The OP is going to be a 15 year old senior and says that other kids had 1-2 years more to do their EC’s from which I inferred that this was not just an early grade skip but one close to or in hs–sounds like 2 grades skipped. If one of the years was skipped in hs, it might be possible to change that plan. And would be advisable because I see a maturity issue and clearly a need to work on English skills and courtesy skills before college.
@mathyone funny though, you were the one judging my choices without answering my questions directly. sorry english was my fourth language and “i need to work on my english skills”
“only”
That’s plenty if those are all things that interest you.
@sodiumhydroxide
Are you done with your junior year or are you a rising Junior?
Being an Asian is a bigger disadvantage for top college admission than not having awe worthy EC’s.
Believe it or not, the admissions staffs on college campuses, are very smart. They can figure out a school’s address and your socioeconomic level, so this issue of you being so poor that you can’t afford eye-opening ECs, is not well thought out. I work with homeless children, who have nothing but their street smarts, but they do get into their Ivy’s. They use what they have. They are homeless advocates. They serve meals at the shelter. They tutor at the public library. Some offer sewing skills for a couple of dollars. They get creative; they don’t whine about how unfair life has been to them.
You are trying to use your limited income to what? To compare yourself to students who:
And, you’re insinuating that because everyone is older than you, they unfairly have better options for EC’s because you were allowed to skip grades. They should have more ECs because they’ve spent more time in high school.
This was your choice.
I see your age as a liability, not your supposed lack of school EC’s. When trying to attend these schools, and not being a “legal” adult, some schools won’t want to touch that, and they will deny you that precious admission. Legal adults can sign for themselves. Underage minors can’t sign contracts.
Also, going to a competition in Austria, won’t help your EC laundry list much. If anything, if the schools on your lists are need-aware, your FA application won’t make sense, asking for funding when expensive habits have formed.
@sodiumhydroxide Your negative assessment of your current situation is so unfortunate.
Each year we hear stories of students who overcome seemingly insurmountable odds (homelessness, tragic illnesses etc) and gain acceptance to college. Are some of those colleges Ivy League? Yes. But many are not yet provide a great education.
You are young and you don’t seem to see what is right in front of you. The key to participating in life events, whether it be all of the things your involved in, is understanding how those events build character. There are many kids out here whose parents were able to give them the best of the best…yet they still make not smart chooses because those opportunities came to easy for them.
You don’t realize that you already have your story for your personal essay if your able to assess how your situation has helped you mature.
I believe the fact that people are being so blunt with you is very surprising to you. Having a “woe is me” attitude is the easy path in life. Embracing your current station in life can make yo stronger…if you let it.
OP, when you want an Ivy, you need to be the sort who can figure this out. There are, as many here said, lots of free ways to be activated and engaged. If you think this is all about competitions or expensive activities, you don’t know enough about what your targets value. That’s going to be a huge hurdle. How will you present what they want to see, if you don’t know what that is? Or have false notions?
Ivies don’t need excuses. Your GC can explain some limitations, but elite adcoms will look hard for what you did go after and accomplish. And that will be per what those colleges value. You need to inform yourself. And that’s a lot more than what CC says about “passions” or leader titles.
And yes, a hundred times yes, attitude matters. What you show, your choices, your words.
Austria won’t hurt OP’s app. Lots of money strapped kids are working toward class trips or other, sometimes group fundraising. But OP needs to know more about what will matter. You’re either up for this vetting or not.
So, if I’m reading this correctly, you come from a low income family, you work to help your mom pay for medication, you’ve skipped a year of school, and you don’t have extra money for high profile competitions and feel this will put you at a disadvantage. You’re trying to raise money for a trip to Austria to play with your orchestra, which is not affiliated with your school. You want to maximize your chances of getting into Ivies. You are a rising junior? senior?
To answer the question - you don’t need to win the Intel science fair to get into an Ivy, and Cornell is an easier admit than some others. What you do need are stellar grades, high standardized test scores (I assume you have taken PSAT/SAT/ACT and SAT subject tests, as needed). You need strong letters from teachers, a letter from your GC that puts your choices in context, and great essays. Only if those things are in place, do ECs then become relevant.
