<p>I saw Caltech's supp app, and there's a whole section for math/science EC's. Even if I did some other good things, but not math/science related, could that still be okay? I think my school course load suggests a strong interest in math/science. </p>
<p>Here are my EC's:</p>
<p>Boy Scouts
-Eagle Scout (just did my board of review). My project was building benches, pressure-washing old ones, and putting sealant.
-Senior Patrol Leader during 10th grade, Patrol Leader during 9th
-broke a national record for hiking. I hiked the Bartram Trail (100 miles/5 days, has a lot of elevation): honored by Governor Sonny Purdue and national head of boy scouts for this feat
-LOTS of community service projects
-raised money for inner-city kids to buy scout uniforms</p>
<p>I founded and am president of our school's food critic club. We go to restaurants about once a month and write critiques about them, which are published in the school newspaper.</p>
<p>Trumpet
-private lessons
-Superior Rating (9,10,11) at Solo Ensemble Festival
-Community Jazz Band (9-12)
-GISA all-select band member (11th grade) (top band members of private schools in GA)
-played for church on Sundays
-invited to play at school's open house 10th grade</p>
<p>Piano
-lessons
-invited to play at several concerts</p>
<p>Young Republicans (should i say this? i know prestigious colleges are very liberal?)
-helped a bake sale to fund troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
-helped campaign for John Mccain and senator Saxby Chambliss</p>
<p>Duke TIP summer program (summers after 9th and 10th grade, I respectively studied macroecon. and robotics)</p>
<p>Academic Awards:
-Georgia Certificate of Merit
-Phi Beta Kappa Award (given to Junior with the highest weighted GPA in class)</p>
<p>"I founded and am president of our school’s food critic club. We go to restaurants about once a month and write critiques about them, which are published in the school newspaper.
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<p>Oh man, I know someone you would love. </p>
<p>But in answer to your question, it doesn’t look good to not have math/science ECs. Unless your courseload is so rigorous that you just have to love math/science to even take it, it’ll be pretty hard to show that you have a love for math/science, which the adcom looks for.</p>
<p>If you have not demonstrated interest (via ECs or research) or talent (via competitions) in science or math, Caltech will be extremely difficult for you. What are your standardized test scores in math and science (i.e., SAT Math, Subject Test scores, APs)?</p>
<p>You have not given what classes you are taking in school?. Also taking classes does not suffice? What have you done in math and science? None of your EC’s talk about math and science expect the DUKE TIP on Robotics.</p>
<p>Even if you have not done any math and science work, is there a way you can prove your passion for math and science?</p>
<p>Also, I do not believe that being a democrat or a republican will really influence the decision in most top colleges. I would be surprised if CalTech even cares if you are republican or democrat. </p>
<p>CalTech cares if you show a passion for math and science and from your EC’s one cannot infer that you have a passion for math and science.</p>
<p>I participated in 0 math/science things in high school.
I still got in.
Just make sure you explain it or really show that you can fare well here.</p>
<p>As long as your love for math and science really does come out in your course load and essay, you should be okay.
Besides, Caltech uses common app and has a reasonable application fee, it doesn’t hurt that much to try :)</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I got in without any big science awards. I had lots of science ECs, but nothing prestigious. I was really relying more on a bunch of community service and misc. leadership stuff, which sounds like a lot of the stuff you have.</p>
<p>That certainly doesn’t help, and I think something science-, math- or engineering-related will make admissions a lot easier. Do you live near a research university? Doing some research and getting a good letter of rec helps a lot. If not, you always have the option of emailing professors at universities away from home and seeing if they would be willing to let you work with them for the summer (offering to work unpaid helps). That would really show initiative and passion for science.</p>