<p>My freshman year, I did XC, spring track, and winter track. Those start almost directly after school, and to avoid being yelled at I didn't join any clubs.</p>
<p>This year (sophomore year) I did XC and winter, but since I've decided that it was the competition that's making me hate running, I've opted to go for solo runs instead of spring track.</p>
<p>The next two years I plan on doing marching band and spring track, and joining a few clubs (although my school lacks a chemistry club, which is the one thing I really wish we had). I start my community service at the nearby hospital in a few weeks, and I have a summer job. I'm going to try and join amnesty international when they have their next meeting (I meant to join in September, oops). I'm pretty sure I'll qualify for honor society next year as soon as I get a few more community service hours.</p>
<p>I was wondering, as my school doesn't have clubs for my true passions (duct tape designs, and chemistry), and I don't want to join things that I hate, am I going to be looked down upon when applying to top schools? I mean, I come from a crappy public school in NJ, it's not like I have a lot of options.</p>
<p>If you don’t have any options, make yourself options. Start a duct tape club, chemistry club, or whatever. And as long as you have good grades and SAT/ACT scores, EC’s shouldn’t matter too much.</p>
<p>Well I’m ranked 6th in a class of 491, but A’s are fairly easy to get in my schools (as in, the top 30% has an A average).</p>
<p>I’m going to start a chemistry club next year, but I’m having trouble finding the required advisor and 15 signatures. The duct tape thing’s not going to happen, the board won’t approve it. Would selling my tape flowers to raise money for charity count as an EC? Because people have been asking me to purchase them lately, but I don’t need the money and feel it should go somewhere where it’s needed.</p>
<p>You might also find help other clubs could use your help: Habitat always needs someone who’s handy with duct tape. And how about a Robotics club?</p>
<p>PS: my son found it very difficult to juggle clubs and sports too. He liked XC and track, but eventually had to give them up for other clubs where he had a leadership position. Sometimes he could get permission to arrive late. Other clubs met on weekends or in the evenings.</p>
<p>I used to be good, but around this fall my body just like rejected runs and mentally I didn’t care about competition anymore (I’m not competitive by any means, I frequently got yelled at for emerging from a race with bad times and new friends). Overall, it just wasn’t the right environment for me, though I do still run, and I’m glad I spent the time I did on it.</p>
<p>My school doesn’t have a robotics club (almost everything is art/music related, sadly I’m not an art person). I might join the Poet’s Guild, I’m not much of a poet but it sounds like it could be fun and they’re always looking for members. I didn’t even think about Habitat, thanks for the idea! I’d love to help out with that.</p>
<p>I think you need to find a few solid activities and stick with them! Commitment is extremely important so you don’t want to be jumping around all that much.</p>
<p>Yeah I know, I thought running was my thing, but I’ve changed A LOT since I started high school and that includes my interests. I’m not going to continue sports that I hate.</p>
<p>You don’t necessarily have to start a club. With chemistry, I’d recommend working on a research project with a teacher instead. A kid did this a few years back with one of our chem teacher who’d had a few papers published and ended up getting the Morehead Scholarship to Carolina. You don’t have to be club president or this that and the other to get accepted to top schools–you just have to pursue your interests to fruition (that is, accomplishment and, hopefully, becoming a more interesting person).</p>
<p>I committed to winter/spring track my freshman year as well and although I admit I enjoy my fall season sport (Soccer) much more, I still continue to run both winter and spring seasons. I guess it helps that I’m a bit more competitive and am decently ranked in the state, but I don’t see why you have to quit Track to try new things.</p>
<p>I’m not quitting track to try new things, I’m quitting because I get absolutely nothing out of being there. My teammates don’t like me, I don’t like the sport, and frankly if you aren’t a national champion my coach could care less that you’re so injured you can’t even walk properly. I’m done with it.</p>
<p>I really want to do research, but I don’t know how to go about it. I know that the two science teachers I’ve had, though both very nice ladies and wonderful teachers, wouldn’t help me. How would I go about starting this?</p>
<p>You can always shoot some emails at local profs, whether they be at a CC or four year university, to see if they need help. Of course, when working with profs, you’ll be more likely to be a lab assistant than doing original research.</p>
<p>My freshman year biology teacher runs NHS and some athletic stuff, she just doesn’t have time. My chemistry teacher is just…unhelpful.</p>
<p>Well the local community college is within walking distance of my school, but the nearest 4-year is half an hour away (and the nearest big 4 year over 2 hours away). Will colleges look down upon me asking a CC prof for help instead of one from a big fancy school?</p>
<p>Well, you can try doing some research and taking more classes outside of your school in chemistry or something. I usually am hesitant about younger students jumping too much into research, because I feel it’s best to fiddle around with material for more time to really get an idea about things, but still…</p>
<p>Don’t sweat ECs – if you like learning, focus on it. You probably won’t be able to make the HYPS type schools without very significant ECs or winning some award or something, but there are plenty of amazing schools for chemistry that don’t require much in terms of EC involvement (if anything) for admission. One of these is my own, whose chemistry department is supposed to be godly.</p>
<p>Well, unless you’ve discovered what you like by chance considerably earlier than most high school students do, talking to a professor from a big fancy school shouldn’t make too much of a difference anyway – it’s hard to even distinguish that they are big and fancy unless you know a ton about the field. I think colleges will recognize this, although undeniably a fancy name writing a letter is always looked upon most favorably. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t sweat these things, like I said, because you can make it into wonderful schools just by being productive and having good grades and scores.</p>
<p>Your school is one I’m considering, actually. But my dream school is MIT…yeah it’s a huge reach I know (although a senior from my school who has a similar GPA to me and only 2 EC’s got accepted…).</p>
<p>Where could I take classes? I’m not from a city that has a lot of options, I’m from a small NJ town where everyone does drugs behind Wawa. I’m not sure how to get started. I’m looking for a summer internship or something, but I’m not sure where to look?</p>
<p>How about work or volunteering? You can tutor other kids in the sciences or math. Kids around here make about $20+ for that. You might find some place nearby that has a small biz that might be chemical-related: photo shop for instance.</p>
<p>It’s very difficult to get a research project going if you don’t have the support from a teacher. You might want to branch out. Try ALL the teachers at your school, not just the ones who have taught you. Also, consider working with a math professor. Even if they can’t directly help, they might suggest others who will.</p>
<p>As for the clubs, also look into debate club and model un. Those clubs also meet on weekends. Be sure to get going this year, so it’s part of your activities since sophomore year.</p>
<p>Oh I forgot I do math league sometimes for the extra credit in algebra, that’s like 10 minutes of my time per 2 months though, is that an EC?</p>
<p>My algebra teacher is extremely, extremely helpful with anything, I’ll ask him if he knows of any opportunities in our area.</p>
<p>Tutoring is a good idea, but honestly, I’m a horrible teacher. No patience, haha. I’m thinking of volunteering at the nursing home near my house. I think elderly people are super interesting because they grew up in a different time period and know a lot that seems so foreign to me as a teenager.</p>
<p>Oh my study hall teacher teaches freshman geophysical science…I never took that class but I suppose I could ask him.</p>