<p>Orientation was this morning, and I got my schedule for the school year. As I feared, scheduling conflicts made it so I cannot take AP Government and Economics, and I was consequently placed into honors. Which is a joke. I’ll avoid giving you the long version of the story, and cut to my dilemma. I have two choices before me:</p>
<p>I either cut choir from my schedule, or keep it.</p>
<p>Pros of cutting it: Not only will this free up my schedule and allow me to take AP Government and Economics, but it would allow me to take yet another AP course, like Psychology (something I’ve been interested in trying out). Also, AP courses are GPA/Class Rank fodder, and at my school it’s relatively easy to get an A. For the caliber schools I’m looking at, my class rank is decent, but unspectacular. It could use the boost of an additional three AP courses (as of now, all I have are Calculus and Physics). That would give me a total of 8 AP courses through the entirety of my high school years, as opposed to only 5. My guess is that even if I were to make straight As all year, my class rank would still get worse. </p>
<p>Cons of cutting it: Choir is one of my very few ECs. If you know anything about me, you’d know that although I only have a few ECs, I am extremely involved in them. Choir is not quite as important to me as cross country and track, but I still care about it tremendously. What’s more, last year I enjoyed a fair amount of success in the All-state process, making it to the third of four auditions. With more experience and determination, I stand a decent chance at making the All State Choir, the pinnacle of musical achievement in Texas. Add that on top of being a varsity captain for a potential state championship cross country team, and I’ve got quite the versatile repertoire. </p>
<p>So I either cut choir, and consequently improve my GPA, class rank, and increase the academic rigor of my schedule (something I know colleges clamor for); or I keep it, sacrificing an improved academic resume for a chance at being an All State musician (which is never a sure thing) and remaining in an EC that I thoroughly enjoy. What does HSL think?</p>
<p>Oh and it seems as though you are only debating whether or not to keep choir because you do not have a lot of ECs. This makes it seem as though you are only doing it for college, so I would say it only do this if you TRULY enjoy it. You know how most on here say to only do the ECs you actually enjoy. BTW, because it seems as though your post hinges on what seems more impressive college admissions, have you ever thought of trying to get recruited for cross country/track? What are your times?</p>
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<li><p>If you don’t mind me asking, what is your current rank, and are your grades all/almost all A’s, or are there a lot of B’s or lower? In addition, were your previous AP scores mostly 5’s, or were there some 4’s, 3’s, or lower?</p></li>
<li><p>Do you have to be in the school choir to go to the All-State contest?</p></li>
<li><p>What caliber schools (or what schools) are you aiming at? Like, Ivies, state schools, or something in between?</p></li>
<li><p>What exactly is “AP Government and economics” in terms of the actual AP exams? Is it AP US Government and politics, AP Comparative government and politics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, or some combination?</p></li>
<li><p>Are you involved in choir outside of school?</p></li>
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<p>If you’re planning to major in anything Government or Business-related, then cut choir. Also, if you don’t like Choir and are just doing it as another EC, then cut it. Having those APs will benefit you more than Choir in the long run.</p>
<p>Otherwise if you love Choir, then don’t cut it.</p>
<p>Of the schools I’m considering, Princeton, MIT, Cornell, and Duke are the most selective.</p>
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<p>Government and Politics and Macroeconomics.</p>
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<p>If you mean beyond my school’s choir, then no.</p>
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<p>I’ll be fast enough to walk on to most college teams, but not fast enough to be recruited. And I do truly enjoy choir; very much so. At the same time, however, I want to challenge myself academically.</p>
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<li><p>I would ask your school if you can take AP courses online and still get AP weight and a grade. If so, I would take out government and economics entirely from your schedule and take AP government and AP macroeconomics (and even AP psych) online through a site like BYU or Keystone, while keeping choir in your normal schedule.</p></li>
<li><p>If your school won’t let you do the above, I would only do choir if you are both truly passionate about choir, and are not a senior. If you’re just doing it for colleges or are a senior, don’t do it. In that case, I would explore ways to participate in choir outside of school (like a club).</p></li>
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