<p>Hi, I'm currently a Sophmore and I am just looking for suggestions on ECs. I'm was played softball my Freshman year but decided to join the swim team for my Sophmore year and I plan to continue with swimming throughout high school. I was on my school's quiz bowl team and in the art club my freshman year, but these and all the other clubs at my school save for NHS and Government were cut because of lack of funding. I will be doing NHS in 11th and 12th grade. While my school related ECs may seem a little weak, I'm wondering if colleges will understand that sports, my swim team in particular required 22+ hours every week. Am I correct in assuming that they will understand? Will doing only these these put me at a disadvantage? Outside of school however I have a lot of ECs, espcecially with leadership. I have been in girl scouts since 1st grade and I am about to finish my Gold Award. I also spend about 8 hours a week mentoring autistic and other special needs children (during the off season of swimming). I am also a tutor. I know on MIT's app there is room for about 6 EC's. I play guitar in a band, can I put those down as an extracirricular activity? Also on MIT's app there is a place to put summer activities. My family can not really afford to send me to any college related summer camps that usually cost several thousand dollars not to mention transportation. Will this put me at a disadvantage as far as the application goes? </p>
<p>Please any thoughts, suggestions, or comments would be more than welcome.</p>
<p>Everything will be looked at “in context,” so they’ll try to figure out what you could and couldn’t have done.</p>
<p>As for the summer activities, there are programs that give generous financial aid, so you could try to find some of those. Otherwise, working a job or vacationing are perfectly fine, as long as you’re active doing something. Telling them you self-studied a subject might work too. I listed camping as one of my activities.</p>
<p>Summer is a good time to relax and do things you don’t usually have time for during the school year. I did a lot of volunteering in the summers and lots and lots of reading and writing and programming and sleeping and hiking and camping and canoeing. I don’t think going to expensive summer camps puts you at any advantage–similarly for extracurriculars, if you do what you love to do and do it well you should be fine.</p>
<p>Have you considered organizing a fundraising drive to help bring back some of the EC’s that were cut? </p>
<p>Most colleges consider this an impressive EC.</p>
<p>And yes, MIT will consider your application in context, although I recommend looking at summer programs to see if they waive some of the fees for those under financial hardship.</p>
<p>We actually had a several months long campaign to get funding back. Most of the money problem was because the state cut funding midyear. We got some money back, but most of it is going to lower the cost of varsity sports. I just found a free program this summer at an atom smasher at MSU, hopefully I will be accepted. Thanks</p>