How much do non-Ivyish schools care about extracurriculars?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Sparknotes version = </p>

<p>This is sort of a chances thread and sort of a general question, so if you're already TL;DRing you can just answer the title question and ignore the rest.</p>

<p>Long version = </p>

<p>So my extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Piano (meaning we have a piano and I've been a̶b̶u̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ playing it for about eight years, even though my skills aren't as good as it sounds like they would be).
Chemical engineering mentorship (50 hours)
Scholastic bowl team member (1 year)
Environmental club member (1 year)
Work at McDonald's (1 year)</p>

<p>As well as some inconsequential volunteering activities and being in the school play in 10th grade.</p>

<p>I understand that those aren't <em>bad</em> and <em>horrible</em> and <em>OMG my life is over</em>-worthy, so please don't start the whole sarcastic "you'll only get into community college!" stuff, but most people posting chances threads and going to good colleges (whatever that means) seem to do better things that show more passion and devotion. </p>

<p>So I'm wondering about:
1) Whether colleges will reject me because these are subpar ECs
2) What kind of good colleges won't care (suggestions?)</p>

<p>Here are the rest of my stats. However, they're fairly volatile because AP Chemistry is currently screwing me over to the point where I've started using "volatile" in sentences not relating to AP Chemistry.</p>

<p>White female from Ohio
I currently want to major in math, though I'm sure that will probably change.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.9
Class rank: top 3%
SAT: 2340 :D
ACT: 33
7+ AP classes
Will be taking SAT Subject Tests in Biology, Math II, and Chemistry </p>

<p>National Merit Semifinalist, at least (227 PSAT in Ohio)
Published in Teen Ink magazine</p>

<p>Essays: 8/10
Recommendations: 7/10</p>

<p>Colleges I've thought about:
Ohio State
University of Michigan
UCLA
Reed
Wellesley
Harvey Mudd
Smith
Case Western Reserve University</p>

2

<p>All colleges care about your extra-curriculars. I believe most of them are holistic, and view not only your gpa/sat, but also your leadership skills and such. Colleges like well-rounded people, not just smarts.</p>

3

<p>Is that your weighted or unweighted GPA?</p>

4

<p>It’s unweighted. School doesn’t weight. </p>

<p>“All colleges care about your extra-curriculars.”</p>

<p>Eh, not really…most colleges aren’t selective.</p>

5

<p>in Cali, they are :D</p>

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<p>Ohio State - probably not.</p>

<p>Other state schools claiming to be holistic probably give an edge to someone with lower stats than yours.</p>

<p>Harvey Mudd and Wellesley will care about ECs.</p>

7

<p>All those schools can be matches with some sort of leadership position. Why work at Mickey D’s when you can do an internship, direct a school play, or create a club? Adcom will wonder.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, only Harvey Mudd is a reach on your list. The others are high matches at worst even with the ECs you have. </p>

<p>Maybe you can demonstrate at least some talent by writing about your skills in tutoring/mentoring.</p>

8

<p>All schools that use the Common App agree to be holistic in their reviews, per the CA folks. I don’t know what UCLA uses, but they state they are holistic. Any kid who can get your stats- and a female interested in STEM- should be able to come up with some reasonably impressive commitments. What you’ve listed is good (yes, the job, too,) but why only 1 year at these things? Any leading roles in schol bowl or enviro? For the moment, forget the chance-me threads. This is about you. Anything you omitted here, thinking it isn’t as important?</p>

9

<p>Some universities won’t ask for your extra-curricular activities at all! If you are that worried about them, you could look at Canadian universities. McGill and the University of Toronto wouldn’t care if you spent your life on the couch eating potato chips as long as you had the grades!</p>

10

<p>And even UBC, which is, by far, the most holistic of the Canadian schools, doesn’t put as much weight to ECs as, say, Harvey Mudd or Wellesley. Non-holistic schools wouldn’t care about ECs.</p>

<p>Large schools want well-rounded entering classes, smaller schools as well but, for smaller schools, the best way to have a well-rounded class is to have well-rounded individuals, while large schools might be able to afford a few EC-poor students.</p>

