<p>Hello!
I am a freshman in high school right now, and I am trying to find out what would be some good extracurricular[s] for me...
I would like to go into a premedical major, such as biology or chemistry while in an undergraduate program.
I am instate VA as well
So, I figured I could volunteer at a hospital (applying for GTown med Hospital and GW when I turn 15)
Also, I am in the breast cancer awareness club and the Latin club at my school. Because of some scheduling conflicts, I can not attend (and therefore signup because it has not happened yet) the VjCL competitions in November.
However next year I can.
I am on my high school's JV swim and XC teams, hoping to make it on to track in the spring if I decide not to do theater then.
Any advice on what else I can do? I am also applying for the NIH internship when I am 16.</p>
<p>Also, I will apply to a slew of private/publics when I am older, and I have a list of maybe 40. I definitely need to cut it down, but that is basically it. This isn’t a chance thread though</p>
<p>narrow and focused is better than broad and shallow. Just joining this and that does not make a great impression at the selective schools that care about ECs. Its great to be sampling some things in 9th grade to find out what really grabs your interest, but if you think that as a long-term strategy taking part in everything is what you should do then you are mistaken. As Stanford says in its FAQ
The question about impressive ECs comes up regularly on the forum. There is a thread with several posts by Northstarmom, a Ivy alum interviewer, about what constitutes impressive ECs from the point of view of the most selective colleges. The post is at <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html</a></p>
<p>2 very interesting articles about ECs that stand out and how to get them (same author, different examples) are at [How</a> to Be Impressive](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-art-of-activity-innovation-how-to-be-impressive-without-an-impressive-amount-of-work/]How”>The Art of Activity Innovation: How to Be Impressive Without an Impressive Amount of Work - Cal Newport) and [Save</a> This Grind?](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/09/12/case-study-how-could-we-save-this-ridiculously-overloaded-grind/]Save”>Case Study: How Could We Save This Ridiculously Overloaded Grind? - Cal Newport) While I don’t agree with everything in them, take a look at these 2 articles and I think you’ll get some original ideas.</p>
<p>Lastly I urge you not to do ECs just because you think they’ll impress an adcom somewhere down the line. Most, in fact almost all outside of perhaps 150 colleges from a total of 3,000 4-year colleges, pay little attention to ECs when choosing; they do it by grades and scores. And even for schools that care, you’re unlikely to be able to pursue something with the initiative and passion that someone who truly enjoys the EC does.</p>
<p>Word for word what mikemac said</p>