Hi,
I was just wondering -
Which looks more impressive / makes for better chances of admission to top schools.
Software Development (iOS Apps and Internships at Large Companies), or a solid music portfolio? (Completed CM 10, participated in multiple competitions, etc;). It might be worth noting that I have acquired a user base of around ~20,000, and have created multiple apps for my school and community.
I am currently at crossroads - I can either intern at a major software company, or continue developing my piano skills and participate in numerous competitions (which can lead to playing at Carnegie Hall).
Thanks for your feedback and help!
@lostaccount I enjoy both immensely - however, I have to choose, and I was wondering which is the better road.
Well, what do you want to go into in college? Also, it sounds like you’d be taking a chance with piano. No one can guarantee to being able to play at Carnegie Hall. Honestly, music should be fun and relaxed. Once you take that away, it becomes stressful. If you truly value them equally, then I’d say your CS has more potential.
@jarrett211 I also thought that, however, I feel that the music awards may be more prestigious.
If you enjoy the piano, maybe really develop your CS but continue playing piano recreationally.
Colleges want to see that you are doing your ECs for you, not for them. You should choose to do your ECs because you are passionate about them, not because you are just trying to “check boxes”. In general, as long as you can talk about your ECs, you’re fine. There should be one or two ECs that you can talk about with significantly more depth than the others. Pick the ones that you are especially passionate about to develop, even if it doesn’t necessarily end up being related to what you will be doing as a career. However, if you feel like you are going to pursue CS as a career for example, focusing on your software development may help make it easier to have something to talk about in your essays.