<p>hey everyone! im a junior right now and until now, i havent participated in any really eye-boggling activities. i am dedicated to school activities and very very dedicated and passionate about my church, my missions to other countries, and my christian club at my school (and playing piano as a volunteer in churches etc.)</p>
<p>though I love my activities, i was told that this was very common and that i don't have any good changes to a comeptitive school. i was told i should do some "good" activities this summer. so i was wondering if you guys knew any good volunteer programs this summer (preferably ones where i don't have to pay money to volunteer) or any other activities you think would be good hooks.</p>
<p>thanks a lot! =]
p.s. someone suggested i write a book but i know that a lot of students are doing that now. would colleges still consider that as a distinct activity?</p>
<p>I hate to say this but fantastic EC's at the elite colleges involve regional and/or national awards. A super EC's is winning a national/regional award in piano. Now having said it, you still have a very strong EC. After you qualify on academic measures (these measures are very, very high), then they look at EC's to chose between outstanding applicants. They want to see long-term commitment and "passion" in one or two activities rather than a list of activities with little involvement in any of them. They want well-rounded freshman classes, but not well-rounded students. You are perfectly right to look for a summer activity. I'm finding it hard to give you any ideas because volunteering tends to be local. You might try asking your GC or even look for something on the web. (Large public universities tend to be more numbers driven.)</p>
<p>Just one more bit of advice to a junior. The competition in the top ten or fifteen colleges is absolutely insane. However, it drops off almost exponentially as you get away from the 10-20 colleges that everyone in the country is trying to get into. When you say elite colleges, there is a tremendous difference between the #1 college and the #50 college. (There are about 3500 4-year colleges in the US.)</p>
<p>summer internships, school-year internships... get hands on in the field you want to major in.</p>
<p>widespread ECs mean nothing. focus on a bunch of ECs that have to do with your interests, passion(s). fastweb.com is good for locating jobs/internships; maybe you want to give that a try. ask your counselors for educational opportunities over the summer... get hands on!</p>