I agree, @momofsenior! @socowonder, I really think that stinks in your daughter’s case, as AP ES is not even considered a rigorous course…sounds like something she just has to check off in order to have a certain number of APs. It’s especially sad considering all the studies showing the beneficial cognitive (and other) advantages of music on the growing brain. Will she continue music lessons independently? If that’s one of her main ECs I’d be equally concerned that dropping band would disadvantage her application.
You always hear that adcoms don’t want to see grade-and AP-grubbing students…they want to see kids who are alive and curious in their interests, so it’s all so confusing, the conflicting choices that students are required to make. In our case I’m ready to just throw up my hands and not care too much about college admissions in favor of having a happy child/young adult. She’ll go to a good school, if perhaps not an elite one. But I can say that, because D was lucky to have inherited college funds from deceased grandparents. I’m aware that other people have more to worry about (chasing merit).
In the case of Ds BF, I think he wouldn’t be terribly disadvantaged in college admissions if he chose band because he’s had honors chem already and will be taking AP Physics this year and Ap Bio next year. And the school counselor could verify that AP Chem is not offered every year. But it’s just a shame because he truly LIKES chemistry and is self-motivated to learn it (hopes to be a medical-research scientist one day). And music is one of his two strong ECs. I hope he doesn’t drop band (and maybe finds a way to do dual enrollment in chem next year though that’s not common to do here).