Im a high school sophomore and Ive been recently starting to look at colleges. The thing that freaks me out is I have no leadership roles. In fact, my only EC’s are swimming, frisbee club, and spanish honor society. I have practically all A’s and taking the max in advanced classes. How much will no leadership (maybe i can ttry to get some) hurt me at the UC’s or Standford. Im from Palo alto, CA, if that helps. Thanks
<p>More important than leadership per se, you don't demonstrate experience with service to others. Schools hope that they are admitting students who will sacrifice some of their time to serve the school, as students and later as alumni. You don't have to be elected to be a leader. does your spanish honor society do "good works"? If not, create something. Perhaps some help with teaching english to spanish speaking adults in a nearby community? Remember, this isn't just something to put on your EC list, it has to be the real thing, sacrifice, duty, etc. and you have to stick to it. A month or two doesn't cut it.</p>
<p>What Stanford wants to see is a passion for learning, a dedication in some area that fascinates you. All the students that apply there have good grades and have taken hard courses. To be admitted, you have to stand out in some way. What really interests you? What area of the curriculum do you find fascinating? What do you really love doing outside school? Find something you love and pursue it in any way you can. That is what Stanford is looking for. And that is what will help you not only get into school, but find a career you can love.</p>
<p>Example: My son, now a senior at Stanford, became interested in anime when he was a freshman in high school or so. When he read anime or watched it on TV, he noticed the Japanese characters and decided he wanted to learn Japanese. He studied on his own for awhile and then started taking community college classes in Japanese. His fascination with Japan grew, as he read about the country and its history and began reading Japanese literature (in English, at this point!). When he discovered that our town had a sister city in Japan, he became involved with the sister city organization. We began hosting Japanese exchange students. And my son was able to visit our sister city for a month on an exchange program. I think this fascination with Japan, and the way he searched out ways to further it, is what Stanford liked about him. He will graduate this June with a B.A. in Japanese language, of course...</p>
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Im from Palo alto, CA, if that helps.
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Then why waste time on this board? The PA school system is one of the best in the state if not the country. The counselors there see MANY kids off to the best schools in the country. Go talk to them about what you should be doing.</p>