<p>Hi all, I'm a rising junior and since a large part of my stats are yet to be determined, I thought it'd be a better idea to post my ECs and see how you all think they'll stack up against other applicants to some REALLY competitive places. But just fyi, I'm currently 1/350 in an ok public school in north carolina...usually sends about 5-7 to good schools yearly. Also, I'm an asian male (because someone would've asked anyway).</p>
<p>My main interests are biology and communications, and I hope to double major in that in college. My ECs kind of reflect this.</p>
<p>Doing cancer research at a local lab
Youth advocacy chair and team captain for relay for life
Founder of an organization to raise awareness of underfunded cancers and donate to these causes
Taking biology classes at a local CC
Interning at a local newspaper
Editorial Board of school newspaper
Editorial Board of lit magazine
Class pres
Run cross country (thinking of dropping this)</p>
<p>Top choices right now:
Harvard
Stanford
Yale
Vanderbilt</p>
<p>Any and all feedback is appreciated! Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of chance threads, and the EC’s that you’ve listed are now becoming the “standard” for competitive HYPS applicants. I am no admissions officer, but by the time I had reached the 250th app with the exact same list of extracurriculars, I would be kind of bored. I’m sure you’ll be “competitive,” there’s almost no doubt about that. But as I’ve been told before, getting into to those top schools is about something more than good test scores/GPA/EC’s…it’s about an intangible quality that sets you apart in the midst of thousands of people similar to you. You’ve got to make that quality shine through your essays.</p>
<p>Sorry about the pessimism, I guess I’m letting the stress of college apps get to me On a more positive note, I’m really feeling the cancer organization you founded. Really work on that and be sure to apply for some awards that can get you national recognition for it (Do Something Grant, Prudential Spirit of Community, etc.). Also look into competitions like USABO/ISEF/etc. Because I know kids who have amazing EC’s like yours on top of being top winners at ISEF and JSHS, so awards do matter. But don’t just focus on those four schools. Expand your horizons! WUSTL, Columbia, UChicago, UMich-Ann Arbor are all some really good schools. Of course, they still are by no means easy to get into, but you should consider them. </p>
<p>Good luck and work hard this year! Junior year is no joke :/</p>
<p>thanks for the honesty! i think my ecs arent necessarily unique, but they do convey a clear passion for cancer bio and journalism, and i think many of the ppl who share some of these ecs dont have this interest and delve so deeply into it. i do agree with what youre saying aboutthe essays though…theyre probably the most important part of the application, and ill be sure to put my heart into them</p>
<p>Man, those ECs are WEAK. You should probably write a self-help book and also win an Olympic gold medal, by the standards on this website.</p>
<p>All joking aside, those ECs are outstanding, and I think you have a really great shot at all of those schools, as long as your essays and recs are good.</p>
<p>Combining STEM and comms sounds intriguing to me. And, what does work about your ECs is the combo of the same. What’s missing, of course, is some of the extras STEM kids applying to top schools usually have - some academic competition (math bowl, sci olympiad, etc) and I can’t tell how involved you actually are in the community. Isn’t Relay for Life a once/year thing? That’s not always as impressive as something you do routinely over the year. (Or?) And, the cancer org- no way here to tell if it has some impact or is a few kids collecting a few dollars, once in a while. You could just go vol with an existing org. At any rate, you do need to show the impact of each activity, make it pop. Realize you chose not to do this here.</p>
<p>My Relay for Life team has consistently raised above 2500 dollars annually, and I’m working on starting the cancer org this summer…put it down kind of prematurely I guess? PM me if you want for details about it, don’t want to make myself too easily identifiable. And I agree, this thread lacks a description of what I actually do in each activity, but I do have a great involvement in all!</p>
<p>I think the fact that you do things like class pres and lit board will help you stand out somewhat, since asian males usually don’t do that kind of thing, lol. But, as some other people have said, the difference between having some awards, and just doing something because you can, is significant. For instance, how have you made a difference by being on the editorial board of a lit magazine? Just participation really won’t be enough to make it a strong extra curricular.</p>
<p>If your cancer research comes up with some positive results and you can really make your cancer foundation big, then you’ll have a great shot. Thanks for chancing me btw.</p>
<p>np, and thanks for chancing me too. i’m hoping to get my research published, and i completely agree with you about making a difference in the activities…gonna try my best!</p>
<p>your ECs definitely show a clear passion, which is always a good thing. also, founding your own organization shows great initiative; make sure you follow up with this and showcase it in your college apps! other than that, the CC biology classes are great as well. i personally feel like xc kind of sticks out among all the other bio/comm ECs, but if you like doing it, then be sure to stick with it too!</p>
On a more positive note, I’m really feeling the cancer organization you founded. Really work on that and be sure to apply for some awards that can get you national recognition for it (Do Something Grant, Prudential Spirit of Community, etc.). Also look into competitions like USABO/ISEF/etc. Because I know kids who have amazing EC’s like yours on top of being top winners at ISEF and JSHS, so awards do matter. But don’t just focus on those four schools. Expand your horizons! WUSTL, Columbia, UChicago, UMich-Ann Arbor are all some really good schools. Of course, they still are by no means easy to get into, but you should consider them. </p>