I’m looking for advice on how to improve my ECs to stand out as a CS/Econ applicant at schools like Stanford. I’m a white female from a low income urban public school and I’m interested in tech, business, entrepreneurship, etc. Here are my current ECs:
-Student Council Member(prospective officer next year)
-Sophomore Class President
-Math team(will start 11th because it didn’t happen this year)
-Founder/president Entrepreneurship Club(have hosted speakers such as NFL executives, hoping to host a scholarship competition next year)
-Did women’s research program for 4 months this year, and was offered paid research position in lab for the whole summer
-I teach Sunday School as the only youth teacher
-Member on Catholic Youth Council(prospective leader)
-Altar server, selected to serve city-wide confirmation mass
-Hoping to join Coding Club next year(didn’t happen this year)
-School field hockey, basketball, lacrosse(will quit lax next year to focus on school)
-Participating in Girls With Impact Entrepreneurship program and hope to launch a business/app after completion
-Jobs: waitress at cafe for 3 months, currently umpire for little league
Any ideas/feedback are GREATLY appreciated!!!
What does your high school guidance counselor have to say about it?
I think there is a terrible misconception that in high school you have to check off a hundred little boxes for extra-curricular activities in order to improve your chances to get into a prestigious university. If you continue to follow the path that you have described in your post, there is a good chance that you will come across to a college admissions officer as “a mile wide and an inch deep,” as the old saying goes.
I think that you need to be involved in extracurricular activities in which you show continued interest and demonstrated leadership (not always equivalent to being elected president or captain of something, but that’s good too). So if I were you, I might focus in on fewer activities, and show that you have passion and commitment about those activities (such as the entrepreneur clubs you are working with).
You might also look at Section C7 of the Common Data Set for the schools you are interested in to see what nonacademic factors are valued by these schools; this might give you some ideas also about the totality of your college applications.
I will leave you with this quotation, which was posted on CC a few years ago, and which I think is one of the great truisms about the college admissions process: “I don’t think it’s important to go to the ‘best’ school you can get into. I think it’s important to get into a school you can be your best at. Your future is going to be much more impacted by what you do than by where you go.”
Best of luck to you.
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