Extracurricular Activities Overrated?

<p>@intparent‌ wow such apt tips. thanks so much. i actually do plan on majoring somewhere in the finance area. Oh, and the kids who i mentioned that were on PSAL and made ivies, they were just regular participants/players in that particular sport. they weren’t anything special. but they still got in, which makes me feel a little insecure because most of the students accepted into ivies whom i know did sports (regular players). Don’t colleges want to see a well-rounded application? a student that can be involved in athletic, not just studying like a robot, and also succeed in academics while capturing all aspects of an idea person (intelligent, athletic, involved, etc.) </p>

<p>well in the summer i’m going to be loaded with SAT prep. i’m also seeking a volunteer job. where do you suggest i volunteer? </p>

<p>They didn’t get in because they played sports. And top colleges want a well rounded class, not always well rounded individuals. What that want are genuine and interesting people who also have very strong academic skills. But why do you care so much about an Ivy anyway? There are TONS of great colleges besides those. Do NOT let where other people are applying or going influence your search. </p>

<p>Get a copy of the Fiske Guide to Colleges and read up on a lot of different colleges. Visit some to see what you like. Work with your parents to run the net price calculators on the college websites to see what you can afford. Pick some colleges where your stats are a match or on the high end that you know you can afford. Go ahead and apply to a couple of reaches, you might get in. But pick colleges that match your personality, your desired course of study, and your statistics. Stop worrying about whether they are Ivies or even where anyone else you know is going. You are the one who has to pay for it, attend, and live with the consequences of your decision. Tune out the ‘prestige hounds’ and figure out what will work for you.</p>

<p>I can’t make a volunteer suggestion for you because I have no idea where you live or what is available to you. Asking a stranger that on the internet doesn’t make a lot of sense. Did you do an online search like I suggested? Can you make a list of non-profits in your area that might need help, and look at their websites to see if there is info on how to volunteer? Have you looked into increasing your hours or trying something new at the Red Cross, where you volunteering before?</p>

<p>First, I agree with intparent, don’t set your heart on Cornell and ignore every other school out there. From what I understand, every Ivy is a reach for every student – you can’t just look at the stats of admitted students and assume that if you’re in that range, you’ll be accepted. You absolutely must look around and find schools other than Ivies that you like and would be happy to attend.</p>

<p>Second, don’t pile more ECs onto your plate in order to impress colleges. Instead, dig deeper into the ones you already do. You are involved with math team and Red Cross because you like those activities, right? So figure out what it is you like about them and involve yourself more with that aspect. You say you like going to Red Cross events – maybe you could get more involved with helping to organize those events. (How? By asking the people you work with at those events what you can do to help out more.) Your suggestion of tutoring math is a good one, as long as you can tutor enough hours to show that you’re dedicated about it.</p>

<p>Bottom line, what ECs tell a college is that you are an interesting person who goes out and does stuff. If you can prove those qualities to a college without doing it through the medium of ECs, that’s fine too. My younger daughter (HS freshman this year) hates clubs, joining, socializing, leadership, everything of the sort. She’s an introvert who only really likes to hang out with her sister and her two best friends, and the idea of any kind of sports or organized activity is torture to her. Because she too has been told by classmates and guidance counselors that she <em>absolutely has to have ECs</em> she is as freaked out as you are. Here’s what I’ve told her: you can show a college that you’re an interesting person even if you never join a club or a team. You can develop a talent that you have (she’s a good artist, so she can work up a portfolio). You can start a blog about something you care about and, as long as you write thoughtful, interesting posts regularly, you’ve shown commitment and passion. If you’re an introvert who hates the idea of volunteering at a senior center or a child care center because you’d have to interact with lots of strangers, you can volunteer at an animal shelter or a local nature preserve. And finally, I have no proof of this but I suspect it may be true, even if you have no tangible “activities” to talk about, if your essays show that you are an interesting person who thinks differently than the typical high school student, I think that may do the trick. Yes, ECs are the more obvious way to go, but they are just a proxy for what colleges are really looking for clues about, which is the kind of person you are.</p>

<p>Dustypig I agree with everything you wrote. My kids did not load up on the traditional ECs and have done well in the admissions lottery(Yale and Swarthmore/Tufts (hasn’t decided)). Do NOT try to be something you are not with the idea it is somehow the key to admissions. It is not. Be yourself, do things that matter to you.</p>

<p>Dustypig, your D might like the following ECs (my introvert did): Quiz Bowl, fencing (she took it up as sophomore outside of school because I insisted on some form of exercise activity, and ended up liking it and even winning a medal at the state tournament as a senior), and robotics. She hates interacting with strangers, but likes intellectual activities. ECs outside of school are fine (for example, volunteer at a humane society or raptor center, get involved with a local wetlands study, etc.). But I do think colleges want SOME structure or recognition around an activity. A kid who is into art or writing can apply for the annual Scholastic Awards and enter stuff in the county fair.</p>

<p>oh i’m in a pretty metropolitan place. i attend a NYC school. pretty huge with 5500 kids. also specialized in math/sciences. it’s magnet school basically. i’m sure here i have a diverse and variety of choices to pick from, but presented with so many volunteering oppurtunities i’m kind of drowned and lost in the face of such a huge pool of things to choose from. i mean… does volunteering necesarily have to do with your academic focus of studies? just because i plan to major in finance, would it be alright if i’d just go to some hospital and help out some kids… or do some other different stuff to let colleges see i try new things?</p>