So going into my sophomore year, I have 0 volunteer work and 0 ECs. How badly would this ruin my chances to get into Harvard or Yale?
Unless you are working in a family business or taking care of siblings, you need some other ECs to be competitive for college admission.
I am going to try to get a lot of clubs, ecs in the next 3 years, but will my lack of ECs in freshman year go against me?
You wil be fine. It’s not too late to get involved. Many of the ECs my daughter did freshman year she stopped when she found her passions elsewhere.
Any other thoughts?
In addition to school clubs, you could look at other opportunities in your community, like volunteering or getting involved in other ways. My daughter takes art classes and volunteers at our town’s cultural center. Depends on what you are interested in… you could work on a local political campaign, join a STEM program at the public library, volunteer at a hospital or animal shelter, the opportunities are limitless.