How are my ECs?

Applying to College
1

Here are my EC’s so far.

  • volunteering at the hospital year round
  • internship at the museum of science and history
  • science bowl
  • FBLA - regional awards and most likely officer position next year
  • various community service and volunteering
  • interact club - officer position
  • probably a paid job starting this summer

I will be a junior next year. I’m looking to apply to UPenn, Duke, GaTech, and Harvard, as well as some safeties.

How are my ECs so far? I’m looking for anything (general type of activity) to add to my list that would help.

2

Looking at your earlier posts you’ve been asking the same question since February. You got some good replies. it’s clear that you didn’t follow up on what people suggested.

What are you fishing for here? Someone to say everything is great and the colleges are going to love you?

3

Sorry to be blunt, but your ECs are very ordinary, IMO. Focus on your match and safety schools.

4

I have taken advantage of every opportunity available. Other than sports, there is not much else to join in the rural area I live in. I also don’t have the money or the transportation to pursue those types of things.

5

Then use your initiative. Think outside the box. That’s the kind of,person those schools want. You have instant resources with the Internet. Use it and find your own opportunities.

6

look, you’ve been asking this same question on the forum. Earlier posters were nice and gave you lots of helpful suggestions, which you have completely ignored. So maybe the carrot approach doesn’t work, you need the stick. Fine.

Top colleges are not looking for kids that “have taken advantage of every opportunity available”. And I don’t mean to put you down for this. You’re way ahead of the kids that sit around and play video games or something. But elite colleges, the one with only room for a few thousand of the three million HS grads each year look for something more. They want to see leadership, initiative, achievement. As Stanford says

Whining and making excuses about money, transportation, “not much else to join” doesn’t change that. The elite colleges want kids that figure out a way to make a difference, that figure out a way to surmount challenges, that show the initiative to pick something that is possible given whatever circumstances they find themselves in and do it (as was suggested to you in your previous threads). You? You’re not that kid. You’re the “joiner” that waits for someone else to provide opportunities and programs, that is flummoxed by difficulties; you say this yourself!!

IMHO you better spend a lot of time and effort picking what you call “your safeties” because your ECs are simply not going to stack up at this country’s most selective colleges.