<p>Ohio State: Safety
UMI: Low match
UCLA: Match (can you pay full-freight?)
Harvey Mudd: Low reach (it’s a reach for anyone)
Wellesley: Match
Smith: Match (this is where it might hurt)
Reed: Match
Case Western: Low match</p>

11

<p>“but why only 1 year at these things?”</p>

<p>In ninth grade I was too intimidated by upperclassmen, and the musical in 10th grade took up most of my time. </p>

<p>“Any leading roles in schol bowl or enviro?”</p>

<p>I’m an alternate on the scholastic bowl team as the result of voting, but neither of them has leadership positions.</p>

<p>“For the moment, forget the chance-me threads. This is about you. Anything you omitted here, thinking it isn’t as important?”</p>

<p>I participated in our science fair in 10th grade. There were five people, and I did not win first, second or third place.
I’ve volunteered at the public library every summer since sixth grade, though not for many hours, and the summer after 10th grade some other kids and I founded a book/filmmaking club that lasted for a year and supposedly still exists but we don’t meet anymore because the other people live too far away.</p>

<p>Academically, I tested out of several classes so I could finish my high school graduation requirements by junior year and take all college classes during senior year. If scheduling goes well I should take multivariable calculus, differential equations, and probably another college math class. </p>

<p>If you’re going to say anything about math contests…I’ve tried, and I’m not good enough to get anywhere. </p>

<p>“Why work at Mickey D’s when you can do an internship, direct a school play, or create a club?”</p>

<p>You have to apply to internships, and so far in my life I’ve been rejected from everything I ever applied to other than McDonald’s.</p>

<p>“can you pay full-freight?”</p>

<p>Probably, but I’d rather not leech more money off my parents than absolutely necessary, which is why Ohio State is high on my list.</p>

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<p>My biggest question about your list is why do you have a such a large range of giant public universities and small LAC’s. I just thought that was odd.</p>

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<p>I imagine I’ll apply to both kinds…I like the idea of going to a liberal arts college because I don’t want to take classes with 500 people but I think there are more opportunities at universities.</p>

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<p>I would say your ECs as they stand now are good enough for any college outside the top 30 in the US News ranks. And even some of those may accept you based on your grades and test scores alone. I would say you would be pretty safe at the larger schools like Michigan and UCLA. I can’t say the same about the LACs, though.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Look at schools that give half or full tuition scholarships to national merit semifinalists or finalists.</p>

15

<p>Thanks everyone!</p>

<p>New/other stuff:</p>

<p>I’m first-generation. </p>

<p>I’m kind of screwed for summer programs because I’m not good enough to get into the free ones and my parents are cheapskates but not low-income.
This summer I’m doing two one-week science camps and a three-day engineering program at a college. They weren’t selective, but that was all I could afford. (I paid for them with my McDonald’s money and that shows work ethic, so could I note that on my college apps?)</p>

<p>I’ll also be volunteering (clerical work) at a local arboretum if I’m accepted. I’ll continue working at McDonald’s and volunteering at the library.</p>

16

<p>You are honestly a very competitive candidate for just about anywhere based on your GPA and scores. However, you can’t afford to write mediocre essays or have mediocre LORs. If I were you, I’d start forming bonds with a couple of teachers, so you can have some killer recommendations. I’d also apply to a relatively small amount of places (5-6), so you can REALLY focus on the essays and stand out.</p>

17

<p>^
How can you tell if you have a good bond with a teacher? There are a couple I suspect would write good recommendations, but I can’t really tell if they know me well enough.
I talk to the GCs about college stuff all the time, so I think they know me rather well. </p>

<p>I’m not really sure about the quality of my essays either. (I’ve written one I’m thinking of using for the Common App. Not sure about the supplements. I think it’s good, but I don’t know how good a judge of writing I am.)</p>

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<p>If you are considering small colleges, how about Rose-Hulman?</p>

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<p>“Other state schools claiming to be holistic probably give an edge to someone with lower stats than yours.”</p>

<p>It’s been awhile, but what does that mean?</p>

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<p>…you think the schools you’re applying to are ‘non-Ivyish’? Those are some of the best schools in the country. Of course they care about ECs.</p>