Hi, I am a Singapore student interested in applying to US universities next year. However, my biggest weakness is lack of leadership. I have won many gold awards in math/ science competitions, volunteered a few hundred hours, good recommendations from my teachers, constantly top results in my school ( straight As) and tried to participate in lots of activities ( e.g. attached to political leaders, duke of edinburg gold). In addition, I was awarded A star and DSTA awards before.( top agencies in sciences in Singapore)
I am quite worried as my only leadership experiences were class committee and being part of the organising team for some events. I do not have much leadership positions to show.
Could anyone advice me on what are some colleges in US which do not emphasise a lot on leadership and would be a good fit and match for me? Thanks
Why do you think you need to have leadership experience?
What do you want to study?
How much can your family afford to pay?
I suspect that the things you have done are fine. While having leadership activities on your cv shows that others are wIlling to let you lead and that you are responsible enough to do so, leadership is not necessarily required.
Activities with others outside the classroom show engagement - that’s enough!
They aren;t looking for titles. Rather, leader qualities. See if you can rethink what you did do.
Leasing can mean leading by example, helping recruit people for your team, supporting them during competitions, or helping to teach others something. Leadership isn’t about titles.
If you can afford to be full pay, many schools outside of ~top30 will happily take you without tons of leadership
The common app application requires students to state their position in their extracurricular activities and almost everyone who posted in chance me thread here is like president/vp/treasurer/founder/etc of some club.
I hope to study medicine in a top 30 college in US , which is why I am worried as most of the applicants all have great stats.
Therefore, I was wondering with a lack of leadership titles, even with leadership qualities, is it practically no chance? And how much attention do they place upon it on the whole extracurricular section?
For very selective colleges, the extracurriculars (ECs) are very important. They aren’t just looking at grades and test scores, they are looking for certain personal attributes. ECs are where you demonstrate that you have the personal attributes the college seeks.
Not every top selective college is looking for the exact same attributes, though. If you start to research deeply what each college posts on its website - what students it features, what it showcases, its goals - and in other writings, you’ll start to notice that there are different characteristics that each college highly values and seeks. For example, within the Top 5 US News and World Report ranked colleges, one is looking for future leaders and influencers even if they are not star students or even highly intelligent and another is looking for future Nobel prize winners and wants the most driven intellectual explorers and innovators even if they’re so socially awkward they couldn’t be elected as Dogcatcher. So you can imagine that the ECs and attributes those two colleges value are quite different.
Yes, ECs and personal qualities are important. “Leadership” isn’t a quality or requirement that is prioritized by all top colleges, though.
You’ll have the most success in your applications if you figure out who you are and what you offer and then (VERY IMPORTANT AND OFTEN OVERLOOKED) figure out what each of your target colleges values and seeks. When you do this, you’ll start to see that you may not be a match for some of those colleges, but there will be a few where you are just what that college is looking for. Tailor your app for those colleges to show you understand what they want and that you are it.
No. Many students, including ones I know personally, are accepted to top colleges without a “title” like president, etc.
Colleges want to see that you will be an actively engaged member of campus life and that you have the type of dedication that will help you succeed in your studies and future career, reflecting well on their college. Accepted students will include a variety of types, including quieter kids who make significant contributions in some way. In fact, colleges know that one student may gain a title like president but then do nothing significant to lead the club or make a difference, whereas another student might be a really caring tutor, a highly creative artist, a very talented oboe player, etc., but not have any formal leadership title.
What you need to do is use the word count on the final app’s activities section super well! You need to describe what you did and how your actions had an impact.
Remember that the admissions officers want a glimpse of what you are like as a living, breathing human being. Show them what matters to you. If you have spent a lot of time on an activity, probably it matters to you. Think about why. Show it.
On your other thread about Ivies, you said you’ve taken part in stem competitions, organized a math camp, tutored, were nominated for a top science award, have done research projects with professors, are part of math club and had an internship.
Don’t use chance threads on CC as your main source of info about what’s important. Take the advice above and research what the colleges show they look for.
Having won awards in math/science and volunteering a ton coupled with good grades/scores will get your application looked at in many, many places. Those sorts of things are just as desired (maybe more) as being an officer in a club. Apply where you like.
I personally think with as much as you like math/science and wanting pre-med, U Rochester is worth an application. It’s where my med school lad went for undergrad - it became his top choice after a visit there his senior year and he’s never stopped loving the school. He’s in med school there now. They have quite a few international students in undergrad. You’re aware that getting into a US med school if you’re not a citizen or green card holder is quite difficult, right? If not, hop over to the medical school threads and start reading.
Medicine is a graduate program in the US and admission is extremely competitive. Top grades in undergrad are required. Many students hoping to apply to medical school after college choose a college for undergrad that is both inexpensive and where they might be more likely to earn top grades. Often, they choose a college for undergrad that is not a top-30. Investigate the medical path carefully before you decide where to apply for undergrad.