Extracurriculars are my strong suit

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm a very well rounded student, earning a 3.8 GPA (unweighted), with a strong 2250 SAT. I've got leadership positions in clubs, and am on the track team at my school, among other things, such as winning essay contests and being a black belt. But my strongest thing isn't any of these, it's my extracurriculars. </p>

<p>I really LOVE politics, so I've gone really, really far within the political sphere and have made a name for myself. I served as an officer in my local teenage political party club, and interned at the statewide political party. I also serve as a member of the statewide teenage political party board. </p>

<p>But I've taken it even further, far enough that I serve as the statewide coordinator for a national non-partisan political organization aiming to reform politics (not policy). This organization has raised millions of dollars, has Senators and Governors servings on their board of directors. </p>

<p>I'm the youngest person involved in the organization, and most other state coordinators are married with kids or grandchildren. So I've gotten past many adults trying for the same position. </p>

<p>In addition to this, I have also served as a staffer for multiple congressional campaigns, and as the campaign manager on a state-wide campaign. </p>

<p>I didn't say the party name of my political party because I don't want to invoke any political discussion in this thread, I have a few questions though.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Are my extracurriculars enough to propel me to a school like Harvard, UVA, Duke, etc? My SAT and GPA are a little low for Harvard, so would this pull me up?</p></li>
<li><p>How would college admissions officers respond to seeing my extracurriculars?</p></li>
<li><p>I know that the schools value GPA and SAT most, but would they make my extracurriculars the most important factor as a special case?</p></li>
<li><p>What schools (Top-30 preferably) would value these extracurriculars the most?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks a ton!</p>

2

<p>Bumpppppppppp</p>

3

<ol>
<li><p>You have good stats and interesting EC’s, so it’s definitely worth a shot. Like everyone else who applies to excellent and highly selective schools, you are by no means guaranteed admission, even if you have special EC’s.</p></li>
<li><p>They would probably respond with interest. You could also make great essays out of your involvement in politics, but, as you did in your post, try to downplay your political views and emphasize your experience and work instead.</p></li>
<li><p>Schools evaluate you holistically, so your EC’s will of course be considered. However they’re not going to treat your application differently. That being said, your GPA and SAT are excellent, so it’s not like you really have anything to make up for.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m not sure, though I think that most schools look at an application holistically. Your EC’s will be considered wherever you apply, and you can call extra attention to them by making them the focus of your common app essay if you would like. This shouldn’t be your basis for choosing schools anyway, pick schools based on how happy you think you’d be there (look at factors such as size, location, academics, dorms, food, etc, and less on how they will look at your EC’s.) For safeties, your GPA and SAT are high enough that you can probably find some great safeties, though it’s hard to recommend any schools without knowing what you’re looking for.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Overall I think that your application will guarantee you admission into a great school you love! Good luck (:</p>