I've hit a brick wall with ECs

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Hey guys,

Lately, I’ve reached a bit of a standstill when it comes to extracurricular involvement, brought on in part by the lack of activities offered at my school and also stemming from the unwillingness of my classmates to show interest in STEM related clubs.

When I first arrived, there were two STEM clubs, the Technology Student Association and Robotics- each of which were being offered for the first year. As you can imagine, my hopes sank shortly thereafter when club membership in TSA dropped from ~ 15 to only 3 or 4 come sophomore year. On top of that, most Robotics members have expressed their disinterest in continuing with the program in 18-19 (my junior year).

Aside from the aforementioned ‘STEM’ activities, I’ve gotten involved in FBLA and have contributed to two startup companies, each with a fair share of potential. I’m also lined up for an internship at a local tech company specializing in advanced data analysis.

Here is the initial ‘Common Application’ I planned out the summer before my sophomore year in hopes to aggregate a list of the 10 activities I’d be featuring.

  1. Robotics (Leadership x4)
  2. TSA (Leadership x3) (Awards)
  3. FBLA (Leadership x2) (Awards)
  4. Cyber Patriots (Leadership x2)
  5. Research Project through MIT Think
  6. Technology Advisory Board Member (State Organization)
  7. Tech Company Internship
  8. IT Volunteering (Ex. managing website for inner-city school district or working with retirement home to rennovate system) 9 + 10. TBD

Though with that having been laid out, please keep in mind that I understand A) there is no set formula for filling out the common app and B) it’s impossible to plan all these details out ahead of time. But even still, and acknowledging the potential for uncertainty in this situation, I’m quite dismayed by the fact that I’ve only managed to hit bullet points 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8.

Perpetuating this disappointment is the fact that my contributions in Robotics are mostly unsubstantiated and TSA likely won’t be around next year. I’ve spoken with the engineering department about bringing a Lemelson-MIT ‘InvenTeams’ chapter to the school; however, the program is highly team-oriented, and after having toured around the school to try to find participants, I’ve met with mostly passive feedback.

As for CyberPatriots, I’m really not sure how I could manage to get a team assembled, seeing as how it is highly skilled-oriented and I don’t know of anyone in the CS program (to which I’m enrolled) who’s willing to put in the effort. I do realize that this is quite a brash statement, but in all honesty, it’s just my most forthright opinion.

The worst part of this all is that I truly and wholeheartedly am willing to put in the hours to get a new program or initiative started up. It’s just that my school is relatively uncompetitive, and I can’t really warrant the need to start a new tech program if the existing 2 are already dying from a lack of interest.

Another alternative is to explore programs unbeholden to my school and look to my community in the larger picture. I’ve spoken with some very successful ivy applicants about their experience in advisory board/fellowship positions. In the very least, I hope to explore some of that this summer.

I’ve been considering lately switching schools, though being junior year at this point in time seems too late.

That was a mouthful of information, and so take of it what you will. But looking back to my intention behind posting this, I just want to see if you all have any suggestions for other STEM activities I can get involved in or how I should reshape my mentality surrounding other club members and their participation. Thanks

2

Just my opinion: I think that you are worrying about this too much.

Participate in ECs that you personally find interesting. Keep ahead in classes. Find a university that appreciates what you have done. Relax. You can’t spend your life worrying about what some admissions officer at some school somewhere thinks that you should have been doing.

3

@DadTwoGirls

I think you’ve offered up a very valuable viewpoint, so thank you for that.

But you do seem to have assumed that my concern for the future has manifested harmfully on my physical/emotional health. I’d say I’m a fairly relaxed person and am not taking this too seriously. The drive to be successful with the admissions process is kind of what has characterized my livelihood over the past year or so

4

Stop. Just stop already.

5

@Muad_dib

Sorry if I’m being overdramatic I guess.

What specifically annoys you about my post?

6

Hi there. I know we message each other but I stumbled across this post so I’d just like to add something.

I think you’re definitely worrying too much. It’s definitely unfortunate that the members in your club don’t care, so I think that you should turn to your community and local/regional opportunities for extracurriculars and experience/exposure to tech/computing/STEM. look for other non-school related clubs and competitions. you DON’T need clubs to succeed; you can start your own clubs, volunteering events, etc… you can join and win competitions and learn things on your own to attain good internships and place well in competitions. Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions. Hope this helped.

7

@needtosucceed27

I definitely hear what you’re saying when you stress the importance of not needing “clubs to succeed”. At this point, the guiding light going forward will have to be looking to my community at large and searching for broader opportunities related to CS.

I think this really ties back to how my mindset is so fixated on ECs as generic labels able to mold into the Common App format. In reality, I should rethink this misconstrued definition as to emphasize picking up quality ECs that align more with my own personal interests.

Right now, my tentative plan is to try to get my classmates not to drop Robotics/TSA so soon, while at the same time lessening up on my efforts to push InvenTeams/CyberPatriots.

Thanks for your feedback!

8

Regarding involvement in the community, have you thought about how you could volunteer in more disadvantaged schools and help middle or high school students with their robotics projects? Win -win.

9

@CheddarcheeseMN

My only hesitation surrounding helping younger kids learn robotics is that the activity is getting somewhat overused, and from my opinion, it doesn’t signify as much dedication or innovative thinking as other, equally time-consuming projects. I could see myself as driving forward at full speed with the idea, however, if I could somehow incorporate the project into a national organization and get some of my coding friends to charter the chapter at their high schools. I’m sure a nation-wide, robotics outreach program would look better on paper than say, going to a local elementary school to help out kids.

