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Which "Looks Better" on Applications ... Academic Team or State Orchestra?

Written by Sally Rubenstone | Feb. 25, 2012

Question: My 17 year old has qualified to audition for All State orchestra for viola. He is also on the academic team which has made it to the state finals. The problem is the audition and the academic team event are on the same day. He is still undecided about a musical career, so wonders which of the two events would "look better" to colleges.

As the parent of a 9th grader, I've already discovered that teenagers seem to face major schedule conflicts even more than adults do. (My son claims it's because adults still control kids' lives ... and that they don’t look beyond their immediate concerns when making demands on teenagers’ time.) So you and your son have my sympathy as you address this dilemma.

Frankly, both activities will "look good" on applications, but if your son is applying to the most hyper-competitive places, then neither one will really stand out in a crowd. The Ivies and their ilk have more than their share of academic team winners and state orchestra musicians.

But ... if forced to pick one over the other, I'd vote for the viola because it's an individual achievement and not a group endeavor. However, the difference is hair-splitting, so if your son would prefer the academic team event, then I’d support his choice as well.

Do you think that there’s any chance that your son could try out for the state orchestra on another day? If the auditions are on a weekend, there may be a provision for students who have religious prohibitions … i.e., some students can only attend on Sundays and some only on Saturdays. Perhaps, too, there is a make-up try-out for any student who is ill or even for those who have a major conflict, as your son does. (Your son’s music teacher may be able to look into this for you.) While it would be impossible to reschedule the academic competition because of the team format, it may be possible to find an alternate date for an individual event. (I also have to wonder if there are other students who are facing this exact same conflict. After all, the orchestra kids are often the brainy ones ;))

So, before giving up on one of these opportunities, I suggest that your son make every effort to land another viola try-out time. If that doesn’t work, he’ll have a tough choice to make, but I don’t think college admissions “currency” is really a part of it.

(posted 2/25/2012)

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: From the first time the topic of college comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Weekend, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: As a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens and Tel Aviv. As senior advisor to College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents navigate the college admissions maze. In 2008, she co-founded College Karma, a private college consulting firm, with her College Confidential colleague Dave Berry, and she continues to serve as a College Confidential advisor. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. So Sally was nearly an official senior citizen when her son Jack began the college selection process, and when she was finally able to practice what she had preached for more than three decades.