How important are these to getting accepted?

So I’m absolutely terrified for admissions next year (a junior here) and W&M is my Number 1 choice.

I feel kind of lack luster with my ECs despite my school giving out a packet ranking GPA and SAT scores as a bit more important than those.

I currently do 3 ECs )which compared to many applicants seems like nothing.

Chinese Culture Club
Mock Student Congress Debate Club (basically just Student Congress)
Model UN

I have also written for the paper for my entire high school career and am currently one of the editors though I don’t usually count that for an EC.

My biggest worry is that I’ve only done these EC for some of last year and this year. I have done Culture Club since sophomore year on and the other two this year only.

I feel like compared to many people I’ve seen on here, my ECs are very lackluster and much fewer in number, though I’ve been told colleges like to see a shorter amount of ECs that you’ve done for at least 2 years. (Which all of mine will be by admissions time).

I’m also concerned as I’ve been seeing OOS admissions are difficult as is (I don’t know if it helps that I’m from a neighboring state) but that also freaks me out as I’m nervous about qualifying as is.

So, are these really game changers? I still have a year till admissions but it’s drawing closer and I would absolutely love to go to W&M.

Any feedback is appreciated, thanks.

Your ECs are actually quite good! Many students go “wide” by joining all kinds of clubs and it becomes virtually impossible to have any impact. Just joining for the sake of joining. Colleges actually prefer to see you go “deep” by following a passion and leading. As an example, Mock Congress and Student UN are connected in many ways. You could say that being an editor on the school paper (leadership big time!) is also connected. This shows tremendous interest in government, world policies and free press; all intricate parts of our democracy. Don’t know what you plan on studying in college, but if it’s PoliSci, History, Econ, International Relations, Public Policy you’ll be in great shape. You can craft essays around your deep interest and connect them to things you’ve done in your ECs. How you’ve impacted others.

OOS- Very competitive at W&M. What are your grades and scores? Also, essay is important there. Put in the time to write great essays. Be interesting and compelling (active voice helps a lot!) Paint mental pictures and wow them. Make them say., “I want to meet this kid!”

Good luck!

People get into William & Mary for different reasons. Some people get in because they were stellar students and were at the top of their class. Others because they were heavily involved with their community and pursued their passions outside of school. Other people were mixes of both. The point is there is not one type of student here at William & Mary and although many students come from backgrounds of also being very involved, it is not necessarily a prerequisite. Colleges still admit primarily due to grades and academic potential, but the reason people care about extracurriculars is because it demonstrates passion, the desire to make the community more vibrant, or just a different side of yourself outside of your academic interests.

There are many ways to express this, and one way to do this is also with your essay or recommendations. If your essay really shows who you are and talks about some of those traits, or other people can talk about who you are as a person, it may not be necessary to have all those extracurriculars. Also since you mentioned you are from a neighboring state, come down for an interview the summer before your senior year. It is a great place to express that William & Mary is your number one choice and all the things you know and love about it. You can really show more of yourself there and my friends who have been interviewers in the past have loved meeting people who are intellectually curious, vibrant as a person, passionate about a subject, care about the world, or come with interesting stories to share. And just be yourself, you have a lot of value in who you are as a person that may not come off in all those EC’s.

Extracurriculars are helpful to be competitive, and I won’t deny that out of state admissions is competitive, but this is the time to highlight things you love and care about, so don’t shy away from it. Go ahead and include that you are the editor of your paper (that is pretty impressive, I was one myself), the cultural diversity that you bring that you have gleaned by part of those organizations, and your interesting backgrounds and care for civic engagement. All these are part of who you are, but not the only part. Don’t worry about what other people are doing, all you can do is be the best person you can be.

Last but not least, if this will calm your nerves, I will share a personal story. I applied to William & Mary four years ago and am currently a senior here now (HMU if you have any questions about the school, I’d love to chat). When I was applying, like you I was out of state, and wasn’t really sure if I was going to get in. For a while I had almost crossed it off the list despite it being my favorite school because of this fear of not getting in, the fear of rejection. Unlike you though, however, I was the opposite. I had an abundance of extracurriculars, but sometimes seriously lackluster grades in some important subject areas. I tried not to think about admissions for several months. However to my surprise, I ended up getting in when admissions were received. Since then I haven’t looked back.

Don’t give up hope and make your application the best it can be. But also know there are many great places out there. It’s easy for me to say now, but try not to stress too much, get started early, and get people you trust to help you out. Above all, let your voice show through. They are holistic in their admissions and want to admit people who are both academically capable and quality, wholesome people.

Best of luck in your admissions process! Let me know if I could be of help in any way or if you have any questions about William & Mary, I’m all yours.

My GPA is a 3.7 (unweighted) and a 5.1 weighted.

Generally I think my grades are fairly good as my GPA hasn’t fallen below a 3.6 yet.

I’m taking the SAT soon but I can provide PSAT scores which is a 1300. I’ve qualified for the merit scholarship on that score actually.

I actually am going for PoliSci so that made me feel a lot better. I’m going to be sure to put in a ton of time writing strong essays and hopefully I’ll get in! Thanks for the feedback!

Your newspaper work is a great EC, especially for someone interested in political science.

If it’s possible, try the ACT also. Some students do better on the SAT, some on the ACT. And then maybe retake the one on which you score relatively higher, unless you knock it out of the park the first time.

What are your plans for the summer? Work experience is great for college admissions, and, more importantly, great for learning life skills and responsibility.

William and Mary is fantastic for political science. Former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Robert Gates, FBI Direct Jim Comey, political spokesperson Jen Psaki, and Jon Stewart are all alums. A couple of other schools you might explore: Dickinson College and College of the Holy Cross. Both are also strong in political science and somewhat similar, though smaller, schools. They are private and would cost more if you are VA in-state, though you might receive financial aid. Williamsburg does have nicer weather, and is a great place to go to school.

Good luck!

Government is a wonderful major at William & Mary. It’s actually what I am studying right now. There’s many opportunities here related to government, some of which I talk about [url = <a href=“http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18645604/#Comment_18645604%5Dhere%5B/url”>http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18645604/#Comment_18645604]here[/url].

Personally I am rather jealous because next year it was recently announced that James Comey, the former director of the FBI, will be teaching classes for the next couple of semesters at the William & Mary DC Center, so that’s an incredible opportunity.