<p>Hello!
I'm currently a college student and would please like to know what kind of things appeal to grad schools in an application? Is being part of different clubs and associations important? Is working while in college a big plus? How much emphasis is generally put on your GPA relative to extracurricular activities?
Thank you</p>
<p>Hey,</p>
<p>I think extracirriculars mean almost nothing unless they are specifically related to your field of study. Like being in student government and applying to astrophysics programs really doesn't make a big impact. But being president of maybe Society of Physics Students at your school or something like that can help. But even then, they want to see good letters of recommendation, a good GPA (most say around 3.5 is fine) and good test scores, IN THIS ORDER of importance. </p>
<p>Now extracirriculars such as research, publications, that will really boost your application. In summation, the EC activities have to be closely related to what you want to study in grad school.</p>
<p>Grad admissions are nothing like undergrad admissions. They don't care if you can contribute to the campus life, only if you can do research, work hard and excel in their program.</p>
<p>Please Read Grad School Admissions 101 and there's a thread down below (or within the next 2 pages) that talks about ECs.</p>