I am a sophomore in high school and am involved in a number of activities:
FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
placed third in my event at state and qualified to attend nationals last year
most likely will attain leadership position in executive board near the end of this year, when elections take place
WYSE (Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering)
English/math/science/engineering/cs competition with other local schools at the regional, sectional, state level
will be competing in the topics English and chemistry
have not accomplished anything yet because I just joined this year, and those competitions are Feb-May
Math Team
was on the regional and state team last year
Computer Science Club
this is not a competitive club, so I just come to the meetings to learn more about computer science
most likely will attain leadership position in executive board near the end of this year, when elections take place
Robotics Team
will be joining this team my second semester if the coach lets me in (did not have time for it during my first semester)
Model UN
going to start this club at my school, hopefully it will work and people will come!
although this is not related to my major, i want to start it because i think i could learn so much from international affairs and the UN, and also gain experience in public speaking and debate
I am also doing some things outside of school too:
Computer Science
contribute greatly to the behind-the-scenes work for my school’s first-ever Innovation Fair
will be competing in Innovation Fair early Jan
self-learning web development (Javascript, CSS, HTML)
starting local clubs and programs at schools and libraries for girls that are relevant to my major
doing this because I really care about education for girls, not for colleges
volunteering teaching English to adults
political internship with governor candidate (I really hope he wins!!)
research competition
STEM summer program over the summer
volunteering at law firm over the summer
My intended college major will definitely be something STEM-related. Most likely it will be engineering or relate to chemistry. My minor will either be computer science (or something else STEM) or business.
I’m kind of worried that I will seem too well-rounded to colleges because my extracurriculars do not relate to just STEM. The thing is, I have so many interests in so many different fields - STEM, computer science, English, politics, law… I am doing the extracurriculars I am doing because I really enjoy doing them. None of them are for college apps. I’m afraid that I will be rejected from all my reach schools and will be seen as all over the place with no focus, or no extraordinary strength.
Please give me tips/advice, anything would be greatly appreciated.
Who says EC’s have to be related to your intended major? Colleges do appreciate your varied interest, as opposed to being one dimensional, developed through long-term commitment, dedication and passion. What they don’t like seeing are those activities that clearly show that you started or participated in just for the college application, typically began in junior year. It’s not the quantity but the quality of each of your activities that the adcoms like to see. As an example, while my son’s intended major is music with pre-med track, one of his EC’s was earning black belt in Taekwondo, which in itself is a dime in a dozen nowadays. But what separated him from majority others who merely put black belt in their resumes is that he actively participated in local, state and national level competitions for years. He didn’t do this for college app, either. He genuinely liked the martial arts. Taekwondo and music are totally unrelated activities, but I believe his passionate participation in Taekwondo - not merely earning the black belt - made a significant impact in the college acceptances.
Colleges want to see that you have SOME affinity for your proposed major. In no way do they expect all your ECs to be just about that. They expect HS students to explore various interests. They also know lots of students change their majors when they get into college classes. You are fine with what you are doing. Be sure your grades are good – they care more about that.
@TiggerDad Thank you! I joined 2 clubs in my freshman year, and I joined the rest of the clubs this year, my sophomore year. Hopefully that will still be okay. I joined clubs this year because I realized that I was interested in more topics and wanted to get more involved in my school.
Although a lot of my accomplishments are extremely common, like going to nationals for FBLA or making the state team for math, I don’t really mind. I would rather do what I am passionate about and what I enjoy than do things to just look good on college applications.
@intparent Thank you! I always make sure to prioritize my grades above everything. I don’t attend club meetings if I know that I will have a long night of homework or studying ahead of me (which rarely happens). I quit swimming after freshman year because I got poor grades (a few Bs) because swimming was consuming so much of time, nearly 3 hours a day. However, this semester, I got straight As with not that much effort, so I think I can maintain straight As for the rest of high school.
@Waterborne Could you please clarify on what you meant by how there is no pattern that makes them wonder why I chose a STEM field? Is that a good or bad thing?
Junior year tends to be the tough year, so don’t get overconfident about your grades. But it sounds like you are doing well. Regarding the pattern comment, colleges might think it odd if you have no math or comp sci or science activities at all as ECs, and also had poor grades in math & science, and low math scores on your standardized tests. They do notice a glaring mismatch if there is one. But they don’t require laser focus in your ECs on whatever area you might major in.
@intparent Haha yea, that’s why I said I think I can maintain straight As for the rest of high school. Thank you! What you said makes more sense. I do have around half of my ecs relating to STEM, so hopefully I’ll be fine.
My biggest EC in high school was Speech and Debate.
I’m a math teacher. So, no, it didn’t tie directly into my major, at least not on the face of it.
But I think that what they’re looking for is a a level of commitment to whatever you choose to participate in . Dabblers are less attractive than leaders.
The details are less important than the big picture. I think you’ll be fine.
But it sounds like you are doing well. Regarding the pattern comment, colleges might think it odd if you have no math or comp sci or science activities at all as ECs, and also had poor grades in math & science, and low math scores on your standardized tests. They do notice a glaring mismatch if there is one. But they don’t require laser focus in your ECs on whatever area you might major in.