for schools like NYU
No. EC’s in Junior year are arguably the most important.
No
Obviously when it comes to ECs like clubs, volunteering, and prolonged activities it seems suspicious if you suddenly become involved in them Junior year, rather than showing a consistent track record throughout high school. But if you’re talking about internships, summer programs, and competitions it makes perfect sense to have them later and in fact some programs only accept Junior/Seniors.
It’s still the summer of my sophmore year so would starting to volunter at a soup kitchen look bad now
Volunteering at a soup kitchen never looks bad. I hope you are doing it primarily because you want to help the people who go there, and not because it is something to put down on a college application.
Or perhaps even better, you volunteer at the soup kitchen and discover you really have sympathy for the people you are helping. There really is no downside to it. Even if you’re doing it for selfish reasons an you hate it you’re still helping others.
Focus on your passion rather than college admission.
Sometimes one doesn’t readily identify their passion with an EC. You could love camping, reading, video games, listening to friends etc. and not really know how to translate them into demonstrative EC. A camper could have been a scout, helped to clear trails, collect trash from trails and river beds. Those who love to read can volunteer at a library or tutor young kids, even listening to friends might be someone who could tutor help kids in church etc. It’s really about figuring out how to share your passion. For many it’s easy. D1 was a violist, D2 a dancer. The athlete, musician etc. all are easier to share. For others you may need to be more creative.