I repeat, please do not stress about the college admissions process. It seems like a monster at first, but you can combat it. For those of you that are Asian (like me), or have tremendous competition in your school, it’s easy for self doubt to set in. Don’t let it. It’s your junior year of high school. You’re only like 16 or 17, so don’t sweat things too much. Work hard, but go have fun every week. Yes, every week. Set aside at least a day with your friends every week to just hang out because before long, ACT, college apps, and more will consume the majority of your time. Also, right now it may seem like everything to get into an Ivy or Ivy equivalent. Yeah, if you get in, props to you because that’s awesome! But if you don’t, it’s not the end. In fact, it may be even better to go to a school that’s less costly, or not as high-stakes. Wouldn’t you rather go to a school that keeps your momentum up and that you feel good about rather than one that forces you to work 24/7 and is high school all over again? I’m not saying this is bad, but just know what you can handle. College is all about finding YOUR MATCH. You should pick where you feel comfortable, what you can handle, and mostly, someplace you can enjoy.
I hope this helps, it’s what I would’ve liked to know before I began this whole college process. Now looking back, it was one of the most stressful yet intuitive times of my high school career, but if I had known this, I would’ve chilled out a whole lot more.
@ClarinetDad16 it’s mostly what I’ve heard peers and grades below stress about. Maybe the fixation isn’t apparent everywhere, but definitely around my town, everyone wants to get into an ivy or “public ivy” so just wanted to let people know that it isn’t everything
Hi,
I’m also Asian and go to a competitive school in California (Gunn). I agree with what you said, but to get in to any college, you need extracurriculars too, right? My dream schools are the UCs except UC Merced and UC Riverside, but with more qualified applicants to those schools each year, I’m not sure if what I’ve been doing is enough.
@skbeach100
Totally know what you mean- I’m a junior in high school that is really competitve- also Asian that wants to go into STEM help me now -_-
Not sure if other people feel the same way, but does looking at all the people on this website kind of stress you out? I look at what other people have done EC wise, and it looks like they could’ve cured cancer or something. It makes me worried that I’m not doing enough EC wise to get into colleges that I want to get in (CMU, Georgia Tech, JHU, Cornell). My academics are pretty good, but do you really have to do ALL that stuff in order to be considered competitive for top colleges? All I do is Mock Trial, Science Olympiad, have a job as a Lifeguard (one a week lol) and play clarinet in a youth orchestra.
I’m not a child prodigy or exceptionally talented in anything (no major awards), which makes me worried that I’m not doing enough. Does everyone that applies to those colleges like that?
blue1artic - Don’t stress out! It’s the topic of the post - and worth repeating. My 2 STEM kids got into NU engineering, and here’s exactly what I told them - You should ONLY do the ECs you want to - never the ECs that you think some nameless AdCom wants you to.
CMU, JHU and maybe Conell might care about ECs, but not Georgia Tech, and your ECs might be good enough for the others. If not, so what - you will wind up at a good school. Even without being a child prodigy. Good luck - and relax!
@L3tan3 Yes you definitely need extracurriculars, but as @nugraddad said, please do them because you want to do them. Frankly, there’s so many people out there that are alike and have the same resume building activities. Colleges know this and they can tell when your heart’s not in something. I think it is smart however to explore some extracurriculars that fit the major you’re trying to do. If you want to be a doctor, volunteer at your local hospital and see if you like it. If you end up liking it and stick with it, colleges will see your commitment and you’ll be good to go. So find a few activities that you enjoy, are somewhat relevant or connected to what you want to do later on in life, or just things that you are truly passionate about.
@blue1artic yeah I definitely know what you mean. CC is kind of overwhelming with all the NMFs, 36ers, and Intel Finalists, but the truth is even with all that, some still don’t get into the college they want. The key is sticking to something you love and not overbooking yourself. Your academics are good, which is really good, and your EC’s are good too! I think if you just commit to excelling in the EC’s you’re currently in and maybe add in volunteering, you’ll be golden. The kids from my school that got into the schools you mentioned weren’t NMFs, 36ers, or National finalists, but they did show commitment and have good ACT scores, so you’ll be fine. PS, I do science Olympiad too!
