Extracurricular Struggles?

Applying to College
1

<p>Okay, I know I've asked about this before, but I still struggle the most with my extracurricular list for my applications. I'm looking at: Yale, Georgetown, UPenn, Notre Dame, Washington University in St. Louis, William & Mary, Boston College, and Knox. </p>

<p>I know there are a lot of other factors, but if anyone could give me advice specifically about the strength of my extracurriculars in order to apply at these schools I would appreciate it! Also, if anyone has advice on how to present my activities (resume, activity list, space provided, etc.) or how much info to include on each one I would be eternally grateful! :)</p>

<p>(Activity; position [if applicable]; years involved; additional info)</p>

<p>~ Spring Musical; cast member; 2; participated through my school, three months of daily rehearsal
~ Fair Trade ministry; secretary and leader of Fair Trade store; 4; participated through my church, plan events and community outreach to educate and advocate for Fair Trade, founded and run a FT store to support artisans across the globe by selling the items they make
~ Mission ministry; co-leader of trip planning committee; 4; have gone on a mission trip overseas, organize mission trips through my church, part of a core team to create a network of people going on mission trips throughout my state
~ Ballet; 3; advanced level at a local studio (mostly for pure joy and fitness!)
~ Spanish tutor; 3; tutor high school students twice weekly in Spanish, prepare study materials ahead of time and communicate with their teachers to find out strengths/weaknesses and gauge progress
~ Church choir; member (soprano); 4; weekly rehearsals, practice at home between rehearsals, sing for Masses and holidays
~ Ambassadors; member; 3; application process (must be chosen my members of school admissions department), recruit new students to my high school, make phone calls and write letters to 8th graders at feeder schools, organize and attend events to promote and inform about my school
~ Peer Mediation; member; 4; participate in several days of training, help settle disputes between students, meet with students individually if they have an issue they want to talk about, lead small group sessions (and individual sessions when requested) with students in the connected middle school to promote unity between schools and help with any issues they want to talk about (I designed the middle school program)</p>

<p>Any comments would be greatly appreciated - including those about how to word things or what to add/take out. Thank you thank you!</p>

2

<p>your EC’s are fine… and YES- there are many other factors</p>

<p>keep in mind, maybe a few people have done truly amazing stuff. other people are just… NORMAL</p>

<p>i do suggest a safety</p>

3

<p>Thanks for your comment NervusBreakdown… anyone have any idea what exactly qualifies as “amazing”? I know its not an exact science but what is truly impressive? I really just want to know so I know how I stack up.</p>

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<p>Any comments that you can think of would be appreciated…</p>

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<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-whats-good.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-whats-good.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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6

<p>OP, your extracurriculars are very strong. What would make them exceptional would be taking the next step…for example, taking your Fair Trade ministry to a number of congregations in your community…and getting deeply involved in Fair Trade issues.</p>

<p>I will give you an example…several years ago, a student at our high school got involved in Race for the Cure when her mother developed breast cancer. She got her sports team involved and they created a 48-hour marathon event at the school athletic facility. From Race to the Cure alone the students also got involved in the Red Cross Blood Drive and from then on were involved in both events year round.</p>

<p>The next year the boys’ team got involved too…and it eventually involved into a challenge event for all the teams in the school (athletic and non-athletic–it now involves virtually the whole high school, including teachers by department, the publications/drama groups/music groups/etc). A couple of years ago, our high school challenged some of its major rivals…it’s now a huge event…and the founder, now in the latter years of college, is still involved in a major way. THIS is what is considered to be exceptional. But…organizing an event for your own high school or a fair trade store for your congregation is still very good and will be noticed. It’s just the difference between being noticed and really standing out.</p>

7

<p>Wow thank you! Best comments ever lol - very helpful. I think it has a lot to do with how I explain my activities… but I’m also inspired to work even harder to make it even more impressive :wink: Thanks again!</p>

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<p>Any other comments?</p>