My Extracurrics? What's wrong with them?

[jenni0z]

<p>Okay, so everyone on my other "Chance me!" post a few days back have been complaining that my ECs don't "pop out". Not to be such a baby and all, but I think I did a pretty decent job in keeping my ECs somewhat "entertaining" for everyone. </p>

<p>I'm a rising junior, by the way.</p>

<p>Here's a gist of what I do [done the following during my high school career]: </p>

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@""

<p>Interact Club officering School newspaper Volunteer at a jail, once a week for 2 hours. I read books to the kids of the inmates and give them other books to take home. During summer, we have a reading program with prizes and stuff. Tennis team I also lead a book club for elementary school students, grades 2-5, once a month during the school year. I write occasional pieces for our local newspaper (read by 3 million adults) in the living section as part of the Teen Correspondent program. I was picked as a sophomore (most everyone is a senior on the board. There were 3 other sophomores out of the 30 members on the board) City Teen Council</p>

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<p>Now, I'm sorry if I haven't saved a cat from a burning building, or found a cure to cancer, or meditate with cancerous animals for volunteering. I'm sorry that I'm not "unique" enough. </p>

<p>People have accused me of not having a passion. People have accused me of not being able to find a niche, self-actualize, transcend...the list goes on and on. Well, I have something to tell them...the above ECs have helped me find what I want to do with my life, and possibly major in college, especially Interact, newspaper, tennis and jail volunteering. They probably have no freakin' idea how much it has impacted my life. Yeah, so what if everyone is part of a volunteer club. What if everyone writes for the school newspaper or is on a sports team? I do this because I want to, not for some stupid college to look at.</p>

<p>If ECs were to seriously hinder my chances at a college I really want to go to, I wouldn't care. I'd still be out there, doing my thing as an Interact officer, mentoring and reading to those kids waiting at the jail, inspiring lifelong loves of reading in elementary schoolers, making our city a better place for teens and kids alike, being a voice to the teens out in my community.</p>

<p>And you may think I'm being dramatic, but whatever. And I don't mean to sound like a big baby, but I do what I want. And don't accuse me of not having a passion...because I know I'm going to do well in life and I know that whatever I do, I'll do well. Even if I don't go to my college of choice, I'll succeed. </p>

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<p>[I'm sorry for that little rant. But seriously, does anyone else feel like ^this^?]</p>

[mowmow721]

<p>Yes. It is ridiculous how ECs are all done now for the sake of college admissions. I even see freshmen posting on here ‘what activities should I do to make my application look best’?.. crazy. </p>

<p>Anyway, that’s why I HATE the whole ‘club’ mentality at my school. Clubs aren’t even clubs anymore, they are just places to pretend like you are doing something while making fake positions to pad your resume… </p>

<p>Yeah, I hate it too. By the way, your ECs are NOT bad at all, they are pretty good actually. The last few are especially impressive.</p>

[livesforsummer]

<p>I think you have GREAT EC’s… I don’t know what other people were talking about?</p>

<p>You could try and get a leadership position in the school newspaper or another club for your senior year if that’ll make you feel better about them?</p>

[vinceh]

<p>When you post a “What Are My Chances” Thread you’re asking people to critique your profile. One of the problems with CC is that most of the posters here seem to be type-A overachievers who would have you believe that the only chance you have of getting into any college is with a perfect 4.0/2400/Curing Cancer EC, in other words, anything less than that is a failure. There are some who post responses just to be jerks, there are others who post to see if they can rattle “the competition” and there are others who actually try and post helpful analysis.</p>

<p>Theoretically a chances thread serves two purposes. First, it supposedly gives you a sense of where you stand. Second, it gives others the opportunity to identify and suggest areas for improvement. You’re on a board filled with people trying to better their own chances, the natural reaction to any new thread therefore is to compare profiles and to find flaws, real or imagined.</p>

<p>Bottom line, to ask for a critique from total strangers and then complain about the answers is foolhardy. Your rant says it all. You know you’re going to do well. You know you’re going to succeed. Frankly, you don’t need a chances thread, you already know how you stack up statistically at all your chosen schools; letting the “biters” get to you is pointless.</p>

[MITbound]

<p>Your ECs are fine. However, to get into the elite colleges (HYPSM) you really need to go above and beyond. If you’re just applying to average schools those ECs combined with good grades/SATs will get you in.</p>

[mowmow721]

<p>I disagree. If she seriously exhibits passion for her ECs, you can very well get into HYPSM with them.</p>

[chsowlflax17]

<p>I got into Brown. My EC’s consisted of:
Varsity Lacrosse (no all-regional team, no all-state. The awards I DID get were at the end of senior year, so no help during admissions)
Hospitality at my church
Varsity Debate co-Captain (only two 3rd place awards. Never made nationals, and my awards didn’t come until senior year. If you checked on nflonline.org, I didn’t even have a winning record)
BUT: I helped train a winning TEAM (my novices whooped butt)
INTERACT/various community service (nothing special, DEFINITELY nothing here that popped)
A one-day Math/engineering competition (Junior-varsity division, but captain of JV team). Again, didn’t even win the regional competition.</p>

<p>In short, I don’t see anything that popped, especially considering other applicants at my shcool (some who applied ot the same schools), were competing at national competitions, were creating their own volunteer organizations, etc. etc.</p>

<p>What pops for me wiht you is the prison volunteering. That sounds cool.</p>

[Ohboi]

<p>I think your EC’s are fine.
I have way more EC’s than you do, and no one has told me I have no passion or any crap like that. I’m just afraid of having a laundry list. My problem is though that my mom has made me do some things I really don’t want to do, so it might seem like I’m just doing it for my resume even though I’m not. I have EC’s that I have been doing since I was a frosh and even since middle school. And I agree, they do help you find out what you want to do or not.</p>

[jenni0z]

<p>I just hate that people are telling me to “find a passion”
It’s like…shut up. I already found my passion. Where’s yours? </p>

<p>And to whoever just asked - I’m looking to apply to USC and Northwestern. Nothing Ivy.</p>