like nuts who don’t understand the US education system. Students with no ECs don’t get into the better colleges.
I say stick with it. Take the APs in areas you are stronger, but don’t strive for the most APs, it is a waste of time. Apply to colleges where you can get a good GPA and good MCAT prep, and keep your debt down. While in college, find volunteer or work activities related to health care.
Med schools will not care about how many years you spent doing band. Undergraduate schools might.
Med schools care primarily about your undergraduate GPA and MCAT, not where you went to school, assuming it’s a respectable, accredited public or private non-profit institution.
I would not worry about whether or not you are a “leader” in your band. Are you enjoying it at the level you perform? If yes, stick with it. Perhaps leadership will come, perhaps not. Sustained commitment to an EC is important, whatever it is. This is a lot more impressive than casual involvement with a bunch of clubs.
Beyond doing well in 5-6 APs, top schools are not going to care if you have 11 or 12 or 13. Moreover, the most competitive schools either cap AP credits or don’t accept them at all.
Top schools also often recalculate weighted GPA according to their own system. So if you’re taking more APs to boost your weighted GPA or your rank, it might not yield as much as you think.
So, I would stick with band and maybe seek volunteering, shadowing, or interning in health sciences and/or delivery as a supplement, if medicine is your end goal. When the time comes, apply to a range of schools including a couple of true safeties where you are likely to receive merit-based aid.
Having no ECs looks bad at selective colleges. If band is your primary EC, then, quitting is not a good idea if you want to go to a selective college. Unless, of course, you can replace it with a better EC. Replacing it with another AP course is not likely to be all that helpful.
I felt compelled to register just so I could post here. As a parent of a high school senior who is in his 4th year of band, I would encourage you to stick with it. His school went to Grand Nationals twice during these four years and I think it is an unforgettable experience. Certainly for the band students but even for the family members who attended. Would it not be possible to take a full load of AP classes and continue with band? My son was able to do both and while he hasn’t ranked at the very top of his class, he’s done well. At our high school, a few of the top 10 students are usually band members. If my son didn’t do band, I don’t know that he would have ranked any higher academically. Being busy often helps with time scheduling but you and your parents know best and whether it is possible for you to take a full load of AP classes and continue with band. My son did take community college classes a couple of summers so he had one or two off periods during his last two high school years. That did free up some time during the school year but did make summers very busy. My son likely thought of quitting band at some point more than once. He had a few obstacles during his band journey and he did write a college application essay out of his experiences. He doesn’t plan to go to Medical School but so far his goal for getting into his college of choice and major of choice have been achieved. He wasn’t a part of band leadership but I’m proud of him for sticking with it. I think he stayed mainly because he enjoyed it and his friends were in band. He wasn’t great as an individual in band and even if it didn’t make a big impact on college applications (without leadership), he was happy with being part of the success of the band as a whole. I’ve gotta think 4 years in a competitive marching band with no leadership shows more than 4 years of no major high school activity. I don’t think he or I as his parent have any regrets with his band experience throughout high school.
For college admissions purposes, I would drop band and replace it with another EC. There’s still time next year to join something that you could win honors and awards in (like speech and debate, science olympiad, math/writing/music/art competitions). Even if you guys win the national championship, that doesn’t mean anything with dozens of band members from the same school. Also, band is a major time sink and often blocks out a class period that could be better spent on taking rigorous courses or electives.
Speaking up as the parent of a kid who is in band, and has been in leadership as a senior: I would encourage you to continue. As has been said, it’s entirely possible to take APs and be in band: my S has a total of 12, with scores of 4-5, and while junior year was a little difficult, he’s survived and is having a blast as a senior.
The things you learn from marching band are more than just how to change pants on a bus and read a time signature. You learn commitment, you learn adaptability, you develop leadership skills, and you learn to work as an ensemble. That last is important not only in college but in the working world, whether it’s McDonald’s or a surgical suite. And the other-- crucial-- skill you’ll need is to not quit when it gets hard. That’s something colleges, and employers, value highly. Dropping band, even for an extra AP or senior year in Model UN, is going to send a message you might not want to send.
Med school only cares about your college grades/activities.
Colleges care about your GPA and your ECs. However, if you get As in your academic classes and in Band, but your Weighted GPA is below some others, don’t worry about it as long as you are still in the top 10% of your class.
For pre-med, you can major in anything you want. The college doesn’t care that much that you are pre-med because so many people are and then drop out. I would suggest that you do some volunteering at a hospital now to ensure that you like medicine. Colleges want to see ECs over an extended period of time, so sticking with Band. You are not a leader now, but you would not be expected to be…that would come Junior or Senior year.
Band is a great social activity as well as a great EC. Generally the band kids are fairly academically oriented.
Don’t drop activities that you love because of trying to replace it with a weighted course…trying to game your GPA.
HS is a time to learn and be social and yes, prepare for college. Have Balance.