Hi,
So I am an international student and the school I currently study is very very academically oriented. The universities the students apply to only look at the academics. They provide the resource or encouragement to carry out extracurricular activities, if we want we the student make the clubs ourselves. And we also don’t have titles like honor students and what not.
So recently my intention has piqued for American colleges, particular this very selective one. I can manage great GPA, good SAT scores and a great essay but if my extracurricular activities aren’t fancy like the American students, does it mean I really don’t a chance.
It’s not about “fancy extracurriculars”; it’s about actual accomplishment outside of high school courses. That accomplishment can be many things (sometimes largely academic), but because most of the admissions process is comparative now, other applicants with
but with additional features to their lives will tend to be favored, simply because they exist in the applicant pool.
I’ve know of a couple of “lopsided” geniuses (without much else than academics) who gained admittance in the last 15 years to the Ivy League, but they were gifted in one particular area, to an “extreme” degree, and were clearly considered valuable to the U because of their brains. (Yes, one of those admits was to Princeton.) Generally, such candidates explore academics (their field of interest) much beyond anything the high school has offered them.
@epiphany That is understandable, but where I live, there isn’t much they can offer on the outside. Sure I have consistent extracurricular activities (Ted Ed, MUN, Newsletter) but not like in America where I can take college course while in school to enhance my knowledge on a topic. Nonetheless thank you for pointing these facts out.
@PainfullyCliche where are you from if you don’t mind me asking?