<p>I'm currently at the end of my junior year, and I have very few ECs. However, I've done a lot on my own, and I was wondering how much compensation that can provide (for instance, I've been teaching myself Latin and will definitely know the equivalent of a few years of study by the time I apply)? Are these sorts of things looked upon well by colleges, or do they really only care about hard on-paper ECs?</p>
<p>Thanks ^^.</p>
<p>Was that sarcasm?</p>
<p>colleges also look at SAT score, GPA, grades, etc.
they are far more important than ecs.</p>
<p>Yup, Mountain Dew, is right. Also, a popular sentiment among every elite college, you don't need a laundry list of ECs. If you've stuck with one or two clubs and exhibited strong interest for them, who is anyone to critique? Umm, if your grades and test scores are on point, I don't think you have anything to worry about. </p>
<p>My suggestion to you would be that you do something with your Latin skills. If you are that good in it, why don't you:</p>
<p>participate in a Classics summer program at a college or somewhere, </p>
<p>or take the National Latin Exam, or AP latin or its SAT2's equivalent, </p>
<p>or become a Latin tutor, </p>
<p>or organize a Latin exhibit at your local library, </p>
<p>or start a Classics club at your school, </p>
<p>or arrange a portfolio of original essays on Classical history, culture, and language to submit to colleges, </p>
<p>or take a college over the summer pertaining to Latin, </p>
<p>or even just seek a mentor/tutor to nurture your interest in Latin would work.</p>
<p>Well said PrivateJoker, and good ideas. </p>
<p>Ralph, you should take advantage of Joker's great ideas. If I were you, I would take 2-3 of them. Take the Nat'l Latin Examn, take a summer school on Latin... they are all good ideas! </p>
<p>Can you share with us what EC's you did "on your own"? I'd like to have an idea to see if it's worth worrying so much about ECs.</p>
<p>Don't worry, I am no Class Prez or member of any clubs. I also keep on worrying since I'm not part of any clubs (maybe it will show im not involved in school activities) but hey, who cares? Nobody's FORCED to be part of school activities (IMO). Many of the activities here, I don't like them much. I rather do my own stuff. Here, to get an idea:</p>
<p>Main Activity: Gardening/Planting/Horticultural activities.</p>
<p><em>I keep a small garden at my backyard. I am planting Wildflowers. I do it. I love it. It's my passion.
*</em>I hope I become an active member of a big Tree planting partnership. Many groups, individuals, and corporations are part of this partnership.
<strong><em>I hope to become an active member of a tree-planting organization, provided and sponsored by the city.
*</em></strong> Oh yeah, I might contradict myself a little, but I'm soon going to join the Environmental Club. </p>
<p>(Can you see what's my passion now, right?) </p>
<p>IMHO, it's impressive to be Class Prez, prez of 5 clubs, be a great leader, win lots of state, natl, and intl awards. But i say it's not required to do so. </p>
<p>So don't feel discouraged. You still have some time to expand your passion to the Latin language.</p>
<p>I am in the same boat. As a matter of fact, if my SAT/ACT scores are decent (which I hope they will be), the only blemish on my record is my lack of ECs. However, writing is my absolute passion. Everyone around me can attest to that. I have recently become a member of a group of students who write for the county newspaper.
So, while that might not be as impressive as John Doe who played varsity tennis, was first chair in the band, started a non-profit organization for orphans, etc... I am hoping that colleges will respect my one true passion, as opposed to the superfluous activities in which some participate simply for the sake of looking good.</p>
<p>Welcome to the boat!
BTW, amen to that.</p>
<p>:-)</p>
<p>Hooray for the EC deficit! lol.</p>
<p>But honestly, it is completely unfathomable to me that Kid X with a million, shallow, unrelated ECs could beat out Kid Y with one solid EC that shows a true passion/ability
If I were an Adcom, I'd want Kid Y at my school. The process shouldn't be so bureaucratic.</p>
<p>The most fascinating people I know are those that defy convention. They're their own people. They have their own vibe. In conversations, they radiate life. But, at the same time, they're not the star pupils or the prominent leaders. There not the people who I'd see at CC but, you know what? They're the type of people who I can imagine in college, discussing their twisted life philosophies during a midnight cram session, playing a pick-up game of hide-and-seek among the colosseums of Rome, scheming up pranks for the whole school to look in awe. And, surely, there the type of people I hope adcoms want, too. </p>
<p>So, guys, who needs a laundry list of ECs when we can be busy finding that spark that makes us shine? Not me, that's for sure.</p>
<p>nice posts, guys! I definitely agree with Private Joker and Queenie.</p>
<p>private_joker is awesome :)</p>
<p>Joker, good one!
