---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I got to NYU, I had applied based on…"
description: "\"When I got to NYU, I had applied based on playing folk music, and they said, 'You're the banjo girl,' so I thought ,'OK, I'm the banjo girl.'\" — Maggie..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/maggie-rogers-6211_banjo_when-i-got-to-nyu-i-had-applied-based-on_2501581.jpg"
---

#  When I got to NYU, I had applied based on playing folk…

![“When I got to NYU, I had applied based on playing folk music, and they said, 'You're the banjo girl,' so I thought ,'OK, I'm the banjo girl.'” quote by Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/maggie-rogers-6211_banjo_when-i-got-to-nyu-i-had-applied-based-on_2501581.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/maggie-rogers-6211_banjo_when-i-got-to-nyu-i-had-applied-based-on_2501581.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/maggie-rogers-6211_banjo_when-i-got-to-nyu-i-had-applied-based-on_2501581.jpg)

> “When I got to NYU, I had applied based on playing folk music, and they said, 'You're the banjo girl,' so I thought ,'OK, I'm the banjo girl.'”

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She embraced a label given by others, turning it into a personal identity and opportunity.

**In simple terms:** She accepted a nickname and used it to define herself.

Key Takeaway

Own the labels you receive and shape them.

Themes

identity music career self‑acceptance

Mood

reflective determined

Type

personal career

When to use this quote

- college audition
- first gig
- media interview
- branding campaign

Key Concepts

branding authenticity genre opportunity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you transform external labels into strengths?
- What risks come with embracing a nickname?

A Different Perspective

Labels can limit perception if not redefined.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Banjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/) [Banjo Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo-girl-1066035/) [Folk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folk/) [Folk music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folk-music/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Nyu Applied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nyu-applied-1066036/) [Ok Banjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ok-banjo-1066038/) [Said Banjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-banjo-1066037/)

## Related quotes

> [I didn't grow up on the porch of a cabin looking out over the 90 acres that the mule was plowing with Paw-Paw playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketch-secor/i-didn-t-grow-up-on-the-porch-of-a-cabin-looking-out-over-the-90/)

[Ketch Secor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketch-secor/)

> [When we moved back to the US, folk music was all the rage. So I traded in my banjo for a guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/when-we-moved-back-to-the-us-folk-music-was-all-the-rage-so-i-traded/)

[Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/)

> [I didn't actually start playing the banjo until I was in high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/i-didn-t-actually-start-playing-the-banjo-until-i-was-in-high-school/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [Folk music usually romanticises the road. 'Back in my Body' tells the opposite story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/folk-music-usually-romanticises-the-road-back-in-my-body-tells-the/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more primitive instrument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/)

[Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/)

> [I've heard of people stopping their cars, having car wrecks, all kinds of things. But most of the banjo players I know had that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-ve-heard-of-people-stopping-their-cars-having-car-wrecks-all-kinds/)

[Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/)

> [A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo and doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-gentleman-is-someone-who-knows-how-to-play-the-banjo-and-doesn-t/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [When I first heard the minstrel banjo - I played a gourd first - I almost lost my mind. I was like, Oh, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/when-i-first-heard-the-minstrel-banjo-i-played-a-gourd-first-i-almost/)

[Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/)

> [“banjo. A plucked, fretted lute where a thin skin diaphragm is stretched over a circular metal frame amplifying the sound of the strings. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-doherty/banjo-a-plucked-fretted-lute-where-a-thin-skin-diaphragm-is-stretched/)

[Liz Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-doherty/)

> [Nothing says 'dropping out of society' like learning the banjo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-roth/nothing-says-dropping-out-of-society-like-learning-the-banjo/)

[Daniel Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-roth/)

> [Earl Scruggs had this thing that it wasn't just the technique or even the instrument. It was him. There was this soulful quality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn-t-just-the-technique-or-even/)

[Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/)

> [My family was always playing music; I always enjoyed it. My cousin, who is a little older than me, he started playing music, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vile/my-family-was-always-playing-music-i-always-enjoyed-it-my-cousin-who/)

[Kurt Vile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vile/)

> [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [When I was very young my mother sang to me at bedtime and my dad would often play the banjo or fiddle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-block/when-i-was-very-young-my-mother-sang-to-me-at-bedtime-and-my-dad/)

[Rory Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-block/)

> [Id be happiest standing at the back, strumming my little banjo where no one could see me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/id-be-happiest-standing-at-the-back-strumming-my-little-banjo-where/)

[Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/)

