My weighted GPA is currently a 3/4, I attend a very hard school in NY. I got a 25 on the ACT by taking it raw with no preparation, but now I’m expecting to get at least a 27-28 because I’m preparing a lot.
I have a few issues that are of serious concern now, though. I realize now that I have taken 0 clubs over the course of my entire high school years. I took wrestling since 9th grade but I’m quitting this year.
I’m wondering, can I improve my situation if I join a ton of clubs this trimester (it’s my senior year.) Also im wondering how much sports count on my college app if I do them for 2 or 3 years but quit before senior year. I hate wrestling now, every day was miserable, but if it matters a lot I’m willing to take it my senior year to make up for my lack of clubs.
Ideally if clubs in the first part of senior year still count a lot on my application, and having a record of sports in past high school years help almost as much as continuing it into senior year, then I could quit wrestling for my senior year and enroll in a few clubs.
My college applications tutor was helping me look into colleges like SUNYs and and other big colleges in the east coast, but as soon as she found out I had no clubs she suggested community college as an option as well, which freaked me silly. So please, honest answers only.
I imagine that admissions officers would see right through a last minute strategy of adding on a bunch of ECs. I would focus on improving your test scores and getting the best grades you can.
There are a large number of colleges which do not care about ECs and only want transcripts and test scores (and maybe LOR and essays. Many don’t even require those.) Anyone who suggests that the choice is only between a CC and holistic admissions which emphasize ECs shouldn’t be a college application tutor. Honest opinion.
Can you stick with wrestling at least? If you are injured, that could be explained to colleges, but otherwise stick with what you have got if possible. Do you have a job outside of school? Have you volunteered at all? What do you do in the summers? Do you have anything you do outside of school as a hobby? Do you have a lot of family responsibilities that take time? All of these are possible avenues to improve your app.
You could join one club this year, pick something you like. But loading up will be obvious to colleges.
Honestly, most of the colleges in your ACT range are not looking for amazing ECs. And they don’t have to be “clubs”. In fact, colleges know that many clubs require minimal involvement. I think you will have plenty of choices besides community colleges.
This kid in my friend group has a club and he said he could give me a high position but I would have to take some sort of test to get a license for it. He’s a pretty sketchy dude so I don’t know if what he says is true.
And it’s good to hear that about the ECs. My summers are actually pretty busy. I had a job as a camp counselor this summer for 8 weeks, the summer before that I took an SAT course (which I ended up not needing lol) for 6 weeks and drivers Ed, and the summer before that I attended an 8 week sleep away summer program to catch up in academics and sports.
Honestly I was a bit taken aback by the sudden shift in goals that my tutor had set when she found out I didn’t do any clubs or community service. One second we were looking at colleges like Stony brook and Fordham and the next it sounded like we were grinding to get me into at least 1 safety school of the 10+ schools I’m applying to.
You shouldn’t stick with wresting if you really hate it. You are allowed to discover that you don’t like doing something. Just find a few (2 maybe?) things to try out that you think you might enjoy. They don’t work out? Fine, try something else. That’s what being in high school is for - trying stuff out. Don’t both with the sketchy guy who is offering you a ‘high position’ - find something you really enjoy and give it a shot. A job is a perfectly good EC by the way. So is volunteer work if there’s an organization that interests you. Or try running or any other physical activity you think you might enjoy - it doesn’t have to be part of a team, club, organization. Schools just want to know that you have interests outside of class, you aren’t a hermit, and you might have something to contribute to their student body if they accept you. That’s a pretty low bar.
And as others have said, ECs are not hugely important to most schools. Your tutor is over-reacting. A sport takes up a huge amount of time and schools know that. If you are now switching to something else, that’s just fine. Your grades and test scores are much more important. Stay focused on the academics.
The summer camp counselor should go on your app. I’d skip the sketchy club. Join something you actually are interested in. Don’t worry about a leadership position.
Sorry, I disagree about dropping wrestling. If you were a junior, I’d say drop it and find something else. But as a senior with no other activities, I’d stick with it.
Then you have 3 things - wrestling, summer camp counselor, and a new club.
You might try to find a chance to do some volunteer work this fall if you have time. Not tons, but adding something there would be good. A weekly shift at a food bank, volunteering at athletic events like races, or something like that.
@intparent the problem with joining wrestling is that it interferes with my academics severely. Pre season practice starts next week if I’m correct, and practices go from 4PM to 6:30 or sometimes even 7. Tournaments start happening in early winter/late fall and they take up entire weekends, sometimes starting as early as 6 in the morning and ending at 7 or 8 PM. So if I join wrestling I would sacrifice some academic time
A lot of students juggle multiple ECs. You have been doing it for 3 years and your academics are what they are. You only have this one last semester that matters for apps (and not even that for rolling admissions). Of course you don’t want to tank and get rescinded, but I don’t see the academic argument as carrying a lot of weight.