<p>Hullo, it's been a while anyway what are your ECs and in your opinion do I have enough..?
I'm aiming to go to Penn State or University of Michigan but I will most likely also apply to Duke and Notre Dame as well so obviously I would like to be competitive I'm just not sure if what I'm doing so far will cut it so hearing from other kids aiming to go to good colleges/universities.
(I'm a sophomore)
Mock Trail
Model UN
Youth and Government
Student council
Band
Equestrian team (I show)
I intern at my local state representatives
I volunteer a therapeutic riding center</p>
<h2>I foster parrots.</h2>
<p>(Also this might have been received on a college forum but I don't want an experts opinion, just curious as to other high schoolers)
It's not, an impressive list.. But those things kind of dominate my free time in addition I own a horse so it's not like I'm wasting time inside.
So what do you think?
And what do you do? =P</p>
<p>Quality is more important then quantity. You should have a good number of hours in each EC and begin to hold leadership/officer positions. Assuming these things are true you are fine.</p>
<p>You probably have too many. Take a step back. Which ones do you actually enjoy? Keep doing those. Quit the rest. Now you’ll have time to put more time into each which will look more meaningful on an app than simply doing a long list of ECs.</p>
<p>^ not quitting any =P
Or lying which is a mildly silly thing to suggest, it’s not like I’m leader of all of these things just involved, Secretary in YAG (youth and government). Model Un and Mock trail don’t have leadership positions
Band I play tuba and stu-co is 60% in school (homeroom and activity periods)
But thanks…?
I actually am curious as to what everyone else is doing, which is my main purpose here anyway. I’d like to do stage crew for our schools musical in the spring it’s something I’ve always wanted to do-- but it’s supposed to very time consuming
Anyone do musicals?</p>
<p>I was in the musical last year, just ensemble, and we had to stay for three or four hours after school pretty much every day. Sometimes Saturdays. The week before the musical we stayed after school every day until 10 o’clock at night. You can’t really do much else.</p>
<p>Yeah, I always wanted to do theatre in high school because I love to act and I did it in middle school, but I would have barely had time to participate in any other ECs.</p>
<p>You definitely have enough extracurriculars; I think you should just try to invest yourself more deeply in some of the ones that you already have on your plate. Quality > quantity, as you’ve already been told. Try and strive for leadership positions in the ones that are most important to you, or try to do something significant. Like rather than just volunteering somewhere, maybe you could try organizing a fundraiser on the organization’s behalf…or instead of just being in student council, try to become an officer…those types of things.</p>
<p>^ I’m terrified to actually sing in public, mum dropped me off at our church musical’s tryouts in 8th grade and she promised me I could do stage crew-- well turns out that was a whole other thing and the tryouts were strictly musical.
I bolted. Like, I ran top speed out of the church and about a block until I stopped and had to call mum to pick me up… I’m a really awkward person =P
But I really don’t think it fits although, in the spring mock trail and model UN ends so Ill pick something else up… So maybe.
I’ll probably run for a stu-co office next year but I just joined this year so obviously I wasn’t qualified. I am an officer in YAG though so yaaay.
I really don’t understand the whole I should drop and focus. I’d say I’m pretty focused, I put a lot of late nights into preparing for mock trail and model UN
Shows for the horses are early fall so they’re over by the time Mock trail picks up. I’m really not that busy which is O.K I think… Aps are available starting next year and I’d really like to be in the top ten students (it’s a class of 550). I like to have from 6-11 for homework and I do 99% of the time.
The whole social life fits in on Fridays and I’ve sworn off boys anyway so dating isn’t a problem.</p>
<p>Student Council (you have to run and be elected just to be on the council, and run again if you want to be vp or prez or something. It’s pretty competitive… I have a ton probably 30 hours from this year put in already, maybe more)</p>
<p>Internship with the 2012 DNC (34 hours, was given an A for the grade)</p>
<p>Compassion in Action (around 10 hours so far, btw it’s a service club)</p>
<p>National Arts Honors Society (maybe around 30 hours…?)</p>
<p>I am also in the Math Honors Society but have probably <5 hours</p>
<p>Your ECs definitely trump mine by a landslide I feel… I’m also a sophomore and I babysit summer long and 9 hours during the week every week during the school year.</p>
<p>It all about finding your fit, but I won’t lie, it is bad if many of your ECs don’t have leadership. Almost all of my ECs have leadership opportunities and I have been advancing through them and they have various themes to tie the together. An example of a theme is that I do a lot of editing. My freshman year I was the editor of a youth group chapter newsletter, the following year I was their yearbook editor and a regional newsletter editor. This year I am on my school yearbook (the only junior to be on it), co-editor of the yearbook for a place where I volunteer, and the same youth group yearbook as last year.</p>
<p>Find something you love, devote a lot of time to it, begin to gain leadership positions.</p>
<p>@Teaspoons^ We have to run for our stu-co too =/
It’s a popularity contest which drives.me.mad. Not because I had too much trouble (I did!) but because I have to run again (next year)and nobody actually cares about the issues so its all who smiles prettiest</p>
<p>@Artsy Oh impressive ^.^ I always wanted to be in year book and paper (Blame Rory Gilmore) but I’m nothing of a great writer. Very lovely, what do you plan on majoring in?
And yeah =P My theme deviates a little. I’m all public speaking and government (Mock trail, model Un, Youth and government,stu-co, and my internships at a state representatives) then I get a little bit of an animal kick (Equestrian and therapeutic.riding center) and the band just for the heck of it.
Probably quitting band next year, all of my classes won’t fit… =/</p>
<p>@Siriuss Actually neuroscience (you would never know from my ECs), but I love graphics and editing things, so yeah I ended up with ECs that have nothing to do with my intended major. Though I plan to use my essay to talk about the power of writing and reflection in life.
As for a theme for you it seems like it would be government/politics, it is good to have a few things that don’t have to do with your theme to show diversity (my random things are glassblowing and coaching golf).</p>
<p>^ Well that’s more then a little impressive though. Any idea what college?
Spinning the editing into neuroscience is clever. Not off the bat obvious but a different approach then most.
I’m hoping to be a corporate lawyer, major in Business, I think. I’m not actually sure though but law is something I’ve been interested in forever, so I’m trying to become experienced and make up my mind. Although I do have sometime.</p>