I shall say, if a college tends to accept students with three-pages list of activities rather then student with one, passionated about activity then, well, I don't like that college either!</p>
<p>Now only if the world (as well as the colleges in it) was perfect.</p>
<p>Amen to that, as well, PrivateJoker.</p>
<p>I'll be completely honest: if I could do it all again, I'd be a little more active. I honestly did not realize (until it was almost to that) the importance of ECs. I devoted myself to academics thinking surely that GPA and rank would be what got me in the door at a prestigious university. I was naive, to say the least.
You are absolutely right, though. Those are the people who challenge and create most freely; the innovators, the true leaders... but perhaps not fitting the "mold" is their downfall in the fight for an opportunity to receive a higher education.</p>
<p>Hopefully, it won't be ours.</p>
<p>I'm still astonished at whoever said that the starter of this thread would be relegated to community college. If so, it wouldn't be because of extra curriculars. If that somehow did prove to be the reason, all I can say is... what a blind, unfortunate world we live in.</p>
<p>Here's how I understand the EC. If student really is passionating for knowledge in some area, he won't just "pass the quiz and forget." Perhaps, the one will digg deeper and deeper into the subject that interests him. AP classes will relax at that point, school is not teaching by an individual basis -- not all students are apt to handle things like that "heywhatshisnameagain,ilikedhislab."difficulty of Chemistry.
That is just because that guy that is bored on Chemistry lessons is stuck in some other, easier subjects. For example, I hate and don't like Shakespeare and I'm not positive I would even pass class in Shakespeare. That way, presence of some guys in our class who quote Shakespeare does not make ME learn this stuff (I can continue on Goethe and Tolkien).</p>
<p>Assuming, school program (especially in the United States) is easy but that easy part is as in a common denominator for all students, not just because people are dumb (did I just say "just"?). So people who are learning ONLY in school, getting A+'s and not doing anything show no interest to any subject.</p>
<p>To all of those who asked about grades and scores, ECs are really my only problem. I'm in the top 10% of the school GPA-wise, although, unfortunately, it's only at about 3.8-something at the moment. I got a 2300 on the SAT (math and reading--760 in each, writing--780). I have a few ECs--things like Key Club, Physics Club, etc--but mainly, the school curriculum is just so slow-paced and empty that I've been doing things on my own.</p>
<p>The main prongs are languages, writing (mainly poetry), and mathematics. I made a big study of Ancient Egyptian earlier in HS and got to the point that I could read the monuments and things at museums, I've gone beyond what my class was doing in Japanese, and I'm currently learning Latin (Japanese I'm taking in school, and Latin I might as well be). With poetry and math, I've been similarly teaching myself things and coming up with things, although I'm not going to go through a big list of anything I've ever done o.O. The point is I have a lot of stuff that should make my abilities pretty obvious, and that should make it really apparent that I'm very driven--I'm just worried that I don't have a big list of "normal" ECs. I have notebooks and notebooks filled with prime counting functions and sonnets and Latin grammar notes and kanji, and I have plenty of recognition from teachers and plenty of random projects on the side, but I'm not Class President or three-time winner of the Swimming Championships.</p>
<p>Anyway... I have been thinking about taking the Latin SAT subject test next year, so thank you for that suggestion; I'm sure it would help to have documentation that I actually developed proficiency in what I did rather than just muck around. I'd like to try and get some things published, too... I just wanted to see whether you thought I was bad-off or not, because I'm kind of worried about the whole EC thing.</p>
<p>And I agree, people who are more interested and more driven shouldn't lose out to the people who did a lot they weren't interested in just to get it down on paper... But the world does tend to prefer paper a lot of the time.</p>
<p>"So people who are learning ONLY in school, getting A+'s and not doing anything show no interest to any subject." </p>
<p>True.</p>
<p>If colleges could see this thread... the world of college admissions would change 360 degrees. </p>
<p>We all here have hope, guys. Don't lose it, just keep it. For those who are really truthful and honest and never did a laudry list of ECs just for the sake of looking good... we are the true applicants.. We are those who really have passion towards an activity or 2.. </p>
<p>But MANY people are always worried about "OMG I am not involved in school, no Key Club or Interact!!!" No worries. Nobody's FORCED. If you don't like them, then don't join them! Do what you like. Do what drives YOU, and don't let things DRIVE YOU.</p>
<p>I am not an admission officer, neither am I an expert on admissions, but every time I see a laundry list of EC, as an adult I think: "BORING, this will not survive beyond the application times",
and as a college professor I think: "does that person have a time to read or think? Not likely."</p>
<p>fizik, you make my heart flutter and sing. :)</p>
<p>nobody makes any comments on my posts :( hehe</p>