Hey guys. I’m currently in 8th grade. I don’t feel like I have many strong Extracurriculars at the moment. I participate in my school’s quizbowl and band. I am not very good at my instrument though. I have found a basketball program which I can join, but considering I have no prior experience with basketball do you think colleges will think of it as any good? Also, how is playing instruments like outside of school? I don’t see very much mobility currently.
I would appreciate a response.
Colleges don’t care what you do in 8th grade or prior. At all. When you get to high school you’ll find a whole bunch of new options and choices open up for you. That’s when things count. Find something you enjoy. No activity is any better than another. Colleges want to see you make the most of opportunities available to you, whatever they may be. It’s about personal growth, development of your character, and how you communicate those experiences. Every club or sport you try doesn’t need to go on your college applications. So try a bunch of new and different things, then pare it down, not only to allow sufficient time for school work, but so you can focus on the activities that are most meaningful to you and in which you might be able to excel.
Read this book:
Check out “How to be a High School Superstar” by Cal Newport.
“The basic message of the book is this: Don’t wear yourself out taking as many classes as you can and being involved in every club and sport. Instead, leave yourself enough free time to explore your interests. Cultivate one interest and make it into something special that will make you stand out among the other applicants and get you into the toughest schools, even if your grades and scores aren’t stellar. Newport calls this the “relaxed superstar approach,” and he shows you how to really do this, breaking the process down into three principles, explained and illustrated with real life examples of students who got into top schools: (1) underscheduling—making sure you have copious amounts of free time to pursue interesting things, (2) focusing on one or two pursuits instead of trying to be a “jack of all trades,” and (3) innovation—developing an interesting and important activity or project in your area of interest. This fruit yielded by this strategy, an interesting life and real, meaningful achievements, is sure to help not only with college admissions, but getting a job, starting a business, or whatever your goals.”
http://www.examiner.com/review/be-a-relaxed-high-school-superstar
College dont care what you did prior to highschool. If you dont have any basketball experience and dont enjoy it, then dont force yourself to do it. Do something you enjoy. College likes to see you get involved in things you are dedicated to. Once you get to HS, A HUGE door will open for new opportunities and activities