<p>Currently a senior teetering on stress/emotional breakdown over college apps.</p>
<p>I attend one of the best public high schools in the nation, have a 92 avg, and a 2200 on the SATs. I know I'm not one of the shining stars in my school, which is already competitive as is and I am certainly not known to be some super overachiever but I am worried about my ECs. </p>
<ul>
<li>I have held an internship at a museum for nearly three years (name of the museum withheld for privacy reasons)--it isn't an amazingly famous museum but it is an old and respected institution and I think working at a museum is a unique experience.</li>
<li>I am a member of a philanthropy club that was started by two of my friends. I am a board member--director of communications (not president though)</li>
<li>I am currently a board member of our grade government (there are about six voted to the board each year) and I have been such board member for the past two years</li>
<li>I am a staff writer on the newspaper (not an editor--I have written many articles over the years though and writing is a strong suit for me)</li>
<li>I am an outreach ambassador at my school--since one has to go through a sort of admissions process to be admitted to my high school, these student ambassadors publicize the schools, give presentations, etc. (to be honest, we haven't done that much but there was a nomination process and all to become an ambassador)</li>
<li>Volunteering is a BIG part of my life and something I genuinely love doing. I have completed nearly 400 hours of community service (I don't really know if that's considered a lot or not--it just may seem like a lot to me since most of my friends rarely do community service)</li>
</ul>
<p>That being said, I am not a president of any club and I'm worried that my ECs are meager when compared to all the other presidents out there and editors-in-chief and such. </p>
<p>I am not looking to get into Harvard or Yale or anything--my target schools are schools like NYU and Tufts w/ a few Ivy League reach schools. I just want to know how these ECs (or lack thereof?) will affect my chances--honest but constructive criticism would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Your grades and test scores will be the most important aspect that they will consider. If you apply at Ivy League schools they may put more importance on your EC's. They are a reach for anyone. I know that Tufts is a great school. Good luck</p>
<p>From a non-ivy standpoint, your ECs are 100% ok. From an ivy-standpoint, they are not 'bad' at all, because they show passion. The ivies take these things beyond titles. However, if you apply to a big state school, they only care about the title - I remember while filling out one application they said only fill out the ec section if you had like any of these things: Student Body President, Internship, NHS, and some other things. It was a mid-tier 1 school. Only in the top 20 or so do they play prime importance</p>
<p>haha you've been spending WAAAYYY too much time on CC.</p>
<p>I had a similar breakdown just recently as I realized my EC's paled in comparison to all those crazy kids who are like presidents of 10 million different clubs while having 2300+ SATs, and self-studying 20 APs, and playing five varsity sports, while still doing intense, innovative lab research and spreading AIDS awareness in Africa.</p>
<p>actually, compared to your EC's, mine pale in comparison also. it sounds like you're really passionate about community service. i don't know what type of museum you intern at, but if it's a field that interests you, that's even better. seriously, quit worrying and panicking. get off CC if you have to and spend more time in the real world where a lot of kids don't really do much, or at least spend so much effort on resume-padding that they don't actually accomplish anything. you really have achieved some truly remarkable things, probably good enough for a shot at HYPS if your academics are up to it as well=)</p>
<p>and as for being president...i personally don't think it makes a difference. for example, three kids applied to Stanford SCEA from our school last year, #1, 2, and 3 respectively. The val and sal got rejected. Val was president of two clubs, sal was president of a club and a varsity team captain. Meanwhile, #3 did no clubs or sports at school whatsoever, therefore had no offical leadership positions either. A lot of people didn't understand why #3 was even bothering to apply to top schools b/c they were under the impression that #3 did nothing in high school. However, what most didn't know was that #3's main EC was volunteering at many local hospitals, which #3 devoted themself to entirely and quite passionately. </p>
<h1>1 and #2 got rejected outright from stanford. #3 was deferred then accepted.</h1>
<p>^ Very true story to that. Only at top schools sadly is passion a major factor. Schools below the top 50 usually just care about titles (only care bout president) and otherwise dont have time to look at anything else (they already barely have time to skim the essay, if they read it)</p>
<p>For any of your volunteer activities, did you coordinate something or take the lead on a specific task or event or maybe initiate something new? If so you could describe any of those as showing leadership and initiative. Maybe think more about specific activities you have done and incorporate some specific descriptions into your application.</p>
<p>Would it look incredibly stupid to put "Mentor for my 5-year-old sister" as my primary EC? It really does mean a lot to me, and it is career-oriented, but i'm afraid this will be interpreted as fluff. </p>
<p>blueducky--do you mentor other children as well? I think if you do, then it would look like a more solid EC (not that mentoring your sister isn't one, the amount of work and passion you put into it may not translate on paper). I would say that you should write your essay about your mentoring experiences w/ your sister instead--it will give a greater sense of how much it means to you.</p>
<p>yes i do, actually! i have been a homework tutor for 4 years for community service and money. I explained my work with my sister in the 150-word EC thing, would this be enough?</p>
<p>Also, for the main Common App essay, do they PREFER an extracurricular topic, or does that not matter?</p>
<p>esgee- Your community service commitment will balance out any perceived lack of leadership. I think you have an excellent chance at your target school, do not fret! </p>
<p>And if you are interested in the Ivies, why not give some a shot? Sometimes they look for students with a conscience, not just a list of school positions.</p>