Are these extracurriculars improving my chances for Cornell, NYU, Northwestern, and Brown!!!!!!!!

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Freshman Year:

  • “Believe It Or Not I Care” Club - 1 hour a Week; club focuses raising tolerance, emotional awareness, and empathy towards others; helped bullied kids have a person to talk to; participated in “TALK” a day dedicated to emotional growth
  • Student Council - 1 hour a Week; weekly community service; won award for most involved for the year; ran for executive board and elected Historian

Sophomore Year:

  • Student Council - 5 Hours a Week; Served year as historian on executive board; total of 50+ service hours contributed throughout school year; planned weekly meetings; planned weekly community service events; kept photo record of entire year events and contributed to the end of year party; volunteered for school blood drives 5 days a week every other month (about 40 hours of service total)
  • National English Honor Society - 1 hour a week; weekly tutoring plus community service
  • National History Honor Society - ^ same as above
  • National Art Honor Society - 1 hour a week manage school art department and participate in art based community service
  • Track and Field - 12 + hours a week; pole vault and sprints
  • I switched schools after my sophomore year so I had to rebuild up my ECs. Was going to run for Stu. Co President at former school*

Junior Year:

  • Hearts 2 Offer - 30 min a week; school Christian club focused on self-reflection and bible study
  • National Honor Society - 1+ hours a week; Applied and selected as a member; applied, selected for an interview, and chosen as Exec. Board Member; 20 hours service
    -Yearbook Club - 1 hour a week completed tasks as needed for yearbook staff

Senior Year:

  • Psychology and Sociology Club - 3+ hours a week; Founder; weekly meetings helping students explore psychology and sociology through lesson and community service; run each meeting; plan community service for every meeting; teach lessons myself with assistance from AP Psych teacher
  • National Honor Society - 2+ Hours a week; Exec Board Member; plans community service events for entire club; plans meetings; plans induction and gives speech; manages major school events
  • Museum Assistant - 2-3 hours every week; interviewed and selected for position; intern at children’s museum focused on helping children aged 1-10 explore math, science, and the arts
  • Hospital Volunteer - 2-3 hours every week; interviewed and selected for position
  • Yearbook - same as junior year
  • Hearts to Offer - same as junior year

Also, I have about 150+ hours of community service.

Are these ECs at an Ivy League Level, or at least a Top 20 level? Will they improve my chances? I want to major in psychology if that matters. Will colleges understand that I switched schools, slowing down my ECs?

Thanks in advance!!!

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“At least a Top 20 level”???

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You don’t mention your GPA, class rank and standardized test scores, or what your parents can afford, or your race and heritage, or any major awards and honors. But just looking at your ECs, I have to be honest – they are not at the level of the typical Ivy student. Membership in a national honor society is actually considered a school-level honor, since high schools set their own rules for admission to an honor society.

You haven’t mentioned any national or international awards and honors related to your activities, and that is very important. You do not appear to be a nationally ranked athlete with plans to continue a sport in college. You don’t mention whether your class rank and standardized test scores are in the top 5%.

While you are certainly free to take your shot at applying to an Ivy or top 20 university, you should really focus on more realistic options. Northwestern and NYC are of course not Ivy, but they are highly competitive. For example, I know one student who got into Northwestern who had over 40 science awards including national and international awards, and was ranked in the top 15 nationally in her sport which she continued in college. See the difference?

Don’t get me wrong. Your achievements are really admirable, and your volunteer work is especially interesting at the hospital and museum. It’s great you have leadership experience. Lots of fantastic universities will be happy to admit you, and maybe one or more in the top 20 will admit you. But just going off of what you have described, it is a long shot, so be sure to include matches and safeties in your list. If you are actually a national merit finalist and/or on track to be a national AP scholar, or you are on your way to being valedictorian, then that combined with your ECs might be enough to get you into the top 20.