junior year, what to do for washu?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
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<p>I'm currently a junior and am really interested in WashU, and I have a few concerns:</p>

<p>I feel that I am lacking in EC's. I'm in the NHS, and then I am in a Varsity sport which I've been involved with since freshman year. It's a huge part of who I am, and I want to continue this sport in college and it's a big commitment that takes up a lot of my time, but I do not have any good excuse for not joining more clubs or doing some other things because I am sure there are other dedicated varsity athletes who are in numerous academic clubs too. So I'm just nervous that such few things to list on my application is weak, would admission see it as such? ( Also I've heard that UAA schools coaches don't have much pull for athletes, correct? I was hoping my sport could give me an upper hand, but maybe it won't.)</p>

<p>Besides my strong commitment in my sport (and the fact that I feel I can contribute to the WashU team by the time I am a freshman) I don't feel I have done anything that sets my apart from others and this concerns me. I do understand the quality > quantity aspect of EC's but seeing everyone else post about Science Olympiad and Math Achievements makes me worried.</p>

<p>I have over 100 community hours, but they are not to one specific place. Does this hurt me? I see many posters with 2+ years of dedicated service to a hospital, church, nursing home etc. and I am nervous that my scattered service isn't as distinguished I guess? The main part of my hours have come from local road races and food drives, that sort of thing. Is this okay, or frowned upon for admissions? What should I do about my community hours?</p>

<p>I am planning to visit over Spring Break. Are there any key things that I should do other than take a tour? I'm more of the quiet type and to be honest I'm a bit nervous about an interview. But of course I want to do it if it will help my chances. </p>

<p>I am only taking one AP course this year and I feel this is lower than the norm of most students applying to top schools. Obviously I cannot change my schedule, but am I at a disadvantage for only taking one AP this year? If it matters, all my other courses are Honors. I DO plan to take 3-4 AP's senior year, which leads me to a related question: Will WashU take my senior courseload into high regard or is it just looked at but not strongly considered? It seems many people here are AP Scholars and all those awards, and I'm worried that my lack of AP's is going to hurt me.</p>

<p>I think I have a solid GPA and I am definitely going to study my butt off for the ACT this spring, but I'm worried about my EC's, community hours, and AP courseload. Any advice and help would be really appreciated.</p>

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<p>My daughter, a current student who got in RD, had a similar AP schedule to yours: only 1 before senior year and 4 senior year. Even though they won’t see your senior AP results, it’s okay, because they will see your grades in the class, so that will give them an idea of how you are doing in them.</p>

<p>If you are committed enough to a sport to play it in college, that can make up for not having as strong ECs as some other candidates. Talk to the coach.</p>

<p>IMO, it’s fine that you spread your community service around, as it has the common theme about caring to improve the society we live in.</p>

<p>Study for the ACT/SAT and keep up your grades in your classes, and go for it.</p>

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<p>Obviously if your sport takes up much of your free time, if you indicate that they’ll understand. As for only one AP during your junior year, yes it is low but it also depends on what your school offers. If your school only offers one AP for you, then they of course understand that. If you had the option to take more but didn’t, then that’s not so good. I took 2 AP’s sophomore year, 3 junior, and 4 senior, which I assume is likely just above average. I took almost all AP’s my school offered, and even independently studied two more so you always have the option. (My school only offered Honors Econ, and AP CS A…I self taught AP Macro, Micro, and CS AB and mentioned that on my app). </p>

<p>One important thing is that although your schedule is set for next year, you really need to try go all out next year (but not past your limits, you don’t want to do poorly). If you can find one extra EC to really dive into, whether it be volunteer work at a specific place regularly, or a club, that can only help. </p>

<p>If you want to visit, there’s usually a ton of people visiting in March-April (both from prospective applicants and people accepted) so I would recommend going sometime in the next couple months.</p>

<p>Keep studying for the ACT…the more you study the better you might do (I know SAT/ACT are boring to study, but you can never start too soon or do too much).</p>

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<p>I only took 1 AP before senior year, and now I’m taking 3. I got in ED (and there are a TON of AP options at my school). I don’t think it’s too late to join a club - you might be president, and that looks great on apps.</p>

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<p>All I have is anecdotal evidence, but my situation was similar to yours. When I applied to WashU, I had exactly 0 volunteer hours, and the only “extracurriculars” that I did were cross country/track and my job. Running took up most of my time; for example, during the season I probably spent more hours training/at meets than I did in school. The time I had left over, I would usually work, usually around 20 hr/wk in season or 30 out of season. Just express to them somehow, either in your essay or through a letter of rec from your coach, the level of commitment you had/why you loved it so much, and you should be good. WashU likes to see its students have passions outside of the classroom, and spending hours every week perfecting your game is exactly that.</p>

<p>I also did not take many AP classes before senior year, (I had USH soph year and Gov and BC calc junior year). However, I was taking the hardest courses that my school was offering to me. That is what WashU looks at, whether you took the hardest courseload you could. I took 6 AP’s senior year, because I had finally fulfilled all of the prerequisites at my HS to take those classes. </p>

<p>When you visit on spring break, if your parents are ok with it, sign up to stay with a student overnight. You’ll get to see the life of an average freshman, who will be majoring in whatever you listed as your top interests. Its a ton of fun for everyone involved, and it can’t hurt when it comes to “showing interest.” Finally, DEFINITELY sign up for the interview. It’s not going to be a panel of adcoms grilling you on your application, but actually just a one-on-one conversation. Sometimes, you actually get interviewed by a student, which is even less stressful. To be honest, I was asked probably about 2 questions about my app (be prepared for the “why do you like your sport so much?” etc. questions), and then proceeded to spend the next half hour asking the adcom questions I had about the school, and just generally chatting about how life at WashU really is. I walked into the interview not sure if WashU was my top choice, and walked out absolutely certain that it was.</p>