Skip Orchestra for sophomore year?

wzzzz · 02-02-2005, 08:49 PM

My S is a freshman and takes orchestra this year. He receives A for it for the first semester. Since this is an unranked course his weighted gpa is lower because of this course. Should he skip orchestra and pick an additional science course (honors) to keep his weighted gpa high? Do the good colleges care about orchestra?

bemyparaguay · 02-02-2005, 08:59 PM

I'm taking orchestra for all four years (minus a semester where I had to take health). I could have taken something else, like something academic, but I love orchestra and all the people and it's nice to have one class where there isn't any pressure to get As on work, since our grade comes from participation.

If he really like orchestra, tell him to keep taking it. If he's really good and in outside groups, that's even better as it shows dedication. I've said this before and I'll say it again: Let him choose. If he'd rather take orchestra than a science, he should take orchestra. He really should be choosing his classes on what he'd be happiest taking and not what he (or you) thinks will look the best to colleges.

wzzzz · 02-02-2005, 09:04 PM

bemyparaguay, I agree with you in theory. However, we have to play the ranking game too, right? I know it's no fair.

astrophysicist2b · 02-02-2005, 09:34 PM

good colleges I think will wonder why he's no longer in orchestra. if he's not going to be valedictorian or salutatorian, it shouldn't really matter that it's unweighted since he's going to get an a in it. speaking from personal experience, I can say that not taking orchestra this year (only science class left that I could take was the same period, and I plan on majoring in science-- both were weighted though) was something I truly regret.

qiutip · 02-02-2005, 10:02 PM

I was wondering the same thing. I debated whether to take it or not for next year in place of an AP class.
I pretty much decided now to stick with orchestra

Canadia1 · 02-02-2005, 10:20 PM

for us, orchestra counts as an elective and doesn't factor into gpa (we don't have rank, but our gpa is basically out rank anyway). i'm only taking it to be in the district/regional/state orchestras because it's required that we are in the school orchestra to audition. if an ap course was at the same time, i'd go to ap since i'm in youth orchestras, too.

cowgirlatheart · 02-03-2005, 12:36 AM

Orchestra is a good thing. If I didn't have choir/band (flute) four mornings a week I would go completely insane due to an excessive amount of academics (which I have a lot of already, being in IB).
Stress relief + creativity + ec that looks good = good idea
At my school though, they have band/choir in the mornings for IB kids, so it doesn't interfere with timetable. It counts towards your average and you get credits for it, but because I live in Canada the weighted/unweighted thing doesn't exist so that's not a problem. I'm also in orchestra (viola) and a fiddle group outside of school. There are tons of options out there and I'd look into them before dropping orchestra for more academics and stress!

Canadia1 · 02-03-2005, 12:38 AM

orchestra = joke at my school.

Northstarmom · 02-03-2005, 02:23 AM

The very top colleges care about students who take demanding curricula and run with their talents and passions. If your S love orchestra and is taking a demanding curriculum, I suggest that he continue with orchestra. Demonstrating a strong passion would outweight the difference caused by taking a course that's unweighted.

If your S isn't that interested in orchestra, I suggest that he take the most demanding curriculum possible unless he has a passion in some other area that relates to an unweighted course.

I am an alum interviewer for an Ivy. I see far more students how have chosen courses to pad their resumes and to attempt to look good to adcoms than I have seen students who chose courses and pursued ECs out of their own interests and passions. ECs will not cause a student who's weak academically to be accepted, but demonstrated pursuit of intellectual/EC passions plus good grades is what accepted students have.

Keep in mind that due to the extraordinary numbers of highly qualified candidates, even with excellent grades/scores rigorous courses, passionately pursued ECs, getting into an elite college is still a longshot.

tomas · 02-03-2005, 02:32 AM

Lucky me, I attend a school where I can take 3 music classes all four years and still get in every advanced class at my high school. Plus my school doesn't weight grades, so technically my music classes raise my gpa, which isn't otherwise perfect. I wrote off the only 4 academic classes to college with 'music is my passion, and it's the only thing I can take to the next level without many advanced classes at my school', which is true. Only down for me is I have to take a zero period every year; never see the sun during winter sports months at my windowless high school.

Canadia1 · 02-03-2005, 03:41 AM

We're always outside at my school because we have ranch style buildings that are either 1 or 2 floors tall but are really wide and each building is sort of in this open square formation but they're soooooooo long that it takes so long to get from one side of the campus to the other. It sucks in the winter when it snows because the school is on a huge hill so it gradually slopes down (I wouldn't say moutain but I live in an area that's pretty high elevated) so if you slip, you're basically a goner. Because of the hills, we have stone steps going from the top of the campus to the bottom and they're so crappy that when it rains, the water actually gets trapped on the stairs b/c the stairs cave in a little and your shoes and pants get ruins. It's not so great having an outdoorsy campus either! Our school's getting rebuilt though in 2006.

lkf725 · 02-03-2005, 08:43 AM

wzzz: I must comment that participating in the school band had been good and bad. First, the bad. I believe it did cost my son the honor of being valedictorian. Four years of music absolutely did drag his QPA down...if your QPA is above 4.0 due to AP courses, any regular, unweighted class will be a disadvantage. The couple of kids above him took zero unweighted classes, no fine arts, nothing except academics. Now, the good. He loves music as well as academics. He has grown immensely as a musician in the past four years and music is just plain fun for him. He has participated in numerous musical groups state-wide, as well as local non-school groups. For him, I think it was the right decision. Once you go to college, NOBODY will be impressed that you were #1 instead of #2 or #3. And, maybe the versatility of having multiple interests is an advantage in college admissions. Also, as a parent, I wouldn't want to give my child the impression that the arts are worthless, or that a person's value in based solely on a contrived number. Just my opinion.

Harpingchic · 02-03-2005, 05:13 PM

i totally understand.. i will be salutatorian bc the person above me was able to take one more weighted class, but it was worth it. i love band and music.

warblersrule · 02-03-2005, 05:36 PM

Same here...I'm 1/56 of a GPA point below #1. I took Wind Ensemble honors last year, and he took IB Art. It was slightly irritating at first, but I decided I didn't really mind. I really love band, and I'm glad I could continue in music. I was forced to drop the class this year so I could take physics (prospective bio major). I joined jazz band so that I could continue my music (I also plan to play in college). An orchestra/music program after school might be a solution if he really wants a high GPA. I would advise him to take orchestra, though. Like many others, I love music, and I think the dedication and satisfaction that comes from it are well worth a GPA point or two. Musicians are amazing people, and music classes are quite simply some of the best classes you can take.

qiutip · 02-03-2005, 07:06 PM

Some before/after school orchestra programs count towards our gpa at my school.
I think its dumb and wish it didn't since its more of a extra curricular...