<p>What do I think?</p>
<p>Like a bunch of kids, you seem to think that the world is supposed to present everyone with equal opportunities for ECs and then colleges gaze kindly at the HS landscape and see who makes the “right” choices – eg. first to participate, and then to spend the hours it takes trodding down the path others have already set out. And anywhere this picture doesn’t fit (no funding, club didn’t exist, no teacher has volunteered to sponsor your club, etc) then a little note to let the adcoms know you where your school/community cheated you is enough to make it up.</p>
<p>You just don’t get it. </p>
<p>If you’re thinking of admission to top schools, go to some of their websites and see what they say they’re looking for. They look for those who have the initiative to think of how things can be better and the drive to get it done. Which makes your excuses all the more grating since they just serve to underscore your passive approach, exactly the opposite of what a top school wants. Here’s a blurb from the Stanford FAQ to illustrate the point
And what have you done? Impact? Exceptional experience? All I see is “joined this, joined that” plus excuses.</p>