Yes! I don’t think a current admission officer would ever say that (on the record).
To me the bigger issue is - why would one give up their passion?
If you have to give up your passion to increase chances at going to an elite college, than find another college.
If someone loves music and this could be an enjoyment or passion for them their entire life, why would they give it up?
That person has the wrong priorities if they were to do that.
Let’s hope no one out there is truly pushing this theory.
Anyway, I’m not world class in anything. Dropping something where I’m eminently solid and passionate to take up something else - hmmmm - i’m still not going to be a world beater.
Few are or could be - I mean, track athletes started doing bobsled and made the olympic team.
But for most of us, we’re not top level at anything - so flipping from something you are passionate about to something else (and that you’re likely not passionate about) - I can’t even put my arms around it.
That’s why I think it must have been misheard or mis understood.
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Agreed that this is some messed up advice. I have seen similar advice on CC on other subjects too (i.e. if you can’t get an A in a particular class, don’t take the class). This does not bode well for mathematics education in particular, which I find is too stratified in the US. All high schoolers are required to reach basic calculus by 11th grade in my home country in Europe. Do they all get As? Definitely not but they gain broader analytical thinking skills. The “mathy” kids, such as myself, also were required to take Ancient Greek or Latin, as well as other humanities-related subjects, which I did not love as a teenager but have come to appreciate as I got older. Lowering the common standards in math that all students need to reach allows both teachers and students (particularly in the younger grades) to treat mathematical thinking as a nuisance that one needs to get through. Not everyone needs to go into STEM but everyone needs basic mathematical skills. I recently taught a friend of mine who is a lawyer how to set up and solve basic equations that he needed for work. He told me that he was never a math guy, yet picked up the skills I taught him super quickly and figured out a way to solve a system of equations with two unknowns by himself. I’d say he is a “mathy” guy.
I digress… but I find that the race to create college admissions superstars leaves many educational and basic human needs unfulfilled. The arts are a basic human need. I marvel at all the classically trained young musicians that will always have music to sooth their souls.
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OP: If you are interested in both journalism and music, then you should definitely take a good look at Northwestern and USC. The Stanford name sounds really great, but the acceptance rate for unhooked students is probably less than 2%. NU and USC will by no means be easy, either, but you might have a decent chance if you apply to one of them early.
Your grades and ECs look fine. Therefore, I would only suggest that you retake the SAT in October. If you can bump it to the 1500 level, I think you will have a decent shot at both schools.
Good luck!
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