<p>So I've finally realized that college applications are due in a month or two and that they're very important. </p>
<p>Unfortunately I had no notion of this throughout my high school career and thus my participation in all that stat-boosting fun has been at a minimum.<br>
Minimum as in I have had leadership positions in zero clubs, I've been in a student governing body for zero years, and I have all of zero volunteer hours.</p>
<p>I'd like to boost my outstanding extracurriculars in the little time I have left before apps are due. What can I do, if this is even possible? </p>
<p>My scores are decent:
3.9 unweighted GPA
2380 unweighted SAT I
800/800/790/770 SAT II Math II, Chem, US History, and Bio E respectively
5/5/5/4/4 AP Bio, Language and Comp, US History, Calc BC, and Chem respectively</p>
<p>What I have in EC:
I'll turn in a strong (enough to get into an art college) art portfolio.
Lots and lots of extracurricular art.
Couple of internships at UCSF.
Unrelated to the internships, a computer modeling project with a scientist at UCSF - I'll be listed as a co-author in an article pending for publication in a scientific journal.
Tutored a kid for a year under a school program.
Couple of club memberships - math and science, art service, debate.
Some medical typography stuff for my dad (he's a neurologist). </p>
<p>Awards:
AP Scholar with Distinction.
National Merit.
Pomona Math Talent Search Honors 2009 and 2010. </p>
<p>So basically my EC's are okay from what I've picked up along the way outside of club leadership positions, volunteer hours, and notable awards/competitions like intel and all that good stuff.<br>
Is there anything I can still do to improve on those areas, seeing as they're like the most important things? T_T My parents are making me apply to lots of Ivies and won't listen to me when I tell them that my stats are nowhere near Ivy-level due to my lack of EC's.<br>
Thanks.</p>
<p>Your ECs are fine. Dedication in one or two areas is better than spraying your time around many clubs.</p>
<p>I think your stats are good enough to get into ivies. Your UCSF stuff is great, art stuff is great, so is debate. Maybe some people have more, but don’t count yourself out. you are most likely more qualified than a lot of other applicants</p>
<p>Wouldn’t the tutoring count as community service hours?
You may find it helpful to read the “hidden ECs” thread to help you reflect on what you have already done.</p>
<p>Do not worry. You are in great shape. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies; they’re really encouraging.<br>
Is there nothing more I can do at this point, though?
A large part of why I’m worrying is because Yale visited my school a few days back, the representative being the admissions officer for all of Northern California (my area), and what he basically said was that with high tier ivies like Yale, weakness in a single area can very possibly eliminate you altogether, due to the outstanding stats of everyone who applies.
He also made a sort of vague comment in passing that he passes an art portfolio along to the art department if the student shows potential for actually making it into the school, which I’m interpreting to mean that, conversely, if my stats aren’t good enough, my portfolio won’t even be viewed. That would be a huge bummer for me, since art is by far my biggest EC.
So I’m basically searching for a way to at least fill up some more of the blanks in the awards and EC sections. They don’t need to be great, but I think having a bunch of empty lines is really killing my application right now. Is it too late to do that?</p>
<p>You need to understand that at hyper-selective colleges like Yale, everybody faces long odds, no matter how good their stats and resumes. (There may be exceptions for athletes and relatives of major donors who also have high stats.) Make sure your college list includes some solid safeties.</p>