Are Extracurriculars really that Important for non T20 CS?

I plan on applying to top state schools for CS such as UIUC, UDub, Georgia Tech, etc. and maybe MIT (only if I can get recruited for soccer).

Right now my ECs are HORRID. My grades and everything will be competitive or above average compared to other applicants, and I’ve been told that at most of these state schools stats are overwhelmingly more important than ECs…is this true? My few ECs are being a soccer tryhard, USACO, trying to develop an app, and geography bee coaching.

If I start an investment club next year, would that be of any help? I’m also going to get an internship at my flagship state university next summer. Other than that, I have nothing…community service ~10 hours, I’m also under the impression that community service only matter for Ivy-tier colleges. If it is important, I’ll join our school’s community service club next year.

When I’m old enough, I’ll probably join all the honors societies I can—not sure if this is important.

sighs bump

Well, you could search for the name of the college and “common data set” and one of the sections will tell you how important ECs are to the college. Some state schools are more “rack and stack” than others, but the ones you listed have enough extremely competitive applicants to their CS programs that, yes, ECs are going to be one factor in distinguishing one 4.0/36/1600 (or close enough to it) from the next.

He has ECs, but they are all soccer.

Let’s say I want to apply to UIUC CS + Geography. Most of my ECs will be centered around CS and Geography, and geography has been pivotal in my life, so my essay will stand out above others. Is that enough? Don’t colleges prefer you have ECs related to your major? Because if I do the Biology Olympiad while applying for CS, or some mediocre community service which literally EVERYONE does, I don’t think it’s a worthwhile use of my time. After college, this community service won’t mean much, but the skills I acquire from CS ECs will.

UIUC’s common data set says ECs are important.

IMO, it’s not as important to have a ton of ECs but to have depth in what you are doing which it sounds like you have.

If you are going to be a senior, I would not start a club now. Adcoms will see right through that and again, I don’t think it’s necessary.

As an aside, the schools you listed are T20 for CS. They will be extremely competitive, especially for OOS applicants. Have match and safety schools on your list.

@momofsenior1 I’m going to be a sophomore next year—thus, I still have to start clubs, right? Also, if I don’t apply for merit aid, does that increase my chances?

OP- OH! You have plenty of time then! Yes, by all means you can start a club that interests you.

You don’t typically apply separately for merit aid. It’s usually given based on stats with no additional application.

Admissions is a bit mysterious, but I think that you are fine.

I think that you can get into very good universities with no ECs. MIT or Stanford might be tough with no ECs, but you don’t need to attend either to do very well in CS. One of my daughters got into every university that she applied to with no ECs until her senior year of high school, and even then her ECs were not academic (they were sports). She did not apply to any of the super reach schools, and was not applying for CS.

You do not need a long list of ECs. A few ECs that you care about are fine. Soccer is a good EC. Coaching is a good EC. An internship is really good.

You are young and have time to pick up some ECs that you care about. Focus on a few that you can put effort into.

It was a very, very long time ago. However, I got into MIT with only three ECs, two of which had nothing at all to do with academics (sailing and skiing). I did very well however at the three ECs that I did participate in.

If you’re interested in tracks like UIUC CS + Geography, then geography a EC is, by definition, relevant. Start thinking about what you can do with CS and geography…

Google Common Data Set.
For Georgia Tech, for example, it shows that ECs are “Very Important”.
https://irp.gatech.edu/gt-info/common-data-set

Thank you all for your replies!

@Rivet2000 I’m not sure I will puruse geography as a career, but it will greatly increase my chances of getting into the school. CS + Geography is a new program and they are looking for people to join the program; with my CS background as well as doing very well nationally in geography competitions (trying to remain anonymous here), I believe if I just focus on ECs related to this I have a good shot.

There is an explosion of deep learning applications using geospatial data. Everything from crop predictions (think futures trading), disease prevention, and mineral exploration. All CS with a geography twist. So even at schools that don’t have CS+geography, most will understand the intersection of CS and geography. Good luck.

UIUC takes ECs into account? Huh! I now many many good students who got in with virtually no ECs and certainly not emphasizing them to that school. I don’t see how they can much assess them, given the volume of apps they get, the turn around time and the number of AOs.

My youngest’s best friend had one EC, a sport that he might have been able to play at D3 level but he was interested in the larger schools, and made no effort to contact coaches. Didn’t seem to make a bit of difference in his results. His mother fretted about the lack thereof and his GC vaguely recommended he find a few more activities but at the end of the season, his results very comparable and predictable.

@cptofthehouse Are those students in the CS department? I guess if I just maintain a very good GPA and take rigorous courses as well as explain my background on the essays I have a good shot…I looked at the common data set, and GPA and course rigor were the most important; ECs were just “important.”

@cptofthehouse For most sports, they are a huge multi year time commitment. AO’s understand this and give appropriate credit. It is always about the quality and involvement in an EC that they are looking for, not the quantity. It is really hard to not be committed to a sport. It is really easy to see the difference between a sport and attending a once a month meeting for another EC.

You do not need random, unrelated things, you do need ways of using your CS skills - so your volunteering could be offering to update a charity’s or mosque’s/temple’s/church’s website and improve on it; or creating an app to help hungry families find sources of cheap/free food in your town on specific days.

One way in which you need to seriously step up is that there’s a big misunderstanding in what Geography is. it’s quite unrelated to Geography Bee. Look up GIS, for example. Or Geography&Urban Studies. Have you taken AP Human Geography? Can you check out the curriculum? (It’s an easy “gateway” AP).
Geography covers things like Volcanoes, rivers, changing landscapes, challenges in Subsaharan Africa, weather&climate, cities in Asia, oceans as international spaces, TNCs, the Belt&Road initiative, Development, Migrations…

Does your school have a Robotics team? Being lead programmer or web master for a FIRST team plus having a few personal programming projects and doing some community service is enough to get into CS at many colleges. Robotics teams are also good for forming friendships that last through high school and beyond.

@BunnyBlue We just started one this year, but our school is a bunch of unmotivated spoiled white kids (for lack of better words), and I went to one meeting and no one there has ANY clue what they are doing.

If there’s a team, join. Next year you won’t be the random freshman observer.
But you don’t have to.

Just do what you enjoy. Soccer, track, a programming project, Geo Olympics, all of that is plenty.
Programming apps for a non profit/charity or helping out a charitable organization with your programming skills kills two birds with one stone. You’re not just programming in a vaccuum, you’re using your skills to improve something that helps people.

(note that some colleges now have “team challenges” where you meet a new team and need to get along with them, and you’re scored both for what you produce and for your interactions with your team. Olin for all, some universities for scholarship contenders only.)