Throughout highschool, I literally have no extra curriculars, and I think I really messed up. My freshman and sophomore years were spent at a very small private school that did not offer any clubs or sports, so I did not have any opportunity to get involved. currently I am a junior at a different, public school. I am involved in several clubs but I know that is not enough to hold any bearing to colleges. I can’t help but feel I’ve already messed up too much by the severe lack of ecs. What can I do to amend this situation, if anything?
It’s an over-hyped myth. What collges are you targeting? Most colleges don’t evaluate a single EC. Colleges are there for TEACHING – not to train assistant managers or program emcees. Your transcript and test scores are the biggest factors in your college admissions.
You can always go to volunteermatch.org and find local opportunities to beef up your life to show its not all about you. You need to distinguish yourself from everyone else who has stellar grades and test scores. Volunteering and caring about other causes and people is a plus. Don’t use the cop out that your school doesn’t provide opportunity. Show initiative and find your passion elsewhere.admissions staff mentions that word over and over again.
The good news is most colleges, outside of the most selective 100 or so, give scant attention to ECs. You have literally thousands of choices.
Let me re-interpret that phrase for you. “I am not the type of student the most selective colleges are looking for.” Essentially the same thing. See, the top colleges are looking for kids that are self-motivated. They don’t wait for someone to offer them an “opportunity to get involved”, they create opportunities in their school and their community. Nothing stopped you from taking part in activities your community, and it actually looks even better if you start something since that shows drive AND leadership.
It’s a matter of interests and pursuing them as best you can. Not all interests carry over to school, while some do. Some are exclusively outside of the realm of school and those count just as much if not more so.
It’s according to where you are applying. As others note, many colleges look at grades and stats…if you hit the numbers, you’re in. Once you reach the, say, under 20% admit-rate schools, though, you will need to bring something extra to the table…because everybody already has high stats. And that’s where having interests and passions and drive really comes into play. What are your interests? What would you bring to a college? Why should they choose you over others? Answering this will lead you in the right way!
ECs don’t need to be in school. I only listed 3 ECs, and 2 of those were random hobbies that I pursue on my own time. Didn’t stop me from getting into Stanford, Pomona, Rice, UChicago, etc… Just make sure you write genuine essays and that your application really speaks to who you are.
^this
Do you have any hobbies? Some of those translate to excellent ECs.
You can still get involved a lot to have a chance @ the top 100- although it will be an uphill battle.
Also, don’t be quick to discount volunteering or hobbies (like a previous poster said) as non-ECs.
What did you do In your freshman and sophomore years? What do you do after school and on weekends? People are right. It’s not about the clubs, teams, or school related activities - it’s about who you are outside the classrooms. Hobbies are ECs, as are part time jobs, and volunteering.
Did you have any paying part-time or summer jobs? Family obligations? Were you involved with a church or other place of worship? If your scores and grades are high enough that you think you would be competitive at the most selective, elite colleges, the absence of activities will inevitably detract from your application. There is no getting around it, I’m afraid. For most other colleges, though, it will not be a significant obstacle.
Get involved in things you enjoy. Don’t bulk on things you hate. You absolutely can get into top schools with nothing from your first three years in HS. The summer between junior and senior year is important. If you get an internship or a competitive program, such as MITES, it will make up for it. Also, my number 1 piece of advice…GET A JOB. That is huge. Colleges won’t fault you for working, and it shows more character to get a crap job than doing 1000000 ECs through your school or community would. Plus $$$$$. Good luck!
EC’s are overrated. You don’t have to be the leader of a thousand clubs or discover the cure for cancer. You just need a handful of EC’s you are passionate about. They can be anything and they can range. You have to do something in your spare time that you enjoy. I only had three major EC’s that took up a lot of time: a sport, volunteer work, and staff work I do for a forum website. I do write in my spare time but I actually left that out.
Do you play any instruments or sports outside of school? Those can be good EC’s. You can try out volunteering or if you’re into tech, try making some of your own apps with a few friends or something to show that you have interest in things outside of school. While you’ll be pressed for time, it’s never really to late 