<p>I'm ridiculously passionate about history; I read TONS of history-based novels and history books. I'm doing an independent study at my school; I'll spend part of the year studying medieval, sub-Saharan civilizations, part of the year studying Muslim civilization and culture, and another part of the year studying the origins and early years of Judaism and Christianity. I'm not sure how I would convey my interest in an application besides the essay.</p>
<p>My extracurriculars are all community service so that does nothing for me at all, however I'm only a sophomore so I still have time to change that. The only thing I can think of to show a college how interested I am in history is all those books I read. I would like to take classes over the summer but I can't afford them.</p>
<p>Does anybody have any other ideas or suggestions? Please/Thank you!</p>
<p>There are contests where history-loving kids can send entries, usually a research paper or essay. Do a search for history contests, essay contests, etc.</p>
<p>Your interest will come through with your independent study, teacher recs (if you choose a history teacher or your independent study supervisor), and presumably your essay. Some schools also have booklists on their apps (Columbia and Wake Forest come to mind).</p>
<p>You don’t have to artificially start a history club to show interest, especially if that would take time away from your other, more significant extracurriculars.</p>
<p>A lot of history buffs end up as lawyers as a career. For that direction, you might also want to get into a debate club, if your HS has one. Also, there’s a national program called “We The People” which ‘discusses’ the Constitution. (WTP is run kinda like a debate too. The groups present case studies that support an argument they are asked to research. It’s first a State competition, and winners from each State debate amonst each other in DC in April. It’s very cool!) What type of history: archeological? Debate? US History? Work at the Museum of Natural History-NYC. ( know a HS student who did that.)</p>
<p>Thanks for all your feedback guys
limabeans- I’m into colonial/revolutionary US history and ancient/medieval world history, particularly the Muslim empire, Ottoman empire, sub-Saharan empires (Songhai, Mali, Ghana, Benin, etc.). I also like the French Revolution and the origins of Christianity and Judaism. I’m kind of all over the place with my interests.</p>
<p>Start a blog – seriously. Write about what books you’re reading, your reactions to certain historical events, what you think about such-and-such historian/theory etc. Don’t make it too pendantic, just be yourself in the blog, and honest about your interests. It’s a great way to communicate your passion, help you develop ideas and sharpen your writing skills. If you start now, you could have quite a lengthy blog to share with admission committees.</p>
<p>^Blog writing is difficult. I recommend the OP only start a blog if she has been an avid reader of history blogs for some time and feels confident she has the time and stamina to keep it going regularly, to interact with fellow history bloggers, and to build an online image in the blogging community. </p>
<p>Despite how silly the word is (say “blog” five times, and it starts to sound ridiculous), it’s a serious business, and the most successful bloggers have made it into careers–this indicates just how much time you need to put into to develop an avid readership. Most teenage blogs fizzle within a year simply because kids don’t have the time or the consistency in personality to create a marketable online brand.</p>
<p>@ready: you could always work/intern for a museum. (even a speciality, small one) Even if you volunteer there as a docent, it would probably interest you and introduce you to all sorts of people who, like you, are history buffs. looks good too.</p>
<p>glass - I recommended a blog precisely because most fizzle. And most fizzle because people either lack committment or interesting things to write about. Sounds to me like OP has both.</p>
