I have pretty good grades and test scores, but in terms of EC’s, I’m worried that the “too well-rounded” thing will hurt me. My EC’s are:
Play Indian instrument in small concerts around bay area (7 hrs/week)
Officer of service/human rights club (3 hrs/week)
Founder of group that helps refugees (5 hrs/week)
FBLA officer (5 hrs/week)
Library program founder that works with children struggling in math to fix deficiencies (3 hrs/week)
Black belt in Taekwondo (2hrs/week)
French Honor Society (1/hr)
National Honor Society (1/hr)
Besides the last two, I like everything I’m doing, especially music and clubs/groups I’ve found by I’m mainly passionate about Music, Refugees/Human Rights, and FBLA. I feel like my EC’s are all over the place- what should I do? I’m not struggling with the load, but when I look at this, I feel like colleges will think I have no passion.
No. There are ten spots. And you can put the last two under honors if you like.
And being well rounded is not an issue. I’ve heard admission officers say that they want to create a well rounded class and that will include both individuals who are well rounded as well as individuals who have different talents/interests.
Agreed. You shouldn’t leave off activities for fear of being “too well rounded.” You don’t want to be a one trick pony, either. That list is not overly long, and doesn’t look “fluffy” to me.
What will hurt you is this idea “too well rounded” is a risk. For Stanford, you’ve got to know better, not accept hearsay.
If you’re interested in rights, what do you do besides a school club? And how do you really help refugees? You’re out there, rolling up your sleeves, advocating, having some direct impact? Or It’s more just another hs club?
They’ll look for how this translates to real action and what that is.
The group I founded is a partnership between my school and a all-refugee high school in Jordan, where each student works with one refugee to teach coding, math, English, and other skills to help them qualify for college. And @lookingforward, I was just wondering if my load is okay, I am passionate about the things I am doing, regardless of college apps, and I do believe that this group is making a difference.
Jordan? How about local activities in your community?
It’s not so much “passion” as how one chooses and follows through. To know if your load is ok, you have to have a perspective on how it comes across. I know that’s what you’re asking, but I was trying to get more detail. Because you included Stanford.
@lookingforward , maybe I’m not understanding but why do my EC’s need to be local? And what is the perspective of my ECs that you are referring to? As someone who really cares about refugee rights but does not come from an area that has many refugees at all, this was one of the only impactful ways I could get involved in refugee rights and I am learning a lot from it. As for the detail, my project is a long-term program with a non-profit, and we work with a refugee to get them ready for the TOEFL and other exams, as well as teaching STEM, including math and coding.