Hi! I am a high school junior (F) beginning the college search. I’m concerned about whether my EC’s seem like cookie-cutter activities, even though I am very passionate about all of them and truly enjoy doing and leading them. I am afraid that my reach colleges (Vandy, WashU) will look at them and think I’m not unique. I would love some feedback on these activities! for reference, I come from a suburban school of about 1100 students, and am just curious about how these activities look from an outside perspective. I am giving some context in addition to the titles
-Student Council president (involved since freshman year, was director of advertising sophomore year, only student to be president as a junior)
-Yearbook editor-in-chief (took initiative to revive yearbook club because it has fallen out in the past few years with no student involvement. since becoming editor, club size has increased from 2 to 12 students)
-State model UN for 6 years, have won numerous individual and group awards (outstanding delegate out of 1500, outstanding nation out of 170, cultural awards, etc)
-Member of Superindendent Student Advisor committee (one of 12 chosen by application/interview process, meets regularly with district superintendent to discuss initiatives and projects for school improvement)
-Co-founder/president of ASL club (with aim of increasing ASL use in school to bridge gaps between student body and those with hearing disabilities in school)
-3 years golf (recieved varsity letter 2 years, decent player and enjoy it a lot but don’t stand out in any way)
-Member of spanish club (no leadership roles but it’s really fun hahaha)
-c/o 2020 secretary for 3 years (unsure if I will even submit this on apps because there are very few responsibilities with this role other than prom planning committee this year and representing the class at events)
My involvement in most of these is deep-rooted and I love doing them-- the college resume has only recently become part of my thought process. Regardless, I’d appreciate feedback on whether they seem to demonstrate passion to schools like Vanderbilt (my #1 choice). Sorry for the lengthy post. Thank you!!
I don’t think those are schools where your ECs have to be super unique as long as your academics are solid. Be sure to show WashU interest, though - they care. If your academics aren’t strong enough, then your ECs aren’t going to get you in. But I assume you’ve built a solid list of matches & safeties that are affordable and you’d be happy to attend.
They show a pattern of leadership which is great. Being heavily involved in a few (taking a deep dive) is more impressive than a smattering of many. You were able to have impact. Make that come out in your applications.
to give more info on myself as a student- I’m currently ranked #1 in my class, got 5 on APUSH exam, 3 on AP bio, taking 3 more exams this year (spanish lang+culture, english lang, US gov), 33 on ACT and taking it again in December
I think you have an excellent list of ECs and have no idea why you feel otherwise. The best part is that you that you love doing them. Just keep doing what you love. I agree with the advice about showing WashU interest. That matters to them.
I don’t know why so many kids think they need to be “unique.” There are lots of expectations to meet. But what’s the major? What relates to that? And any dedicated community service (outside a club,) any involvement outside the hs?
WashU is unpredictable. Your academics, ECs, and full app/supp need to form a coherent picture for them. And any Why Us.
It’s less about how “deep rooted” your activities are and more how what you show matches what they want to see in you. Dig into that, learn what matters to any of your targets.
Dig into what the web sites say about these and any other targets. To make your best resentation in the app/supp, you need to understand as much as you can about what they like and look for…
I see what you are saying about your ECs - they are rather run of the mill. However I found the ASL club interesting a I have never heard of it and interesting to focus on helping those with hearing disabilities.
Is there anything you do with a church or temple? If so, don’t forget to include it. These days in our secular society that type of thing is becoming more rare.
But, this need aware vs need blind is one of the elements OP could have found in researching the colleges. It’s important to know how to match yourself. Otherwise, how do you fine tune your app and supp?
The ECs are ok. It’s not about being unique, but being solid, the right depth and breath.
So, what’s the major? Wht activities relate to that? This isn’t about “passion.” It has to make sense to adcoms.
the purpose of mentioning that I’m passionate about them was to make sure people knew that I wasn’t using them just to pad a resume. Right now, I’m thinking a double major of some humanity or public health + spanish with a sign language minor.
This might sound like “cranky old man” advice, but that’s OK. The biggest tragedy in dream schools is not getting rejected. It’s getting accepted and finding out it doesn’t work. I would make sure to apply to a variety of schools and spend some real time shopping around with an open mind. When I say “variety,” I mean use affordability as your precondition. A lot of smart kids rely on rankings and end up with a list of acceptances to schools they can’t afford. You’ll want to run the net price calculator for both schools on your list to make sure you can afford them. The maximum amount of student loans you can take out for a 4 year degree is $27k. If you have to rely on your parents co-signing loans over to you to pay for tuition, that should be an absolute deal-breaker. The ultimate safety option is a scholarship.
coolguy40, thank you for this advice! At this point, I have a list of affordable and great in-state schools that I would be happy to attend for a much cheaper price (especially cheaper than WashU). I was just curious about how my activities come across
