<p>I am very interested in bio and bio-ag at CALS. I am entering my junior year this fall with a 4.0 gpa and 680/730 SAT II scores in Bio and World History. I have yet to take my SAT. I take AP/advanced classes in science and social studies. I have completed 5 ny state regents exams with grades ranging from 95 to 98. I compete and train year round in my sport, crew. My boat won a state championship my freshman year placed top 10 in nationals. Sophomore year we placed 4th in states top 25 in nationals.</p>
<p>I grew up on our family horse breeding farm. I work on our farm an average of about 10 hours a week during the school year and full time during the summer. My work activities range from baling and stacking hay, to helping AI mares and sometimes help with foaling. I have assisted my parents and our vets with a wide range of horse issues from injuries to vaccinations and sales prep. I also belong to a 4H beef club and showed some angus. I have also bred and processed beef for my extended family and a couple customers. Finally in the past couple years my dad and I processed about 30 cords of firewood and had milled some nice oak and butternut which we made into furniture. I consider furniture making my hobby I guess.</p>
<p>Ok, so with that long intro here is my problem. Between school, crew and home responsibilities I have no EC's. I do not have time to volunteer or participate in clubs. My GC told me I need 3-4 EC's to be considered by a school like Cornell ALS. He says I need to show I am well rounded and involved in my community. I am frustrated and not sure what to do. On one hand I love my sport, crew and on the other my family really needs my help. I am being very honest...I have almost no free time. It just doesn't seem fair that some kids join the "Bio club" and attend a couple meetings a month and the occasional fair and their EC'S are cool. You want biology I can read an ultrasound and measure the follicle almost on sight! Or guess the protein level in hay based on composition and color. Before I approach my parents I would like to know is it really true about the well rounded EC's?</p>
<p>I have to disagree with your GC. You have one major EC - crew, which is very time consuming and you were nationally ranked. You have a job, which is very related to your future studies. I know of many competitive athletes who do nothing but training for that sport. I think Cornell Adcom will look at your application and not think you are a slacker.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response. The main point my GC stressed was " well rounded" and " community involvement". I guess I am neither of those. But isn’t there room for students who are really interested in something? For instance this spring my dad had a somewhat lethargic, mildly overweight mare who would not get in foal. He asked the vet if he could begin to treat her with " thyroid powder". I was curious as to why this would work and researched the chemical compound in the powder. I learned how the thyroid controls the metabolism and it’s effects on the mares heat cycle and uterus. I then spoke to the vet for a half hour about the topic (he then strongly encouraged me to apply to Cornell, and as an alum offered to take me for a visit ). It just doesn’t seem fair that my experiences are somehow inferior. Sorry to vent.</p>
<p>A lot of applicants have ‘community involvement’ but few truly have enough such that it actually makes a difference on their application. And even though you may not be ‘well rounded’ one does not easily get to nationals in a sport. Is it possible you can get recruited for crew? Have you talked to any coaches at Cornell? CALS also looks specifically for ECs related to the school and major. What you do on the farm and as a job definitely covers that.</p>
<p>Cornell’s crew program is one of the top in the nation. They only recruit the very best from around the world. Based upon the research I have done to date I am more likely to make the crew team at a Union, Hamilton, RPI, etc. If I did attend Cornell I would participate in crew at the club level. I have to admit I am torn between rowing for a college with a mid level crew program or attending one of the elite schools with awesome academic programs.</p>
<p>If a counter-example to your (poor-advice-dispensing) guidance counselor makes you feel any better, this was me:
-Not well-rounded (only two ECs junior and senior year, although I dabbled in others when I was an underclassman).
-Never intended to major in the academic subjects related to either EC.
-No community service involvement as an upperclassman.
-Admitted to every school to which I applied (although I got into a match early, so that was only 4) and attending Harvard.</p>
<p>Your ECs sound great to me, and the way you describe them makes me, a biology-hater, think they sound interesting. The ability to make readers feel your enthusiasm is a valuable one in life in general, but especially when it’s time to apply to college.</p>
<p>Thanks to the responders, I feel some stress relief already. I never thought of working on my family farm as a " job". I grew up with it. It’s chores. Its a way of life. I began to think about it quantitatively and came up with an estimate of 600-800 hours a year spent. Yes it’s related to my major, so I hope your right and CALS considers it.</p>
<p>Crew takes up another 500-750 hours a year, including 10-15 days competing out of state each year</p>
<p>It’s just intimidating listening to friends and reading CC posts about people with a dozen or more EC’s. It seems they have been prepping for this forever. I just started thinking about all this stuff.</p>