Are my EC's good enough for Ivy League w/o Research?

Applying to College
1

So I know there’s no formula for EC’s to get into a school like Harvard or Yale, but a lot of people say things like having published research can make you stand out. I haven’t done any and so I’m very worried about my chances of getting into Princeton which is my first-choice. I also know that it’s better not to just list a bunch of activities because that doesn’t show commitment or passion very well, so here are my top five extracurriculars.

(Btw a little bit about myself) I’m ranked third in my class which, honestly, doesn’t offer a lot of opportunities besides the IB program; the only reason why IB is at my school is because the standardized testing scores are awful and all the people here don’t take their education seriously at all. My gpa is about a 4.5, but I don’t know for sure, and I’m a straight-A student taking all IB classes. I also hope to get the IB diploma.

  1. Gymnastics- I've been a competitive gymnast for about ten years and it's a brutal sport, let me tell you. It's club so we don't technically have team captains, but I'm the oldest and the only senior on the team and I've been there longer than anybody (would this be something to include for leadership?) so a lot of the younger girls look up to me. I also coach younger kids but it's my summer job. In the past two years, I have earned ten medals at state championships: 5 gold, 2 silver, and 3 bronze.
  2. My city's youth commission- My city has a city council-appointed board for high schoolers that I am a commissioner on. We talk about problems that youth face and we also help make plans for the city's future (development stuff mainly). I really try to contribute to discussions and bring up problems that I feel represent what my peers. This will be my third year on the commission, so I'm one of few that have been on it for so long.
  3. Scholastic Bowl- Okay so I take scholastic bowl really seriously and especially during season. This past year was my first on the team and I grew really passionate about it. My teammates and I study really intensely even during off-season. Last year the team won only one game against the worst in the region pretty much and this year we only lost to one school in regular season and then came in fourth at regionals. We also went to a lot of invitationals and at one I scored in the top four for highest individual points won per round. I specialize in history and geography pretty much, but I also love learning about literature and art too. Overall, it has taught me so many things about other subjects I haven't studied. At global bee which is privately run and set up, my two other teammates and I were new and we beat all of the high school and college teams.
  4. SPCA- I just recently started volunteering at the SPCA. I know it's not academically related, but I just have a love for animals. I don't plan to pursue anything in the veterinary field or anything related at all, but I enjoy helping take care of the cats (I'm not 18 yet so I can't handle the dogs) even though I don't get paid anything and it is a lot of work. I plan to do it throughout my senior year and hopefully in the summers during college if I'm home.
  5. Church volunteering- so at my church they have cross & crown which allows middle and high schoolers to participate in the church procession and help with communion and such. We put on robes and everything and so during services we light candles and such before sitting in the back with the other clergy. Handling communion wine is honestly one of the most nerve-wracking thing's I've experienced by the way. Man, my hands shake when I come up to a lady in a white dress and I just stare down at the deep red wine. Anyway, it's allowed me to grow in my faith and it is very rewarding.

There is a lot of other stuff that I do like NHS, German club, and tons of programs that I have done like People to People, NSLC, and the Georgetown Summer Program. I plan to mention my other extracurriculars in the additional essay that is just kind of there for anything no in the application and I will probably end up writing my essays on how traveling the world as a student ambassador has sparked my interest in learning about different cultures and how globalization has expanded the English-speaking world. I’m very interested in learning about how that has changed traditional cultures.

The top five I listed are the most important things though. Thanks so much.

P.S. If anyone here has gotten into Princeton or another top-tier school I would love to hear any advice you have.

2

@mackyg I don’t think many people here can tell you if your EC’s are “good enough.” They probably are, but admissions to top universities seems unpredictable due to the holistic process. Just apply and hope for the best - remember to apply to some safety schools.

For the record, I was only involved in 3 or 4 clubs throughout high school (including one non-school-related club), and recently graduated from MIT. I think part of the application involves being able to communicate your passion in these activities through your essays, letters of rec, etc. You seem to be passionate with gymnastics; maybe talk about a specific coaching moment that impacted you.

And yes, there were a few awards or other items (e.g. participation in clubs or activities) that I didn’t bother listing because I knew they wouldn’t really contribute to the application. You may want to do the same.

3

@MITer94 thank you for the feedback I’ll try to keep that in mind

4

@mackyg

Things like NHS are obvious if you have the GPA. Unless you’re an officer, leave it out. Same goes with typical clubs like Key Club.

5

All of this sounds fine. You have a few specific activities that you have a deep interest in and I assume you’ll be able tto write well about on your app. Your profile sounds similar to a girl I mentored last year who got into Yale–she had a few very specific interests she was very involved in. It’s not about having insane research experience if that’s not where your interests lie/where you are headed.

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@hhjjlala yes I kind of figured that all ivy applicants are in NHS (as am I) and I don’t think I’ll be running for office as I am already committed to other ECs

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@proudterrier okay thank you that really reassured me. I guess there’s this preconceived misconception that having research makes a high school student suddenly look so much more experienced and professional than most high school students who may be just as intelligent but just invest their time into something like football or drama club.

8

I think your ECs are fine–you seem like a sincere, hard-working person who cares about his/her community. Let that attitude shine through your essays and you may have some good luck!

9

“a lot of people say things like having published research can make you stand out.” But a lot of them have no idea what they’re talking about. It’s up to you to vet, figure out what any Ivy likes, after grades and activities.

Sounds like you want something along the lines of IR or social sciences?

If you want to tweak, make it in how you volunteer. Balance the international experiences with something in your community beyond the youth commission. And remember, how you pull this together in the app/supp will be key.