<p>I'm currently a rising Junior. </p>
<p>Sports:
Freshman Soccer team (i probably wouldnt list this on an app)
Recreation Soccer and Basketball since I was 5</p>
<p>Music:
Audition Choir during Junior/Senior
After School Audition Choir Soph/Junior/Senior
Church Choir which provides me with a scholarship
Voice Lessons once a week</p>
<p>Volunteering (probably my main EC):
During school year I tutor apprx. 4 hours a week
Year Round: Hospital Volunteer- transport patients 3 hrs per week
Nursing Home- Sing to residents and talk/hang out 3 hrs per week
Summer Only: Zoo volunteer program- 120 hrs per summer starting this year
I should have at least 1000 by the time I'm done with HS</p>
<p>Misc:
Mu Alpha Theta-joined Soph year and this year I am the only Junior exec. board member (appointed)
NHS- will join this year & possible pres./VP
Mathletes- Soph/Junior/Senior
State Math- Soph/Junior/Senior (Soph year we won Regional for one competition and to state for only that but did not place well at all)
Debate- Fresh/Soph/Junior/Senior. I won conference freshman year and took 2nd in a random tournament. I went to state both years. However Soph. year I was much less involved and only went to one tournament aside from state, wasn't able to go to many meetings. I'm dedicated to be more involved next year though. I love debating, but I started a lot more activities Soph year and it took me awhile to perfect my schedule but that's all together now. </p>
<p>I really want to start my own volunteery/charityish thingy but I'm not quite sure what and how. </p>
<p>I'm trying to shoot for schools like Yale/Penn/Duke/Northwestern.</p>
<p>Do these activities cut it at all?</p>
<p>Sports are average. So is music, also interesting that you got a scholarship for it.</p>
<p>Your volunteering stands out more than anything else. 1000 hours… wow. If you reach that, you’re going to attract some attention, haha</p>
<p>Misc. is good, debate is good.</p>
<p>But please keep in mind that for schools like Yale and Penn, nothing here would make you stick out of the crowd except for your volunteer work, which is really good. Unless your a minority (Hispanic/African American/Native American), a legacy, or very very wealthy with parents who will donate lots of money to the school, you’re going to need two things to really be considered for admissions:</p>
<ol>
<li>Great test scores. Shoot for at least a 2200 on the SAT, and if not that much, at least get a 750 or higher in one of the sections</li>
<li>Leadership* - Other than NHS, which is good, I didn’t see any. It’s important. Try and get a few more positions, it really will help. Colleges that prestigious won’t accept students who have shown no leadership, unless they’re very disadvantaged economically.</li>
</ol>
<p>Oh I forgot to post this but I will be in Junior/Senior Leaders which is a gym program where we train to be physical education leaders during junior year and then are the Senior leaders for a lowerclassmen gym class during our senior year. </p>
<p>I will also be involved in a peer mentoring program where we go around to lowerclassmen and discuss common school issues, etc. Is this an example of leadership? </p>
<p>Even though the Mu Alpha Theta position is just “on the exec board”- in my chapter there is no President or VP or any specific title. There is just a board. As the only Junior I’m assuming I will be somewhat of a leader during Senior year as the only member with experience.</p>
<p>The peer mentoring thing sounds cool. Yeah, its an example of leadership. Just stress it in an essay or a question on the app if its the best leadership you have.
Mu Alpha Theta and the PhysEd thing are also good. So you do have a decent amount, haha.
But once again, it’s not noticeable to a school like Yale. Your community service is outstanding though, just make sure to emphasize that above all else. They’d rather see alot of dedication in one thing than just participating in a ton of things.</p>
<p>Thanks 
</p>
<p>Does anyone know if any particular top colleges value service work more than others?</p>
<p>Your debate is good. Your community service is ridiculous… wow. The rest doesn’t stand out, unless you have something to show for soccer. I mean, are you any good and how often do you play: are you in CYSA or whatever and do you play for 2+ hours a week, or do you just kick balls around in the backyard every couple weeks, I don’t really know what “recreational soccer + basketball” means. If you aren’t an amazing player, I’d put the freshman soccer team on your app, unless it was no cut (and maybe even then), just to show something that you have done with soccer.</p>
<p>I’m exceptionally mediocre at soccer. And by recreational I mean it’s through the Park District of my town. The Rec league is basically for people who aren’t good enough to be on the high school team but still want to play. Out of that pool I’m fairly good but anything I do with sports is not going to be a selling point to a top school. That I am sure of.</p>
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<p>Not necessarily…have you started any notable local initiatives or your own project? Accumulating scattered service hours is unlikely to impress adcoms (just fyi, same goes for mission trips, in case you were going to shell out thousands to build huts in Guatemala). But it seems like you’re eager to start your own charity/fundraiser. The best way to do that is through an established organization, since they’ll have the resources to help you out. You could start a walk to raise money for some obscure endangered animal through the zoo–that sort of thing.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I don’t get any particular feeling about you from your ECs. Honestly, quitting a few to find time for your own service initiative is probably going to be your best option; it’ll save you time, stress, and you may actually get sleep junior year.</p>
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<p>Haha, I love it. First line of a college essay, perhaps?</p>
<p>Actually I want to do something with Parkinson’s Disease. A lot of the patients at the nursing home have it (it’s mainly a memory care center) and my grandpa is also afflicted. Should I contact the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation and ask about organizing some sort of fundraiser?</p>
<p>“Should I contact the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation and ask about organizing some sort of fundraiser?”</p>
<p>You could see if your local Parkinson’s organization has a fundraiser that you could help with.</p>
<p>You also could organize a fundraiser with one of the organizations you’re already involved with, and you could donate the money to your local Parkinson’s organization.</p>
<p>I think I’m going to contact my local government and organize something through that.</p>