Throughout High School, I have only ever added ECs every year.
9th Grade:
FBLA member and Class ASB member
10th Grade:
FBLA Parliamentarian, Tri-M, Class ASB Treasurer
+A job I got second semester
11th Grade:
FBLA President, Class ASB Treasurer, Tri-M, and Link Crew,
+A job I worked consistently throughout the entire year
However, for senior year, I was voted off of ASB and FBLA position and not able to do Link Crew.
So my ECs will be (for sure):
FBLA member, Tri-M
+Working A Job
Should I add more ECs? I have wanted to do track for a long time but work and my AP classes made it tough. Perhaps I should consider it, though?
Also, I could try to join a few other clubs like NHS, Hi-Q (academic competition club), or Key Club (community service)
HOWEVER,
the EC’s I took this year will rigorous and exhausting and caused a lot of strain on my grades (I got a few Bs)
FBLA ended up being WAY more work than I expected (due to a lot of crazy situations)
and ASB became toxic and a ton of work as well.
Should I just do two clubs and a sport or add more clubs?
Do the activities that you like and interest you only. Your academic learning trumps any extra activities. You already learned that. Being spread too thin made your grades suffer plus you did not enjoy yourself. Your primary job is school work. Add in other things to enjoy the time you have after meeting obligations for the classroom (ie doing homework and studying for tests).
You should NOT add activities for the sake of your resume. In fact, backing off is a great thing. It might even be essay material to show how you have matured once you realized how you overextended yourself. Use this as a life lesson for your adult self. Only sign up for things that interest you and can be handled along with your other obligations. Remember to have free, unscheduled time to do nothing as well. Keep your HS experience in mind even decades in the future.
Don’t add anything. It sounds like you think you need to do so to “pad” your college applications. Just do,what you have…and get great grades first term.
Does your track team cut? Ours does not. Three of my kids run track, two of them are the top sprinters, the other just decided to try pole vaulting this year and really liked it. A lot of kids sign up and just silently quit (as was obvious at the end of year dinner when names were called), but many others found out they loved it. My senior really has a ton of EC’s, but she enjoys them all, and actually does better when she has a lot on her plate and needs to schedule everything. She has also taken 9 AP classes. So, don’t join anything unless you are truly interested, but don’t miss out on a chance to try something new if you want. If it doesn’t work out, no biggy. My daughter signed up for xc as a freshman just to keep in shape for dance, ended up running 3 seasons for 4 years, varsity captain for 2. She is no longer dancing.
IMO joining any club or clubs senior year won’t do anything in terms of college admissions as you won’t have enough time of involvement to have any meaningful accomplishments. Only add an activity if there is something you truly want to do. Otherwise I would focus on highlighting what you HAVE done in your applications. Also understand that part-time work is respected by admissions officers so don’t underestimate the value of the time you spend at work.
Don’t change anything for your ECs. Your strongest EC is your job. Keep at it.
What classes do you have and what grades?
Many colleges treat jobs as EC’s and honor working in light of the emphasis on socioeconomic diversity. No worries. Don’t add anything. And sorry for your bad experiences!
Thank you for the help! The extracurriculars certainly stretched me thin and made it difficult, especially with the added in troubles I was unsuspecting.