EC's

Applying to College
1

<p>okay
so i dont have great stats but im planning to retake them and bring them up
but i have a 4.0 unweighted gpa, which seems to be pretty good</p>

<p>the problem is my EC's</p>

<p>Key Club - II, III, IV – Vice President
Multicultural Club - II, III, IV – i want to be the president but the girls from this year are planning to take over without elections...im really into multiculture
SGA III, IV – Class Secretary, next year, i wont have a specific position but just an officer
Varsity Tennis – III, IV ??
SORD/Interfaith – II, III, IV
Math Team – I, II, III, IV
SADD – III, IV
Residential Life Student Team - IV</p>

<p>National Junior Honor Society I
Spanish Honor Society - II, III, IV
National Honor Society - IV
Mu Alpha Theta – II
AMC 12 – III ;highest score from the school - qualified for AIME</p>

<p>Korean School teacher – I
Sunday School [aid?]– I, II
Church Youth group newsletter editor – I, II
Autism School volunteer – II [summer]
School Maintenance – III
Office Aid - IV
Medical Explorer - II</p>

<p>Photos chosen to be in the school magazine<br>
Other petty Math competition Awards</p>

<hr>

<p>okay, so these are my EC's
they arent that great
i dont have one particular activity that im really int
i love photography but i havent entered any competitions or anything
multicultural club...i had plans for it but im not in good terms with the girls that are going to take over next year
this summer
im planning to help a professor do biology related research
and i also want to shadow a doctor but i havent found a doctor...</p>

<p>so im not very involved yet. but i'll be more involved in my senior year.
is that okay for colleges? or am i screwed for not being active this year?</p>

<p>also
i was reading TIME and thought about raising money for north koreans or maybe the iraqi women. but i dont know where to start. anybody any advice?
i just feel horrible not doing anything when i can be helping people out in someway.</p>

2

<p>If what you really want to do is help people not simply dress up your resume for college, look around in your hometown and see how you can put your skills to use. For instance, I talked with a student recently who was thinking about starting a drive to provide new underwear to poor people. The student came up with this idea after visiting our local Salvation Army thrift shop and seeing poor people literally buying used underwear.</p>

<p>It's far easier to do something in one's hometown, and there probably are plenty of people or organizations that could use your help -- if you keep your eyes open to what needs to be done.</p>

3

<p>thing is...
i go to a boarding school and it's really hard to go around the town b/c we arent allowed to drive</p>

<p>the salvation army is in walking distance but i just dont know how to start. b/c i know i cant just ask people to donate money</p>

4

<p>You could start by going to the Salvation Army and seeing what volunteer work you could do there. The SA's thrift shop where I live also is in pretty sorry shape, and the student whom I know plans to recruit students to help fix it up -- clean up the shelves, sort the clothing, etc.</p>

<p>This isn't glamorous work. However, it's very important to the poor and desperate people who need to use such services. You'd also learn a lot about organizing projects, putting together teams, etc.</p>

<p>Students who really do hands on volunteer work -- particularly difficult or unappealing hands-on work -- impress colleges more than do students who do glamorous fund raising projects that don't require their getting their hands dirty.</p>

5

<p>i went there last time
but the lady there told me that they didnt need much help
she said they need major help in christmas but not during the year...
when i asked if there was anything i could do, she said i could do paperworks, but that's not what im looking for...
and the place didnt seem to be in good shape..</p>

6

<p>If they need paperwork help and you want to help someone, do paperwork.</p>

<p>If the place doesn't seem in good shape, then it probably needs more help. If you go there to do paperwork and get to know the staff, you could end up doing more.</p>

<p>Realize that opportunities aren't going to just jump into your lap. Whoever talked to you there didn't know you from Adam. She wasn't going to give you some large responsibility or lead you by the hand. Pitch in and give whatever help they need, and then after you have learned about their organization and they've learned about you, you can do more. You have to prove yourself first and your commitment. It takes time and effort for organizations to work with volunteers. They aren't going to take the time with you until you prove that your serious about helping out.</p>

<p>If the only reason you're looking for community service is to get into college, don't bother. CS is not a requirement for college admissions. In fact, most colleges admit most applicants, and the main criteria are one's stats. It's only for the very top colleges that ECs matter that much. </p>

<p>Here's a link to the kind of ECs that stand out at U Penn. Don't assume that people doing these kind of extraordinary ECs start off by doing those things. More than likely, they started by doing something relatively small, and after they got involved and got to know people, came up with some other ideas. One doesn't start doing community service by doing the kind of clothing distribution that's described below.</p>

<p>"One ... is a fashion designer with 20 employees who sells clothes in 350 stores in seven countries.There is a student who ...who played the violin alongside Yo-Yo Ma. There is another musician who ... has a CD coming out soon from Virgin Records America.</p>

<p>One freshman has appeared on Jeopardy's Teen Tournament, while at the same time developing a program called "Jeans for Teens." It collects, mends and distributes jeans to those who cannot afford such clothing." <a href="http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/41494495cc4bb?in_archive=1%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/41494495cc4bb?in_archive=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

7

<p>thank you so much.</p>

<p>community service is more for myself rather than the college.
i feel like im doing nothing for the world.haha</p>

<p>im gonna go to salvation army tomorrow and see what's going on.</p>

<p>but im also worried about ec's !!!
...i dont have any talent...i guess im just screwed.</p>