EC Help??

Applying to College
1

<p>So I'm kind of in a bit of trouble with my ECs. I'm a junior and shooting for a top school (Ivy, NESCAC, etc). But, I feel like my ECs are weak. I spend a lot of my time playing softball, and I'm looking to get recruited. However, I'm not sure that will completely work out. That being said, I want to be able to get into one of those schools on my own, so here are my ECs.</p>

<p>9th Grade- softball, volleyball, Girl Scouts Silver Award, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
10th- Mock Trial (I quit this year, I simply couldn't handle it it was AWFUL)
Model UN (but not overly involved because softball doesn't allow for free weekends)
Johns Hopkins CTY
11th- Model UN
Peer Tutoring (only about 30 minutes once per week)
Work- 3 hours once per week I work giving lessons to little kids at a softball facility
Girl Scouts- still technically in it but not doing much
NHS
Johns Hopkins CTY</p>

<p>The thing is, the Model United Nations kids aren't people I really hang out with. My only friend in the club quit, and I don't see myself having fun going to an entire weekend conference without her. But, I feel like I can't join another club this late (I won't have leadership in MUN anyway, ugh) because it will look like I'm trying to round out my application. So I am not enjoying myself and I won't be able to get leadership anywhere. Also, I think it might be too late to try to do my Gold Award for Girl Scouts. Basically, I'm torn and swamped and confused and starting to panic. Does anyone have any advice? Thank you so much!</p>

2

Hey!

Don’t worry - when the time comes to write your application, the time you’ve dedicated to softball will definitely and greatly factor in. It appears that you really have a passion for it, plus, work experience is really valuable.

As for other ideas, have you thought about what you want to study in college? Is there a particular subject area or CTY course that really intrigued you? What about other hobbies that you pursue in your free time (music, maybe)? Maybe you can look into contests and competitions.

Don’t feel discouraged by the MUN kids - I know many of my CTY friends do MUN, and even though I don’t do it, I would totally run into them if I did. Maybe you can ask if some of your friends from CTY and other places do MUN, and you’d look forward to seeing them at those weekend conferences. It’d be a reunion of sorts.

If you’re looking for leadership/an opportunity to take initiative, start your own club! Think about something that you’re really passionate about, and start an organization or program to gather people together and make a difference.

Other things you can do are take a summer course at a college you’re planning to attend (summer precollege options or summer sessions), find an internship (if you’re rich in connections), or shadow someone working in a particular field you’re interested in.

Maybe try Model Congress? (I know little to nothing in terms of details, but I know it’s definitely not MUN).