<p>I'm a junior in AZ. I've taken one AP class last semester (Lang. & Comp.) and I'm currently taking 2 (Physics C-Mechanics and U.S. History) I'm also set to take 4 more AP classes in my senior year. I have a 3.9 UW GPA (4.25 W). I'm the top 15-20% of my class. I haven't taken the SAT or ACT yet but I took the PLAN and PSAT and did okay.</p>
<p>The only problem is that I have no extracurricular activities. I tried to volunteer last year but I only did 6 hours. I tried out for sports but I didn't make any team. I'm sort of an introvert and I never considered joining a club.</p>
<p>This has probably been posted many times but how important are extracurricular activities compared to grades? Do I have a chance at a good school if I get high marks on the SAT/ACT?</p>
<p>Wander around CC for long enough and you’ll convince yourself that if you haven’t written a book, cured a disease or helped rebuild a third world village by your Senior year you’re in trouble. I don’t think that…but I do think that admissions counselors want to see well-rounded students who are involved in their school, or their community, or their family in some significant way.</p>
<p>You have a great chance for good schools, but probably not the way you define “good schools”. You probably have in mind the same 50 or so schools everyone else would love to get into, and so competition for them is keen. But there are over 3,000 4-year colleges in this country. Many are good to quite good, and the truth is that outside of the top 100 or so that are the most competitive the rest accept many if not most of their applicants. But if your definition of “good” is Ivy league or most-selective LAC, then your chances are not so great.</p>
<p>If you are willing to look a little away from the most in-demand colleges you will find yourself in the driver seat. You can choose from colleges large or small, near home or away, urban or rural, with a variety of offerings, attracting different types of students, etc. All it takes is some of your time to find schools that are a fit.</p>
<p>I suggest before you go much farther than you read a book about admissions to understand the process, how to find schools that are a fit, how financial aid works, etc. One book I recommend is called “Admission Matters” and if you do a search for it online you can see they have a website with a sample chapter that you ought to read as a starting point.</p>
<p>Read “how to be a high school superstar” by cal newport. Best book ever on the whole question of ECs. his point: do something uniquely you. virtually the last thing you need to worry about is community service and club membership – those are boxes ticked off by clueless applicants (of which there are millions). Even if you only manage part time work, find something special in that and create something new from it. You get to Harvard just that way.</p>
<p>Agree with Mikemac that “Admissions Matters” is a fantastic book. It really helped us with every step of the college application process. I read 3 or 4 books and it was the most helpful.</p>
<p>Volunteer hours are good to have. Getting 100-200 is pretty easy and would be a nice addition to your application. I think many clubs are “application padders,” just stuff to fill up space.</p>
<p>I’d second getting involved with a church. Even if you’re not religious, you can join just to help with the work they do for other people, which will get you some hours and allow you to write about your church involvement.</p>
<p>Another good one is finding an animal shelter and walking their dogs and stuff like that</p>
<p>“I’ve heard that having a part-time job could affect your financial aid. Is that true?”</p>
<p>Your income and your savings do factor into the financial aid calculations, but considering that most colleges and universities do not pony up all that much money in the first place, you are well off getting a job so that you can contribute something toward your education. Run the Net Price Calculators at the websites of the places on your list, and see what the results look like.</p>
<p>Truth be told, most colleges and universities in the country admit by the numbers (GPA and exam scores) and do not give a rip about ECs. Read through the admissions information at the websites of the colleges and universities you are interested in, and see if they care about this or not.</p>
<p>Do something. I am in the same boat as you with very light ECs. So far I have not been rejected anywhere, I have been accepted to 4 EA/rolling admission schools. They are tops in engineering but they are not Ivies.</p>