Hello,
I am a rising freshman in high school and this is my first post in CC! I am really excited to be able to communicate with so many knowledgeable and generous people who give tips in so many different areas! Recently, my family visited Yale since it was on the way to visiting some relatives. It was an amazing experience and really got me motivated to apply to Yale in the future and really clarified a reason for me to work hard and gain such an enjoyable and rigorous college experience. One thing that really stood out to me was that in the information sessions, a member of the admissions committee really emphasized the fact that ECs should be “well-lopsided” and not “well rounded.” Do you guys think that my ECs are too spread out? Of course, this is just tentative since I didn’t even start high school yet, but just some opinions would be great! Thanks so much!!!
Music- violin and viola:
Chamber orchestra in high school (highest orchestra- top 5% of string musicians in school)- probably going to be 1st chair by 11th and maybe even 10th
Local orchestra group (highest order)- 1st chair
Pit orchestra- teacher promised 1st chair but I’m not sure if it is too big of a commitment
Volunteer orchestra group- do concerts in senior-citizen homes and even soup kitchens
Science:
Science olympiad- going to become captain in 11th grade since I’m rep. for my grade
Science bowl
Probably going to do some research in the future since high school is well-known for putting students in research programs and competitions like Intel and Siemens
iGEM- bioengineering club- won’t do if I do pit
Art:
Working on art portfolio/supplement
Winner of 2 national competitions so far (2nd and 3rd places)
Planning on doing a voluntary art club for elementary students
Golf:
Play golf- not too amazing but have a good shooting score
Will probably play for all 4 years in high school
@sphalerite2 , IMO, ECs you pick because you want to do them are the ones you want. You picked these not because you were planning ahead to college, but presumably because you wanted to do them.
My opinion is that ECs are often overthought. People are often told to “be themselves” in essays; I think you should also be yourself in ECs.
I’d wish you luck with Yale, but who knows what you will want in three years’ time.
Colleges are interested in how you spend your time outside of the classroom. They seek student’s who have the energy and drive to make a long-term commitment (measured in years not months) to something beyond what they do in school. The idea is that a student’s commitment and dedication is a transferable set of skills, and those skills could be directed to another activity in college or later in life.
So, if continue with instrumental music, art and golf you’ll be in good shape by the time you apply to college. The science olympiad stuff would just be icing on the cake. And if you change your mind in the next year or two about what you love to do, that’s fine too. As you haven’t started high school yet, you have plenty of time. So relax. Please!
@sphalerite2, I agree by and large with @IxnayBob. It’s fine that you were inspired by Yale on a recent trip and that that inspiration gives you some added motivation to work hard. But as a rising 9th grader, focus on what you are doing because you love it, not as a calculated strategy for applying to college in 3 years. “Be yourself” and do the things that turn you on, and don’t worry to much about how they will play out. It sounds like you will have plenty of sustained effort and achievement. Doing these things because you love them is different than doing them as a means to an end.
One of the things we noticed with our college tours and application/interview/acceptance experience with my daughter was that those that were accepted had a passion that went above and beyond academics and started long before Junior year. Not just participation in a lot of clubs, playing instruments, entering contests or adding to the EC list as you go through HS but a true passion that you run with. Anyone can do well in school and anyone can join a lot of clubs or hold leadership roles but it takes a special someone to truly find passion in what they do. That is what will make you stand out and where you truly find your “hook” . Best of luck!
This is an interesting topic. I agree that relaxing and enjoying the activities you love would be the best choices of all. I’ll tell you my son’s story of EC’s for his perspective. He just finished his high school career as a top student in a small town in the midwest - an area underrepresented in the Ivys. He has been such a motivated student that he began in middle school checking out all the books our library had to offer about how to be a desirable applicant to a top university. We know not one other person who was accepted at an Ivy for undergrad work right out of high school. So he had to educate himself.
All the books seemed to say that one should aim NOT to be well-rounded, but to choose just a couple of EC’s and distinguish one’s self in that area with profound greatness. He READ it, but when push came to shove he couldn’t bear to eliminate much at all from his schedule. Therefore, his EC’s were prolific, but in many ways unremarkable. Played one sport, managed two. Participated in five music ensembles through his senior year. Participated in academic competitions all four years. Founder of the new speech and debate team his senior year. NHS. Chess club. Did a one-week service trip to a third world country. Volunteer at church. What I’m trying to say is: He was SUPER BUSY, but there’s no captain of the mission trip and no point guard of the swing choir, you know?
Anyway, when we visited Yale before his senior year, the admissions counselor said something that reassured my son. He said that he knew many people in the group were wondering what EC’s would be most appealing to Yale? His answer was that there is no pat answer. Some students may distinguish themselves by choosing just one or two EC’s and running with them to unparalleled greatness. Others (my son) may prove themselves exceptional by doing a lot of things very well.
Ultimately, my son’s strategy for high school was to get the most he could of the experiences that he loved from his high school experience, while aiming for the best at everything he did. Beyond that, his hope was that a great school would read his file and see the worth in him and his chosen activities. And he got into Yale. And we call it a happy ending.
This topic came up in a recent thread by another rising HS freshman on the MIT forum. Chris Peterson’s blog “Applying Sideways” was cited as a useful perspective:
Most of the OP’s accomplishments, while impressive at a young age, can be simulated without too much imagination. On the other hand, the combination of art and science proficiency is fairly distinctive, and “STEAM” (STEM + art/music) is a hot emerging field. That might be an area to look for such an opportunity, since the OP already has a foot in the door in both areas and is well on the road to becoming an “insider”.
The idea is to develop something that CANNOT be easily simulated. Proficiency in art can be simulated, as can proficiency in science. The combination of proficiency in both is much rarer, and may lead to unusual and distinctive opportunities. If you are going to be an Intel/Siemens participant and are already a 2-time national competition award winner in the arts then you have an unusual combination of proficiencies. The whole “failed simulation” idea is to create something that can’t be planned out in advance - these are opportunities that arise because of the time spent developing in-depth expertise and proficiency, which opens unexpected doors.
At this point, if I were you I would focus on continuing to develop proficiency in those two areas, and being open to unusual ways to combine them. I don’t get the sense that either your golf or your music is at the same level - those seem more like recreational activities, though that is perfectly legitimate.
I agree with the advice to do what you love. I will offer one piece of strategy, though–don’t overlook opportunities to distinguish yourself in those areas. So, for example, if you interested in art, or writing, look at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Elite colleges want to see commitment to ECs, but they are also interested in people who are really good at their ECs.
