<p>Say that I’m pretty decent at the tuba in high school, although it has nothing to do with desiring to be a med student. Should I keep doing the tuba and study music (which is somewhat of a passion) or should I just replace my music classes with harder academic classes to further prepare me for the rigors of a college that will prepare me for medical school?</p>
<p>Oh for crying out loud. If you love playing the tuba (and saying it’s a “passion” would mean that to me)…keep playing the tuba. Your high school courses won’t matter a LICK when you apply to med school IF you happen to go that route in four years or so. What WILL matter is your MCAT scores and your undergrad GPA and the courses you take undergrad.</p>
<p>What about medical programs that guarantee that you go to medical school, programs that you have to apply to during high school? (BS/MD Programs) I would like to apply to them while taking the hardest courses possible. I think I have a bigger passion for medicine/science than I do with music, and I can’t take band classes without sacrificing science courses. Should I still stay with it?</p>
<p>Even the toughest high school has room in the schedule for an elective course. Fill the rest of your periods with challenging courses and take music if you want to. If you don’t want to…just drop it.</p>
<p>Schools like to see well rounded kids. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Who knows, maybe the College you want to go to will be looking for a Tuba player for the orchestra. That may give your application the extra attention you need to get an offer of admissions.</p>
<p>If playing the tuba is something you will miss if you replace music with science classes look for other opportunities for playing outside of school hours. Maybe a nearby college lets non-college members in or maybe there are community groups that you could join.</p>
<p>I agree with hovermom (love that name. aren’t we all.) But if you know of programs you are interested in, call them and see what they say. And here’s another thought:
Years ago I had a friend who did a BS/MD program and they are highly selective. On top of that, they will likely select WAY more than they will graduate. The situation for my friend was that 350 were selected and only 24 graduated. The big cut was after the 3rd year. That is a lot of stress to save one year of school. Your schedule might not allow any future tuba time. That would be sad.</p>
<p>dad and mom, how coincidental.
anyway, thank you all for your input. I do sports and volunteering, so I’m not a completely dull person. I just wondering whether quitting band would be a mistake. I mean, when I think about it, there are equal pros and cons for me quitting band, so I would not mind too much quitting or not quitting. I really just want to maintain my top class ranking by taking harder classes, while balancing out nicely with extracurriculars I like. Band takes a significant amount of time- sometimes practices are so long, I feel like I waste valuable time with it. I almost always have fun with sports, despite the rigorous workouts. Moreover, I have to balance in the summer with band practices and running practices that take place during the same time. Quitting band, or even track, would give me so much more focus either way. Track is a passionate activity I can do without it having a direct effect on my GPA.</p>
<p>Well, that’s basically my life story so far.</p>
<p>Only you can decide. Do what you love and work hard at it. “I would not mind too much quitting or not quitting…practices are so long, i feel like I waste valuable time with it” Maybe that tells you something. At some point, if you follow the path to med school, you will have to give up studying music, perhaps for quite a few years. If you truly loved being in band, I’d suggest that you stay there and enjoy it while you can, because you will surely be sacrificing music later, though perhaps not forever. But your ambivalence suggests that the fulfillment really isn’t there. It is a very frustrating feeling to waste one’s time when one is ambitious like you are. </p>
<p>But don’t quit music just to present a better picture to a college. And don’t stay in music just to impress the admissions officers. Do it for yourself.</p>
<p>Whatever you decide, enjoy the road you travel. You’ll do your best if you follow your heart. There are only so many hours in a day. Many professionals do go back to music later in life by joining community performing groups. If you truly love it, you’ll find your back to music, whether you stay in band now or not. Good luck! You have an exciting, challenging road ahead.</p>
<p>Thanks guys! This really gave me some light-shedding insight.</p>