I was wondering, as I am a junior in high school and I have started to look into college applications, that if I explained why I didn’t have any opportunities to engage in any extracurricular activities, would that make a difference in my application ? Because of my Asperger’s syndrome, I’ve always had trouble adjusting in social situations, and clubs and school associations are highly social. On top of that, for most of my schooling, I was in France, where there is no real equivalent to school clubs and associations (I have only been in the states for a year now, and furthermore, I have no idea how the club admission system works, and everyone I asked said something along the lines of “you have to go see the teacher in charge of the club” but there is no way of knowing which teacher is assigned to which club in my school… Oh well, it’s a mess). Another question I have is : why do colleges want to know about prior school clubs and extracurricular activities? I still don’t quite get why…
Thank you if you took time to read my questions and worries, any answer is welcome.
(also, sorry if I put this in the wrong forum, I really have no idea what would fit better my question )
What do you do when you aren’t in class? What are your interests? You must spend your time in some way?
Let’s focus on what you do rather than what you haven’t done and perhaps you can find things to put in the activities section of the common ap.
Colleges like to know about ECs because they are looking for students who are well rounded and will contribute to their campus life.
What type of schools are you looking at? Not all schools truly care about ECs. Some just look at stats and that’s it. Don’t worry - it will all work out.
Many colleges base admissions on a “holistic” review. They claim not to want students who simply study-study-study, they want to see students who can take what they have learned and use it out in the world, hence an interest in ECs. Involvement in ECs also show that you can balance academics with other activities. Those don’t need to be group activities - do you have a passion that you pursue independently outside of school? Finally, most careers have an element of interpersonal communications - even an analyst in a cubicle eventually needs to communicate information to a project team. Club experience is a way of developing skills in this area.
As @Empireapple pointed out, not all schools care about ECs, but I would encourage you to care. Even something as simple as developing the ability to find out who is in charge of a club will help you grow.
It’s not too late to get involved now. It’s only the beginning of your junior year.
Adcoms will understand that foreign countries don’t have the same EC emphasis so you might get a pass for what you did in France. I don’t think having Asperger’s can adequately explain not getting involved now.
Thank you all for your replies and advice. I will try and see who’s responsable for the club and activities, and try to join something.