<p>Doing what you love is the best way to go.
At one point in my life I was convinced that I had to do everything in the world to be accepted to my dream colleges, but that was a poor mistake. Volunteer work was a chore, I hated half the ECs I was in, and I realized that the common app only had space for 10 things anyways so I wouldn’t have been able to list my ECs. Since I didn’t care about them, I realized that there was nothing good I could write an essay about.</p>
<p>Find a few things you love, and then work your hardest in those ECs. After I quit 10 different student organizations/volunteer work places, I actually found something I loved. Now I’m a two year first chair alto sax player in the All-State band, a paid concertist for a gifted HS student music program, a baritone sax player for a local orchestra, the captain of science bowl, and an intern at one of my favorite places on earth. If you find something you enjoy, then it will be easy to stick to what you do. If you stick to what you do and enjoy yourself, you will find beauty and happiness in even small, obscure things. Don’t do something that you /think/ you’ll be good at. Natural talent is great, but only passion can truly get you far. I’m no college admissions officer, but I’m pretty sure that the top universities don’t have an entire student body comprised of Intel finalists, IBO superstars, and ingenious entrepreneurs. They probably make up a very small percentage of the entire student body. Who makes up the rest? Normal people who meet the academic benchmark, but most importantly, do what they love and do it well.</p>
<p>Do those summer programs at colleges (ie Summer @ Brown program).
^ Also, admissions officers won’t care about these summer programs. Paying your way doesn’t guarantee you admission. In fact, I know someone who went to a foreign country with a summer program to help illiterate children learn how to read English and attended Harvard SSP. He was flat out rejected from Harvard. </p>
<p>Make use of what you have. There are plenty of great free programs out there such as RSI, MITES, and TASP, and EVEN if you don’t get into any of those programs, it’s not the end of the world. All you have to do is make the most out of what you have and create new paths for you to explore. My family doesn’t have the money to support me much outside of school. In fact, we can barely afford to pay the school tuition, despite the aid the school has already given me from work-study. </p>
<p>If you don’t have a lot of money, that does not deter you from being a qualified applicant in any way, shape or form. If you have money, using it to your advantage doesn’t give you much of a boost. The key is to just do what you enjoy just for the sake of making life fun, rather than forcing yourself to do things because you think that adcoms will find it attractive.</p>