Are these EC's good enough for a UC and NHS?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

I was part of my school orchestra from 5-9th grade (was seated as assistant concertmaster two years, and second stand my last year) and was selected into the chamber orchestra in high school. I quit orchestra my sophomore year to take an AP class.

Sophomore year, I was part of the Young Entrepreneur’s Academy, which is a business competition with an investor’s panel similar to Shark Tank. I won 1st place in the regional competition and went on to compete in the national competition. (Didn’t win there).

I also joined my school’s Science Olympiad team my sophomore year. I didn’t win anything then, but I did place in an event my junior year. I plan on doing Science Olympiad my senior year since it is something I enjoy.

I was part of my school’s Mock Trial team in junior year. We placed first in the county competition and went on to compete in the State Championships, but did not place there. I won an individual award for honorable mention. I do not plan on continuing on participating in Mock Trial since I did not particularly like it–it was more of a stressor for me, which I see as unnecessary when I have my grades and college apps to focus on.

As far as clubs are concerned, I am a peer educator for a club that informs students about relationship abuse. I am also the secretary for a club that champions female empowerment.

This summer, I will be doing research for a chemistry professor at a CSU. Since I am low on volunteer hours, I will be volunteering at a senior citizens’ center. I will also be choreographing a dance for a group of younger girls for a local recital.

Besides that, I have been part of my school’s math team for 3 going onto 4 years (never won anything) and I have been doing dance for 11 years. I have a 4.2 UC GPA and a 1500 SAT (Which I might retake for a higher score).

Do I have enough EC’s to be competitive for middle to top tier UC? What about NHS? Are there any other EC’s I can take up between now and November?

2

Don’t go EC trophy hunting just to impress colleges. Do what you enjoy.

3

NHS, at least the chapter we had, prioritized serving the community. The ECs are good for UCLA, there are a lot of them, so make sure you can narrow them down to focus ok a couple. Get a bunch of community hours, and you’ll be fine.

4

Thanks @trufflemac24. That’s how my school’s chapter appears to work as well. About how much is a bunch of community service hours? I should have about 260 to 300 hours by September.

5

I don’t know anything about NHS, but, yes, you do have enough ECs for the middle and top tier UCs. They show that you are caring and hard working, that you have wide interests, and that you know how to manage your time well. Colleges will also look at your activities to see if you have a genuine interest in your intended major, so hopefully some are related.

6

You seem to be doing pretty well so far, so there’s definitely no need to worry about mid tier colleges. Which colleges are you planning on applying to, though? If you’re worried about the high tier ones, there’s a website called Naviance which allows you to see the GPA and SAT/ACT scores of students from your school who got accepted or denied into a school. I would say getting into an Ivy would be tough, because they prioritize “spike” candidates, who have something special in the area they choose to study, and are less well-rounded. Unfortunately, that would be tough for you; no offense, but Ivies will likely consider you to be just too well-rounded. However, even for universities just below that (I’m going to use local examples) Northeastern, BU, and BC, incredibly well-regarded schools, easily accept “average” students like me (3.6 GPA, 1480 SAT), so you will not have to worry about them.