<p>I am a senior in high school. I didn't apply to any school that I liked, so I will be inevitably going to a school I do not like (Baruch College). I don't know what I'm going to do with myself in a school I don't even like at all.</p>
<p>How do you get extraordinary ECs in college to build a competitive transfer application for a top school? Baruch is a commuter college, so I will likely go to class and just leave, so I am mainly talking about ECs outside of campus. SOMETHING that I can do that a third person viewer would be jealous of. How do I get involved in something more remarkable than a club or otherwise generic activity that all students have? I never did so in high school because I never knew how. I want to go into freshman year with this goal on my back, and know exactly how to reach it before the semester ends. Would this, along with a 4.0 and good credentials otherwise, pretty much guarantee me a spot in a top school if I apply to enough of them (given good credentials and a good "why transfer" essay for each)?</p>
<p>My questions:</p>
<p>1) How do you deal with 2 years at a college you can't wait to transfer out of before you even attend? I know this isn't a good sentiment to go by, but that is why I am asking about extracurriculars, which would keep me busy and help build a strong application at the same time.</p>
<p>2) How do I find great extracurriculars that an adcom from a top school would like? Is it luck (knowing the right people), or is there a direct way to do this? Perhaps you could give me a specific one. I live in NYC. An example is a $10,000 writing contest scholarship that I recently passed up on (I wasn't motivated, but knew I could win). I stumbled upon it by circumstance. How do I go about finding something like that?</p>
<p>This is Hopefuleagle86 again. From what I’ve learned and heard through College Confidential stories, successful applicants who had rough time in High School (like us) can use internships or traveling experience to show that we are able to take ourselves abroad to show that we can do much more things other than HS GPA and SAT Scores. It not only gets you into the college experience, but show adcoms that you’re passionate about dedication towards something. If you travel to Asia or Europe to explore the places, write to the adcoms what you’ve learned from it and they will know that not many kids travel far away to the other side of the world since it is really expensive. </p>
<p>There’s also honor societies in college called Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Theta Kappa, Beta Kappa, Omicron delta Epsilon, and etc… You must maintain at least a 3.5-4.0 in college in order to earn those spots, it will be considered as “extracurriculars” resumes. </p>
<p>Also, be sure to show competitive colleges that you were able to join a business club if you want to study business and have a leadership position for a specific student organization as a transfer student. </p>
<p>I think this is all I can say, Lol.
Try to relax about it, college is 5 months away.
I will try to apply these things too when I begin in the Fall.</p>
<p>P.S: For people who did not achieve on the SAT, it is recommended that you retake in order to help your chances of transferring in, even as a Junior, they still want to see SAT scores… yeah I know it’s annoying, but we all got to do it. 2000+ is a goal.</p>
<p>I don’t have money to travel, and those “honor societies” and business clubs are not what I am asking about. They don’t seem too spectacular to me. I mentioned the $10,000 contest because only one person could win it, and it would be a remarkable achievement unique to only one person in the whole city/country. I was referring to those kinds of extracurriculars (if that’s the right word to attribute to a contest)–not the generic club or society within the respective college. I feel like the latter wouldn’t make me competitive since so many people go that route. There must be something that sets apart the Ivy transfer from the other 4.0s BESIDES high school grades (which may hold me back) besides the generic “great extracurriculars” and “summer research/internship.”</p>
<p>When I hear “internship” or some other impressive extracurricular, I don’t know what to make of it. How do you get one? It just doesn’t make sense. I know that if I don’t understand how people build great resumes that I may never do it, and I may end up with the same resume I had last fall, one with numbers but no substance. I want to go into college knowing exactly how to build a resume that’ll make me confident…</p>
<p>Think of all the comm. college students that know they’ll be transferring after 2 years. Just plan your curriculum around taking all the classes you need to transfer to the schools you do want to go to, maintain a high gpa, and involve yourself in EC’s that relate to leadership, public service, and your intended major.</p>
<p>If you are limited on EC options, join student government, become a club president, organize community service events, really anything to do with leadership. Then if you can swing some work experience through internships over the summer or part time during fall/spring then that will help. Especially if you can find something related to your major.</p>
<p>^that doesn’t help. I was asking about extracurricular activities outside of campus. That was the same generic advice I referred to in my post. If these community college students are doing the same thing, why would I do it?</p>
<p>I am curious about how one can go about doing this, not what to do. I specifically mentioned that Baruch is a commuter college (wherein many students just go to class and leave immediately after) and that I never knew how to do so in high school so someone could explain it to me. Are these internships offered to you or do you have to go out looking for it? Where do I look? I never did anything in high school because I never knew where to look. And I might not want to go around campus to find out because my impression is that Baruch has virtually no campus, but is in the middle of the city. What type of extracurricular should I be looking for in this situation? Just assume that I already accomplished all the things you listed. How do I add something extraordinary on top of all it that sets me apart from other students just like me?</p>
<p>I played a varsity sport. I also went to a CUNY commuter school, and athletics seemed to be the only thing that could set me apart, really. </p>
<p>I played tennis, and the coach was desperate for people to join the team, even though I had very little experience. But it was great to be able to put “NCAA varsity tennis player” on my app. Being on a team shows initiative, well-roundedness, commitment and enthusiasm. I don’t know if Baruch does “Teaching Scholars”, but see if they do. You sign up and apply to be a student teacher in a middle or high school. I played trumpet for ten years before college, and I signed up to be a music student teacher; something they really needed. The trick is to try and think outside of the box. Choose something you are uniquely good at, and see if there’s an EC that will show that. My ECs were unique. </p>
<p>I also found an internship through the CUNY career office. After working with her for a summer, my internship coordinator sang my praises in her recommendation letter. You go to the career office and look through the internship listings. Companies or non-profit organizations go to the CUNYs to look for interns, and CUNY should have some kind of database you can look through. </p>
<p>What do you like doing? Do you play sports? Go to Baruch’s athletics office to find out how to sign up for a sports team. Do you like writing? See if Baruch has a newspaper or blog you can work on. Are you artistic? See if you can intern or student teach/volunteer at an art school or music school. Many commuter students won’t think of doing these things. I believe my ECs boosted my application and I’m at NYU now. </p>
<p>Good luck. Feel free to PM me if you need more CUNY specific advice about transferring.</p>
<p>How you join a club/extracurricular activity: find one that interests you, or MIGHT interest you, find out when they have a meeting, and GO. It’s as simple as that. </p>
<p>You have to go looking for pretty much everything. Nothing is going to come to you to make you an outstanding candidate. YOU have to seek it. Scour the internet. You live in NYC - there is no place richer in opportunities. Google something you like, a subject, an activity, and then ask around, go to coffee shops or something and look for fliers, research internships online. E-mail your professors once you get to know them, ask them for ideas. </p>
<p>Being “extraordinary” or achieving something “outstanding” is going to be really hard if it’s not something your heart isn’t completely committed to. First focus on what you love and what you’re passionate about - that’s where your “extraordinariness” will come from.</p>