<p>So, while I scour College Confidential's admission Forums, I often come across incredible lists of extracurriculars ranging from being on an Olympic Diving Team to building schools in Afghanistan. It seems almost pointless to "chance" them, because 1) the Ivies are unpredictable and 2) if these students couldn't get in, no one could. </p>
<p>My question is - are schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and Stanford completely unfathomable to apply to if your EC's aren't spectacular, but just pretty darn good? (Captain of your School's Tennis Team but didn't actually go to Wimbledon, lol, or started a Club but didn't have it broadcasted worldwide on CNN)?</p>
<p>For instance, my volunteering and community service come from Tutoring students Math over the Summer and volunteering at the Local Library, sure - I didn't help fight hunger in Africa, but is it still impossible to make it to the Ivy Leagues?</p>
<p>Obviously all the people who got into an Ivy league found the cure to some kind of cancer, wrote a 390 paged book about, got featured in the local newspaper, and oh you know, won the Nobel Prize. Nothing new.</p>
<p>I was reading on a website that it’s best to stick to a couple of (unique) ec’s (AND STAY DEDICATED TO THEM) than have 100’s of generic ones (ones you only did once and that was it).</p>
<p>many of them on this board lie. You’ve seen long lists of ECs, perfect stats and whatnot right, then after a few months, you check their profiles back and see that they were only accepted to mediocre colleges.
Many post their “dream” stats for people to chance them, ie: they don’t or haven’t got those stats, but just want to post them to see how their chances would turn out if they got them, or just to fish compliments…</p>
<p>Just make sure you can convey your determination and love for the ECs that you do. If you can hold an admission officer’s breath when they’re reading your letter, that will be more impressive than doing something for colleges.</p>
<p>Look,I get intimidated too a lot of the times.But you’d just got to remind yourself that there aren’t enough 18 year olds with good to great grades and are on the Olympic team or what not to fill the ivies every year.</p>