## More by Maggie Rogers

> [It's interesting because all I want to do is make music. I want to sit in my room, play the guitar, make beats, sing...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/it-s-interesting-because-all-i-want-to-do-is-make-music-i-want-to-sit/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [The reality of the music industry is that I was a 22-year-old college graduate who was able to walk into boardrooms and be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/the-reality-of-the-music-industry-is-that-i-was-a-22-year-old-college/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [New York is so strange. Every time I'm there, I very rarely see someone who's dressed cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/new-york-is-so-strange-every-time-i-m-there-i-very-rarely-see-someone/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [It took me two years to write 'Fallingwater,' but it's one of my favorite pieces I've ever made, and it was worth waiting for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/it-took-me-two-years-to-write-fallingwater-but-it-s-one-of-my/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [I grew up writing songs and producing music, and I studied music production in college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/i-grew-up-writing-songs-and-producing-music-and-i-studied-music/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [I'm kind of a terrible musician. I'm a very functional musician. I play just about every instrument in a band setting, functionally. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/i-m-kind-of-a-terrible-musician-i-m-a-very-functional-musician-i-play/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [Ask about music growing up, I'll tell you I grew up playing classical music, and I didn't grow up in a musical household.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/ask-about-music-growing-up-i-ll-tell-you-i-grew-up-playing-classical/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [Like most people in college, I just wasn't really sure who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/like-most-people-in-college-i-just-wasn-t-really-sure-who-i-was/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [There are a lot of things worse to be than the 'Pharrell girl.' I hope that'll wear off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/there-are-a-lot-of-things-worse-to-be-than-the-pharrell-girl-i-hope/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [I love being outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/i-love-being-outside/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [I think, as a musician, or even as a citizen of the world, I just want to be a part of something or feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/i-think-as-a-musician-or-even-as-a-citizen-of-the-world-i-just-want/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [Bjork - she wears really weird stuff, and it's amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/bjork-she-wears-really-weird-stuff-and-it-s-amazing/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [When I write songs, it happens very quickly, sometimes 10 to 15 minutes, and I draw inspiration from everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/when-i-write-songs-it-happens-very-quickly-sometimes-10-to-15-minutes/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [I feel really held in being vulnerable. That's always been the kind of music that I've gravitated to as well, but to feel really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/i-feel-really-held-in-being-vulnerable-that-s-always-been-the-kind-of/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [I only get compared to women, which is crazy because often the women they compare me to... we just have a similar hairstyle. Whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/i-only-get-compared-to-women-which-is-crazy-because-often-the-women/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

[Explore all 99 Maggie Rogers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

## More Banjo quotes

> [Id be happiest standing at the back, strumming my little banjo where no one could see me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/id-be-happiest-standing-at-the-back-strumming-my-little-banjo-where/)

[Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/)

> [When I was very young my mother sang to me at bedtime and my dad would often play the banjo or fiddle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-block/when-i-was-very-young-my-mother-sang-to-me-at-bedtime-and-my-dad/)

[Rory Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-block/)

> [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [When we moved back to the US, folk music was all the rage. So I traded in my banjo for a guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/when-we-moved-back-to-the-us-folk-music-was-all-the-rage-so-i-traded/)

[Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/)

> [My family was always playing music; I always enjoyed it. My cousin, who is a little older than me, he started playing music, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vile/my-family-was-always-playing-music-i-always-enjoyed-it-my-cousin-who/)

[Kurt Vile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vile/)

> [Earl Scruggs had this thing that it wasn't just the technique or even the instrument. It was him. There was this soulful quality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn-t-just-the-technique-or-even/)

[Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/)

> [Nothing says 'dropping out of society' like learning the banjo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-roth/nothing-says-dropping-out-of-society-like-learning-the-banjo/)

[Daniel Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-roth/)

> [“banjo. A plucked, fretted lute where a thin skin diaphragm is stretched over a circular metal frame amplifying the sound of the strings. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-doherty/banjo-a-plucked-fretted-lute-where-a-thin-skin-diaphragm-is-stretched/)

[Liz Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-doherty/)

> [When I first heard the minstrel banjo - I played a gourd first - I almost lost my mind. I was like, Oh, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/when-i-first-heard-the-minstrel-banjo-i-played-a-gourd-first-i-almost/)

[Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/)

> [A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo and doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-gentleman-is-someone-who-knows-how-to-play-the-banjo-and-doesn-t/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [I've heard of people stopping their cars, having car wrecks, all kinds of things. But most of the banjo players I know had that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-ve-heard-of-people-stopping-their-cars-having-car-wrecks-all-kinds/)

[Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/)

> [There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more primitive instrument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/)

[Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/)

> [My dad also plays a little banjo and guitar, my mom plays the mandolin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/page-mcconnell/my-dad-also-plays-a-little-banjo-and-guitar-my-mom-plays-the-mandolin/)

[Page McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/page-mcconnell/)

> [Whenever a big white man picks up a banjo, my cheeks tighten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/whenever-a-big-white-man-picks-up-a-banjo-my-cheeks-tighten/)

[Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/)

> [“There was talk of the Centaur being moved into the elephant cages to make room for a banjo-picking Minotaur. Surrendering his meager furnishings to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-roff/there-was-talk-of-the-centaur-being-moved-into-the-elephant-cages-to/)

[Don Roff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-roff/)

[Browse all 104 Banjo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I got to NYU, I had applied based on playing folk music, and they said, 'You're the banjo girl,' so I thought ,'OK, I'm the banjo girl.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Maggie Rogers"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/when-i-got-to-nyu-i-had-applied-based-on-playing-folk-music-and-they/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Banjo"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/when-i-got-to-nyu-i-had-applied-based-on-playing-folk-music-and-they/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/maggie-rogers-6211_banjo_when-i-got-to-nyu-i-had-applied-based-on_2501581.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/maggie-rogers-6211_banjo_when-i-got-to-nyu-i-had-applied-based-on_2501581.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/maggie-rogers-6211_banjo_when-i-got-to-nyu-i-had-applied-based-on_2501581.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I got to NYU, I had applied based on playing folk music, and they said, 'You're the banjo girl,' so I…” — Maggie Rogers",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Maggie Rogers",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I got to NYU, I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/when-i-got-to-nyu-i-had-applied-based-on-playing-folk-music-and-they/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/when-i-got-to-nyu-i-had-applied-based-on-playing-folk-music-and-they/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
