<p>I'm kind of worried about my EC's. I never did anything in freshman year of HS, and am now in the Sophomore year of HS. I joined the FBLA, Math Team, Plan on volunteering for my local hospital, and want to become an EMT before senior year. I have a great interest in doing something in the medical field. I am curious as to what colleges I have a chance at with my GPA at 3.9. I aim for a 2250 SAT and top 5% class rank. Thanks!</p>
<p>(This is my first post)</p>
<p>If you’re looking for ECs to fill up your resume and look good, you’re probably wasting your time. Ask yourself, is there anything I really want to do that I’m not doing and have the time and money to do? Those should be your ECs, not something that checks the box.</p>
<p>Its your 1st post and already you’re on the wrong track 
</p>
<p>I know what your intention probably was. You want to see how high can you aim. Might you even be a candidate for (gasp!) Ivy?</p>
<p>Look, there are thousands of colleges in this country. Most admit with little or no regard to ECs. You can see this for yourself by looking at the Common Data Set filings for colleges you might be considering. They tell how much weight they give to ECs.</p>
<p>The point is you are in the drivers seat a lot more than you suspect. Maybe not with regard to the top 100 or so, but probably with regard to the rest. Yet there is not one word in your post about what YOU want in a college. Urban or rural? Large or small enrollment? Large or small classes? Who teaches the classes? I could go on and on, but if your fixation is on how impressed other HS kids are going to be when you tell them where you are applying then stop reading right here.</p>
<p>On the other hand if you are interested in making the most of your college experience then you ought to start thinking about what types of colleges are going to be right for you. As a 10th grader you don’ need to reach firm decisions anytime soon, but its a good idea to at least start thinking about it. A good book on college admissions will talk about how to find colleges that are right for you. One book I recommend is called “Admission Matters”.</p>
<p>Im sorry if I didn’t properly convey what I wanted to say. Let me try again. I basically want to get involved in activities that have anything to do with the things I’m most interested in, which happens to be science. I am having a hard time trying to expose myself to more extra curriculars that I think will help my own self in terms of experience and exposure. The question about my chance at certain colleges was trying to say, at what colleges should I start looking at that would provide me with the best learning experience relating to my interest. So if you have any suggestions as to what other extra curriculars I could do that could help improve my experience in my interest, and what colleges would help give me the best learning experience relating to my interest</p>
<p>Do something that looks like fun. Everything doesn’t have to be a “learning experience”. Sure, you can learn from it, but what do you do to relax, exercise, or use your body? There’s a reason colleges like scholar athletes. You don’t have to be a superstar, but you do need to have something physical on the list.</p>
<p>A good place to start is exactly what you mentioned – becoming an EMT. The time and commitment it takes to become a certified EMT says a LOT about a college applicant. You may not even need a ton more ECs – only ECs that are authentic to you are worth a crap.</p>
<p>Also, I can promise you that as a sophomore, things may appear fuzzy. As times moves along, new opportunities will come your way. Try and stop thinking about what may “look good” and instead focus on “what feels good to me” and “what floats my boat.” When you can speak passionately about the ECs that you are involved in (even if it is only 2 of them), that will speak VOLUMES more than being a member or even a leader of a bunch of school clubs.</p>