Okay, so basically my goal is to get into Stanford or a UC.
My only extracurricular atm is piano lessons (I’ve been doing these for 3 years) , but I’m planning to start a club in the 10th grade, and also join some clubs this year, such as Key Club.
I go to a public high school that is unranked in National Rankings, with over 3,000 students. I’m South Asian and I get good grades, all A’s, except one B in Chemistry, and I’m currently taking Honors Algebra 2 and Honors English 1.
Our school offers an exceptional Forensics course as an elective, but I am a very introverted person and I am not sure if I want to join (although my parents are making me join next year).
I can handle grades, it’s just extracurriculars that I am confused with. What can an introverted person like me do to get into a top university? I love writing stories and playing the piano, and I also love helping out. How can I stand out EC-wise?
As a biased band geek I’d say to join marching band! I’m introverted, many people in band are, and it really forms a tight friend group. But if you’re not into band, just do things you like. Channel unique interests. Find a cause you are devoted to (helping the imprisoned/elderly/female empowerment). Involve yourself in things you want to do but maybe don’t have the courage to join; it’ll be worth it.
Why are you planning to start a club? Are you very interested in something that isn’t covered by an existing club? If so, then that’s great, but don’t start a club just so you can say you started a club. Adcoms see through that.
You are just a freshman. At this point you should just explore different interests and try to find something that you like to do and people you like to be with.
Explore your interests, then focus on 2-3 where you can make an impact.
As a side note, if you don’t live in California, forget about the UC’s unless your parents have $230,000 saved somewhere for your college - they no longer offer financial aid to oos applicants.
For UC’s, if you live in California, familiarize yourself with the a-g requirements, which honors classes at your school 'count ', sequential rules for taking AP’s, opportunities for dual enrollment… You have the whole year for that so most importantly enjoy your freshman year.
Run cross-country. Anyone can do it. Schools don’t have cuts for this sport. Your don’t have to be good or extroverted at all. Its just you and the clock. You get support from teammates and families even your opponents cheer you on. Doing a sport for 4 years looks good on your resume-shows commitment.
Don’t rule out Forensics too quickly. There are many different events, and some of them are actually quite good for us introverts. I’d be happy to talk about the pros and cons of the various events if you want to PM me what is offered at your school. I would probably not recommend the performance-based ones, for example, but Policy & Lincoln-Douglas require a lot of individual research & thought to prepare for what amounts to a conversation in a very small group.
