Lets say you wanted to attend any MIT or an ivy league type school. You have
A high 3.9 (very few A-s and maybe one B+) or possibly a 4.0 (I'm looking into the future here)
A high competitive test score for those schools and
A really good course load all throughout high school (are taking all or almost all honors classes, a year ahead in math,)
but literally no extra curriculars or summer activities??
I have a classmate where school orchestra and private lessons are their only extra curriculars. How would something like that play in admissions for a school like MIT and ivy league type of schools?
School orchestra and private lessons is something.
My question would be, if they are targeting Ivies or MIT in particular, why would they not try to get into a summer science program? Or take an extra course online? Or volunteer somehow?
Let’s say school orchestra and private lessons are about 8 hours per week total, only when school is in session. Did they do anything in the summer? Did they travel? Did they have family responsibilities (did they work or have to watch their younger siblings)?
It would be most curious if someone was targeting those schools and had no personal or physical reason not to pursue at least something. Why even go to one of those schools if they aren’t interested enough in their field to try to get some ECs in it?
(note: ECs aren’t limited to school clubs, things like babysitting and cooking dinner for the family can be worked into the EC category)
Okay, I understand that school orchestra and private lessons is technically “something”, but i thought ivy league schools were looking for deep commitment to the activities and doing them often and things like that, doing things for hours each week. You have to remember that school orchestra is during the school day, and that private lessons can be half an hour-hour once a week.
I also didn’t think that for summer activities you put down your family vacation to Florida…
When I asked why they weren’t trying to do activities related to engineering (what she wants to study) and more orchestra stuff like the PIT and electric group offered at school or one of the out of school youth orchestra or intense orchestra camps (because she is quite good, and since it is her only activity she could specialize and go hard out on the practicing) i got an answer of “i need to focus on school because I need really strong math and science backgrounds. with additional orchestra’s comes commitment.”
Honestly, you screwed yourself over with that lack of extra curriculars. Think of all the really bright kids applying to MIT. I’m sure you are just another applicant in a pool of thousands of kids applying to MIT with the same if not better grades. How they set themselves apart is with Extra Curriculars.
MIT will unquestionably deny many applicants with your curricular rigor (or greater), your GPA (or better), your self-suggested standardized test scores (or better), and fine ECs. Under these circumstances, why would they admit you?
That level of school is looking for the future leaders and thinkers and doers, people who have exceptional talents ad people who do things for the greater good. So they want to see how to choose to spend your time. They want to see what motivates and inspires you and how you put that to action. While there could be a chance for a grind like that, letters of rec are important and the essay and other things we can’t see-- but so far what you discuss doesn’t make for a compelling candidate.