How prestigious is your orchestra? What is your role in it? How long have you played in it? Is your instrument unusual? Depth of commitment is important, don’t underestimate it. Working for pay is also an EC.
I would not try to explain your ECs in your essay. Use it to showcase some positive quality about yourself.
As a low-income student, you may qualify for fee waivers or programs like Questbridge. If you qualify for these programs, it will convey your socioeconomic status.
Will you be able to afford to travel across the country for school?
Good luck to you.
Do you know your EFC for your desired schools and each school on your list?
Two of my kids are at Cornell, and we are of a lower SE status. They didn’t go to trips abroad with their classmates because we couldn’t afford it, and they had no Olympiads at all (I didn’t even know what that was until I came to CC during DD’s senior year of high school). But they maximized the opportunities we could afford and excelled at them. I agree with others here; Cornell wants to see your inner strength and maturity as you push forward through your challenges and make a real difference in your workplace and volunteering. And of course, tippy top grades and test scores.
Look, we are upper middle class. My rising senior only has a handful of EC’s, all of which are relativelying low cost and one of which is a job. But she pours herself in to those 3 activities. She has adults at each that can testify to her dedication and to what she has learned and how she has grown at each. It’s not about how much money your family spent on ECs but what you got out of them.
I think there are two roadblocks in the path for OP getting into any highly selective college. ECs and recs.
Some HS kids believe that ECs are in a sense just voluntary classes. For regular classes adcoms take into account what the school offers. If your school only offers 3 AP courses and a handful of Honors classes, taking them all is the best you can do. Treating ECs with the same mindset means that if the OP can only be sure to “explain” the lack of opportunity she’s off the hook. Unfortunately for the OP the role of ECs is to demonstrate something about the inner ambition and character of the applicant. As @“aunt bea” and others have pointed out, the OP has as much of a chance to show this as anyone else, and it says something to the adcoms about her that she blames a lack of money for not doing more.
And my bet is the character theme for the OP is going to really hit home in recs. Her rudeness on this thread is unlikely to be something new. I expect this is the way she treats peers and teachers, and it will not go without notice in her recs. Many HS kids do not realize the rec is about conveying the character of the applicant, so they think if they ask a teacher from a class in which they excelled they will get a strong rec. Of course since applicants have to waive the right to see them in order for them to mean anything the OP will never know.
This is probably not the answer you want to hear, but money is not required to do amazing extracurricular things. I know scores of students who have done incredible activities, personal projects, or other interesting things with their free time and their summers without spending a dime. To assume that one needs a bunch of money to do these things implies that you haven’t fully considered your options. Some schools, particularly Ivy League schools, may view this as a lack of initiative. After all, if you want to attend one of the best universities in the world, doesn’t it make sense that you should exhaust every creative possibility in coming up with extracurricular ideas? Remember: an extracurricular doesn’t have to be a competition or some tournament that you travel to. It is literally anything that is not part of your school curriculum. It can be as simple as writing short stories, painting, performing your own experiments, or volunteering in your community. In fact, the list of free extracurricular activities that could make you look great to colleges is almost certainly far, far longer than the list of paid extracurricular activities. You just have to think of them.
While not related to the question of ECs, I would like to address the idea of younger students being rejected as liabilities. Colleges may reject a younger applicant because they feel they’re not mature, but they won’t do so because they’re not a legal adult. I won’t be 18 until the very end of my freshman year, I was not rejected from schools because of my inability to sign a contract.
Agreed with above posters about ECs and cost. And honestly, if you can write good essays and come off better than you do on this thread (which, frankly, makes you seem whiny, defensive, and immature) your application could be very compelling. You’ve gotten involved while working and helping your mother to pay for the medication she needs. That does not sound easy.
Be proud of your accomplishments, make the biggest mark possible in the ECs that you’re already a part of, and learn to listen to criticism - both the constructive and the unnecessary - without feeling attacked.
personal essays are made for your life story. tell them that it’s hard for you to afford all the activities but you are still active and volunteering and working.
I echo a lot of what has been said on this thread.
Does $$$ put you in a position of privilege? Yes.
Does $$$ make college admissions easier? Yes.
Do you need $$$ for quality extracurriculars? No.
Make the most of what you have available to you. College admissions has become increasingly considerate of those who are not in the best financial situation.