Is it bad if almost all of my extracurriculars have to do with music (piano, chorus, chamber music, clubs, volunteer concerts, etc)? Music is something I really love, which is why I devote so much of my time to it. I’ve heard that it’s better to have a few interests that you’re really passionate about and can devote a lot of time to than to spread yourself over many areas, but I worry that I’ll be considered a poorer applicant for not having more academic-y ECs. I do have other interests (mainly social justice, activism and politics), I just haven’t pursued them to the same extent.
I’m a sophomore right now, so basically I’m wondering if I should be trying some new things next year, or keep working hard at what I’m already involved in.
Yes… When schools consider you, they think, “Will this kid be good in chorus/a capella/piano team?” They definitely won’t think you can be on all those teams, so being involved in too many activities will not benefit you and divert your time. Focus on 1 or 2, and focus your efforts elsewhere. My recommendation is academics. Your grades, intelligence depends on how hard you study while in highschool. GL~!
Thanks collegeguy97, but that wasn’t really what I was asking.
There are certain music extracurriculars that I do that I have done all my life, and while they take up a lot of my time, they’re manageable. Then there are other music ECs that I’ve taken on both because I have genuine interest in them, and because I need extracurriculars (I’m aiming for some pretty competitive schools that are also very into the “holistic approach,” so getting good grades isn’t going to be enough). What I’m asking is, should I continue doing all the extra music stuff that I love, or should I be doing some other things instead so that I’m a more “well rounded applicant”?
Basically, in terms of extracurriculars, I know it’s smart to not be “well rounded” to the extent that you can’t give sufficient time to everything that you do. But I’m wondering if it’s better to be “well rounded” on a smaller scale, or to be devoted to one general subject area (for me, music).
Don’t change who you are for a school. If you’re passionate in music and want to pursue music-related EC’s, that’s what you want to do. Are you not as well-rounded as other applicants? Probably, but that doesn’t debase or degrade your passion behind your EC’s and the time invested into those EC’s.
Do what you love…that is what ECs are all about.
IF you are interested in other things and can fit something else in like a community service event that is great too.
Colleges are trying to build a well-rounded class, not necessarily a class of well-rounded individuals. I think it would actually work in your favour if your ECs were concentrated in one area, since that clearly shows that you have a passion for it.
( If you want to add a little in community service you could also use music to volunteer to teach younger kids, play at church or at non-profit events etc. )
Actually @collegeguy97 she wanted to know if focusing on music was okay or should she expand out to more academic EC’s (such as speech and debate or physics club). Your answer seemed to only focused on whether she should be doing so many music EC’s.
IMO, Schools are looking for evidence of depth but also want to see kids who are willing to explore and be curious and take risks. I assume you do not want to be a music major? If so, you need to demonstrate other talents besides technical musicianship That can be inside the music ECs and can be brought out via essay (like playing at nursing homes). But if music is really a vocation, not a profession, it would be good to have some other EC’s or it will look like you only concentrated on areas where you know you’d excel. Because the tippy-top schools want to see evidence of both smarts, accomplishment and fearlessness.
@lalalemma My son only had music ECs (composition, a cappella, classical piano and his own alternative music band). Even his volunteer hours revolved around music. I would venture to say that in and out of school, he spent about 5 to 6 hours a day on music during HS. Okay, he played ultimate frisbee and was in NHS, but I am sure that those two activities didn’t make a whit of difference. He was admitted to an Ivy League school.
Why do people push this notion " it’s smart to not be well rounded?" And then they pose it as one extreme or the other: all one type of activity versus spreading themselves thin on meaningless things. There’s a middle ground and the safer bet is always to be at least somewhat rounded. For the “pretty competitive” colleges, it can very much be, as qialah said, how you show you can “explore, be curious, take risks.”
I’d bet, if OP considers everything he/she does, it’s more than just music.
Im just finishing up my freshman year of college, but your situation was a lot like mine.
I dont think there’s anything wrong with what you’re doing. In high school, I was very active in music (jazz, band, orchestras, choirs, chamber, volunteering, etc). It shows a passion and quite a bit of depth and commitment. I also did dance and several schools clubs (electronics, a specific-culture club, NHS, and another performance art that I won’t describe but is the only one I was in all four years), but not to the extent that I did music (my senior year, I was in 3 music classes, and 9 performing ensembles, counting school and after school ones).
My classes showed that I enjoyed math/CS (my primary and secondary majors) and that is where I pursued that side of me, along with summer classes. Your ECs don’t have to match what your academic passion is- you can pursue them separately.
I got into both of my top choice schools with full-tuition scholarships (one was a strict music scholarship, the other was an academic scholarship with an artist designation). I believe at both schools, I would have had a hard time getting in without my music accomplishments, since there were many from my high school that were much more qualified than me academically (STEM magnet school in the top 10 schools in the country).
Use your depth in music to stand out. It shows you have more than an academic side.
That’s even better for you. Nonetheless, even if you weren’t planning on pursuing music, keep doing what you love and enjoy. This is YOUR story, and no one can make it better by altering it.
Actually, I’d say that it’s MUCH better to be exceptionally gifted in say, music, than to go with the typical joining clubs/volunteering/etc. aimlessly without any real direction.
I would take a careful look at what role you are playing in these music ECs. Just a member? Star performer? Doing outreach? Taking a leadership role/organizing things? There’s a lot of room for differentiating yourself within these ECs.