And while I recognize that what I just said probably came across as quite pretentious and uncharitable, if I’m being 100% honest, my drive to volunteer isn’t really altruistic and would be more as an effort either A) to develop my own technical skills by working on a new, engaging project or B) to fluff my resume.

About helping disadvantaged schools, that would likely take the form of me approaching a school administrator or IT specialist about my skill set and expressing my willingness to help.

Thanks for sparking some new ideas to think about :)>-

10

If you’re interested in programming, you can create your own app, website, contribute to open source projects etc. No need for a club.

Also use the time to work on your writing style for college essays, right now you sound too formal and pretentious, no offense intended.

11

Helping others is hardly an overused EC. Its a bit nuts to think that you will be able to charter a national organization to promote robotics in the schools (and have this up and running in less than a year when college apps are due) when you haven’t made much headway in your own school.

12

One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.

Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy simply replied, “I’m saving these starfish, Sir”.

The old man chuckled aloud, “Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?”

The boy picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said, “I made a difference to that one!”

Make a difference to those middle schoolers…esp the disadvantaged or the girls who would not be exposed to this sort of thing.

13

Another vote for you being overly obsessed about how your ECs look to colleges. Do what interests you and feels genuine. There is little that feels genuine about your post. I wonder if that is coming through to other students at your school, too.

14

@yucca10

I’m involved with helping some startup companies and gaming organizations, which I’d say is more of where my passion is in. I totally hear what you mean when you stress that CS applications aren’t about generic ECs and instead all about garnering hands-on experience.

I’m not sure what my writing style has to do with the post, but ok, duly noted. I plan on trying to get some inspiration the summer before senior idea by reading through some college applicants online and getting a feel for the sort of vibe I want to send across.

Thanks for your comment :slight_smile:

15

@CheddarcheeseMN

If I spend my time volunteering, I will make sure I’ll be helping people no matter the activity I choose. Ultimately, it’s just a matter of how profoundly I’ll be able to impact my community.

I respect the people who work what society would consider ‘menial’ jobs for the betterment of their community, and truthfully, there’s nothing wrong with that lifestyle. But when I talk about wanting to get into a good college and by extension a high-paying job, it’s all about being able to make the greatest possible impact on my family, community, and country as a whole. From my viewpoint, the same thinking can be applied to my choice in volunteering.

I’m a sophomore not a junior. If I decided to go any further with that idea, I would take some time to critically think about the logistics of such a project and consider whether it’s worth the effort or if there are more direct ways to make an impact.

This idea was morphed from one of my friend’s experience with forming a nationwide [redacted] outreach program. It’s not as if I’m trying to replicate her success verbatim; however, I respect her insight in finding an innovative volunteering EC and simply want to see if I can approach the situation from a similar viewpoint.

I would like to throw out the comment that while you’re entitled to voice your doubts, which I do appreciate by the way, I do want to stress the fact that you have no idea who I am or what defines my work ethic and skillset. So maybe going forward it might be most productive to evaluate the integrity of the idea and not so much my ability to follow up with it.

I appreciate your feedback! I’m learning so much by engaging with you guys on this conversation and hearing your viewpoints out.

16

@intparent

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve been lead to believe (not directly through admission officer spiel), that the admissions system at top universities is built upon prestige. That’s not to say that admission counselors fail to see the value in wholehearted, good-to-the-earth volunteer projects, it’s just the lines between a genuine and misintentioned volunteer initiative are blurred on a college application (especially one such as the common app. with limited characters).

You may disagree; I just feel as though my skepticism towards ‘genuine volunteering’ is more of a product of the system and not a reflection of my character.

17

@intparent

Our school has over 2400 students enrolled. Weeding that group down to the number of students participating in either Technology club leaves us at about 15-30. I’d also like to point out that of those 30, I am far from the one with the most influence or clout.

The notion that my lack of authenticity has somehow correlated to the disinterest expressed by my classmates has come up out of nowhere. I don’t appreciate having my character in a school environment judged by a thousand word post. Now that’s not to say I’m trying to be divisive, and I apologize if I stirred up some aggression. I simply meant that the conversation is veering off in unproductive directions if we’ve resorted to making assumptions about whether the OP acts genuine at school.

As for tailoring my ECs to my interests, that plainly is not the sort of person I am. I know this might sound kind of convoluted, but my interests are being driven… achieving a goal. I like to think of my time as being split up into pure leisure, which isn’t anything you’d want on a college application, and working towards something I’m passionate (but not necessarily interested) in.

I spoke with you in a post a few months back. Maybe it would behove anyone with mixed opinions about me to read a bit more about my background there. http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/2020164-lackluster-extracurriculars-p1.html It’s particularly interesting to pick up on how my viewpoint has changed since then, and maybe that would help to fill in a more complete context to the whole conversation.

18

How can you be passionate about something without being interested in it?

19

@Sue22

Here’s an analogy:
When I’m writing a history paper, there’s not a shred of interest I feel towards what I’m doing. Even still, that doesn’t mean I’m not passionate towards getting a good grade and enhancing my writing skills.

That passion is really what drives my character, for the better or for the worse. And so when a conversaiton like this revolves around extracurriculars, I think it’s important to bear in mind that my interests tie directly back to how I can make the most profound impact possible in my community.

20

Sometimes the most simple things can help you, just be you and don’t let your efforts go to waste!