ECs: are they too weak?

Applying to College
1

<p>^ Topic</p>

<p>Let me first provide some basic info about me and my situation:
-African-American female
-class of 2014, public school
-Northern VA
-family refuses to pay for summer-college programs, semester-abroad programs, basically anything that charges more than $500
-planning to apply to Georgetown, GWU, American, Tufts, Middlebury, UVA, Harvard and Yale just for kicks (chances are low, but why not try?).</p>

<p>Now, on to a list of my ECs and work experiences:
-dance (2001-present)
-leadership committee (2010-present; we work with the school board and we've gotten a few policies passed. There's a position for a student representative, and the board really wants me there, so there's a decent chance I'll make it.)
-Junior Science and Humanities Symposium - Greater Washington Area (2011; I don't know why I got in since I'm terrible at science/have no interest in it. A teacher nominated me for some reason...????)
-studied in China for 2 weeks (2011)
-Model UN (2011-present; president starting fall 2012)
-representing my city at a festival in Scotland (2012)
-VA Governor's School (2012)
-Spanish-English translator (2011-present; the work isn't steady, I just translate stuff for my mom's boss from time to time)
-assistant at a travel agency (Jan. 2012-present; work is more consistent, I mail catalogs out)</p>

<p>Award:
-Best Delegate @ DUMUNC XXXI, 2012</p>

<p>I feel like I should be doing more, though. I don't play sports or an instrument (I tried guitar in freshman year, but I was horrible at it), I've won almost no awards, nor have I been regionally/nationally recognized for anything, which is terrible since I live in a super-affluent area. What can I do to improve my chances of getting into a good school?</p>

2

<p>Perhaps participate in competitions that you think you might enjoy. You can get into Harvard/Yale without any major awards, but it’s extremely difficult. Having a national/international award that stands out really improves your chances.</p>

3

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<p>There are summer programs that are either free or have FA, go to the Summer Programs forum. Some are aimed towards URMs, such as MIT MITES, CMU Sams, etc. Of course these are competitive programs, but they are worth applying to.</p>

<p>Also check out the Resources sticky thread on the Hispanic Students forum (under Admissions, Specialty Topics), as many of the summer programs listed there are for URMs in general.</p>

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<p>@entomom: I applied to NSLI-Y but was rejected (probably because of prior summer-abroad experience, but I’ll apply next year anyway). I checked the African American and Summer Programs boards, but most programs are for students interested in STEM - which I am unfortunately not. The best I can do, as far as I know, is Model UN. Are there any competitions related to languages/IR that I’m unaware of?</p>