I have little over a month left in my Junior year, and I have almost no extracurricular activities. I took on too many classes that were too challenging for myself all at once, and as a result have spent most of my time outside of class studying or doing homework. Even over the summer breaks I have been doing more coursework to skip lower level classes into more advanced ones. My GPA is 3.99 and I’ll have taken three AP classes by the end of the year, but now that I have started looking at applying to college, I realize that the type of colleges I would ideally want to get into interpret high grades and SAT scores as nothing more than prerequisite.
For extracurricular activities I’ll only have three years of JV volleyball, and very spare and sporadic service hours volunteering.
My first question is: Is there anything I can do to undo my lack of EC’s? My summer is clear right now, and I hope I can at least do something for damage control. Over the breaks I have tried to teach myself how to play the guitar, but it’s been impossible during the school year, so I’m not terribly proficient at it; Do I have to be able to play decently to include this as an extracurricular? Would my capabilities ever be tested? Do colleges actually expect all ten activities on the common app to be filled out?
Also, could I count reading in my free time as an extracurricular? I do spend some of my free time reading, occasionally novels, and frequently science articles, but I have no idea what category this would be on the common app, or if either would even count.
What are my best options for college’s if it is too late for my extracurricular? Are there any competitive, or well recognized colleges that put most of their emphasis on grades and test scores?
This comes up a lot. I recommend you get a job this summer. They like to see jobs, and at this point, I think it is a solid thing that won’t look like you are trying to pad your resume. Have you done anything like caring for a relative? That is an EC. The reading thing is tricky. IMO, it counts, but I don’t know if colleges see it that way, and I am not an admissions officer. Your problem is that it will seem like you are an academic drone who is only interested in studying. In general, private colleges don’t like that.
No one is going to test your guitar skills, so you could put it on, but you aren’t proficient. Tough call. What have you done over your other summers? Babysitting? Community anything? Whatever your volunteer work has been, you need to bump that up. You do still have some time this year to get involved in something else, but be aware that it might be seen as a last ditch effort. However, you might just have to do it.
I also think you should look for colleges that dont practice holistic admissions. State schools don’t, usually. Less selective privates may not be so concerned about it. Good luck, but please do not get your hopes up about top colleges. They definitely weigh ECs heavily, as far as I am aware.
You don’t need ten activities. Only do things that YOU want to do. Be the person you want to be, THEN apply to colleges. You get to dictate who you are. The admissions committees do not. What are your summer plans. Maybe make some. You are not inferior. Don’t let these low paid bozo recent college graduates, on admissions committees, who couldn’t get a better job, determine who you are. Being an avid reader will endear you to the faculty. I think that it’s a fine EC.
Probably the most valuable thing you can do is to visit colleges and maybe identify your first choice college so that you are in a position to apply ED if your first choice has that. This will give you a leg up. Other than that, live and be happy.
@Classicrockerdad offers great advice. Keep reading and pursuing your interests. If you have good scores, you will get into a strong college-just do some research and try to figure out what type of school you will be happy to attend and that is affordable. If there is something new and interesting you want to do over the summer, do that. If there are activities inside and outside of school that you want to get more involved in, then do that too.
Reading doesn’t count. Guitar probably would – you won’t be tested, and if that pursuit is important to you, it might be good to include it.
The job suggestion is a good one. Joining a bunch of random clubs senior year will be a clearly desperate attempt to fill a resume.
You could certainly argue “that pursuit” is not too important to the OP if it only happens on breaks. I agree with the other posts above. A job is a potential idea, and find schools where the OP will be valued.
^ Shrug – they need ECs, it’s an EC, though not a terribly impressive one.
Says who! My D1, an academic nerd, wrote supplementary essays discussing books she read for pleasure. She got into her top choices.
If you have the academic game to excel, and a genuine love of learning, why would you want to attend colleges that devalue what you do best.
Another academic nerd from her school with zero ECs got into Carelton College.
When I took D2 to the college fair, the representative from Carleton said that it’s a great place for introverts. That turned D2 off, but there are great schools that value who you actually are. That person (D1’s peer) is now in a top (maybe the top) PhD program in Biology.
The year my son got into Harvard his supplementary “essay” was a list of books he’d read that year. (Over 100.) But he also had a ton of computer programming activities.
Generally I think two ECs done well are plenty. It’s helpful if one is at school just so the GC thinks of you as someone who participates in the community. My loner kid did Academic Team and Science Olympiad all four years. Don’t quit playing volley ball!
Like ClassicRockerDad, I generally think that trying to make yourself into the person you think colleges want is generally a mistake, but you are also correct that this summer is an ideal time to find something to do that will fill out a hole in your application. I like the idea of a job a lot. It does not have to be anything exciting. Alternatively you could find a place to volunteer full time.
Only doing what YOU want to do is risky. Solitary pursuits don’t show how you choose to interact, take on responsibilities and commit. You are free to choose only what you want and the most selective colleges are free to have an oopsie moment.
Saying a kid had zero ECs? A blank page? You really need to offer some context or kids will think a 3.99 and a blank page are just fine for a holistic college. There’s another parent who says his kid did nothing, got into a tippy top, but the kid did X, which took up hours/week and was interactive (as opposed to solitary) and skills based. Plus more.
OP plays volleyball. Committing to playing 3 years on JV is pretty committed. That’s a big time commitment. OP hasn’t demonstrated skill to be varsity, but demonstrated interactivity and commitment. OP plays teaches his/herself to play guitar. OP has volunteered. OP reads for pleasure.
There are plenty of great schools for OP beyond the most selective. I don’t think there is any “damage” to undo. There are plenty of students who don’t play this cutthroat game and do great.
I’m thinking places like Brandeis, Rochester, Carelton, Maclester, Grinnell, Occidental, Richmond, Oberlin, Reed.
If OP is female, ALL of the women’s colleges.
Plenty more.
I would say hardly any chance at Carleton. Carleton loves to advertise that their kids are bee keepers and amateur tight-rope walkers, in addition to being really smart. Carleton values quirky. The kid you mentioned that got into Carleton must have either been an anomaly, or perhaps this happened a few years ago. Or maybe the kid was a phenomenal writer and had incredible recs.
I think U of Rochester is a good idea.
My impression of Carleton (ever see the videos of graduating seniors?) is like many of the top 20: empowered, interested kids. CRD, you’e not wrong that OP has something in VB. But how does she show she’s empowered, with one sport, sporadic comm service, reading, and occasional guitar? It almost sounds sheltered.
I’m speaking with my mom hat on. OP has gaps. True, it matters less at some colleges.
So, OP, when you say “competitive” what do you mean. Among colleges, they go: most competitive, highly competitive, competitive… (or the synonym, “selective.”) Do you mean a nice cooperative college with a range of academic skill levels? Can you name an example?
@ClassicRockerDad I read too, but I wouldn’t put it on a resume. There’s a difference between essay fodder and ECs, IMO.
If the student writes an excellent essay for college admission which relates to an actual book they may have read in their spare time I cannot imagine an admissions counselor would dismiss this out of hand. Solitary activities are worthy of putting into an application. Learning guitar independently is an EC albeit without outward documentation or recognition. 17 year old college applicants and people are all different. Schools, even good ones, likely need to balance the types of people they admit. It is okay for the OP to still be developing EC’s. Perhaps that takes Harvard and Carleton off the table according to some admissions observers, but there are other ‘good’ schools out there.