Help me improve my ECs??

Applying to College
1

I’m a high school junior looking to apply to a couple of tier 1 schools (Cornell, MIT, Princeton) and I know my grades are like that of other applicants but my ECs are most likely lacking. What can I do to improve upon them at this stage?

  • FBLA(Treasurer, VP) - won regional/state awards and organized schoolwide student/faculty events to raise money
  • Science Bowl- won regional awards
  • Interact(Historian, Treasurer, President) - organized service projects within the school and community
  • National Honor Society - only open to Juniors and Seniors and I have a strong chance of a leadership position next year. I do a large amount of service through this club. Volunteer/Community service: -Tutoring students in algebra, Volunteering at the local hospital and library, NHS/Beta/Interact stuff, altogether about 150 hours so far. Summer Activities: -Internship at a genetics lab at Emory University in the summer of sophomore year

I’m currently applying to summer programs and also might work under a professor at Emory doing research. I’m also taking to a teacher to start a coding club for girls at my school.

2

And robotics? This list is pretty good. Take a good look at the MIT admissions blogs and what your targets look for, in terms of attributes. Much will hang on what comes through in your whole app and supps. NHS varies from school to school, so if there’s a particular service you did lots of, you may be able to list that without just lumping it under NHS.

3

@lookingforward my school has a FIRST robotics club, and I participated for two years. I quit because there was one girl to every ten guys and I wanted to create a club to encourage girls to do coding (hence, trying to make Girls Who Code).

4

But do include it. You did it. Switching to GWC is good, too.

5

@lookingforward I have actually hit a snag with starting a club. Since it is already October, the school will not approve new clubs until next year. As an alternative, I am looking to start coding lessons for girls at the library, and will probably start GWC my senior year. However, wiill colleges view starting GWC as resume padding if I start in my senior year?

6

The colleges are less quick to call something “padding” than CC is. Otoh, their question could be, how much experience do you have that you can teach this at the library? There’s strong interest right now in programs like GWC or that inspire girls to think about STEM. If there’s substance to your efforts, you’re fine. You can describe what you actually do. Later, you can say this led you to form the (more official) GWC and set it up with a teacher-mentor and admin, to continue, after you grad.

There’s less issue with starting a club in senior year than many think, especially when you have a meaningful idea (not the pie club or something light/social) and it outlasts you, at your school. K?

7

@lookingforward do you think my passion will shine through in the application?