<p>Interview skills are important, but that’s because they can help you get a job when you grow up, not really because of college applications in particular. So you can develop them after you get into college if you want to. </p>
<p>I wasn’t even somewhat social and I was basically okay in high school…I was never made fun of or anything, and I’m not sure if my experience is normal or if it’s just because no one in my school was ambitious enough. If I ever felt alone or unfulfilled, it was because my shyness made me that way…it wasn’t because of other people. </p>
<p>Also, if you (general you) don’t fit in at high school, you might try taking classes at a local college. You’re not going to be insanely popular there or anything, but my experience has been that colleges have more diversity (i.e. more unabashedly “weird” people) and it’s more likely that someone will want to befriend you.</p>
<p>These high school crises and struggles oftentimes have absolutely nothing to do with popularity or being somewhat social. It’s quite a bit deeper than that.</p>
<p>And I don’t exactly see what makes Repede the best CC ■■■■■.</p>
<p>Really good advice. I have a few things to add-</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Picking a sport to play is a good thing. It forces you to exercise & socialize with a diverse group of people; needless to say, it also makes you look well-rounded on college apps.</p></li>
<li><p>If I could do everything over again, I would probably take up a fall sport in addition to a spring sport. That way you stay in shape year-round, and don’t have to condition endlessly before the season starts up every year.</p></li>
<li><p>START SOMETHING. A club. A non-profit organization. A charity to benefit tsunami victims all over the world. A website. A business. SOMETHING. Also, make it really epic. I can’t even explain all the benefits this has. An instant leadership position, one that no one can take away from you. (You can call yourself whatever you want. Founder, CEO, President, Emperor. Take your pick.) Initiative. Something cool to define yourself by. Something to put on your resume/application/essays. “Real-world” experience.
No, seriously. Start something, and as soon as you can.</p></li>
<li><p>Make friends. This is the only way to get elected to leadership positions in your various EC’s. Plus, it will make high school less miserable.</p></li>
<li><p>Consistency is a good thing. Try as many things as you want, but make sure that you stick with a good bit of whatever you try for four years.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Volunteer hours DO count for many college applications. Most of the applications my son filled out requested the number of hours for each volunteer activity (and work and ECs). So do keep track of what you are volunteering even if your high school doesn’t care. Also, a couple of the scholarship applications requested this information and some rewarded a significant community service commitment.</p>
<p>Yes, they ask for the number of hours in each activity (not just volunteering). </p>
<p>But I see a lot of chances threads where the poster says they have 500 volunteer hours or whatever and they’re worried that won’t be enough, or they think colleges require a certain number of volunteer hours, but there’s nothing special about hours spent volunteering compared to hours spent working or playing music or whatever.</p>