This is my first post and I would like to apoligize beforehand if I posted in the wrong section.
Anyways I just have a quick question regarding ECs and college admissions. For as long as I have been lurking on CC I have seen Chance Mes from kids with lists full of ECs. Well I wonder what happens when a student comes from a highschool that dosent offer debate teams, or mock trial programs. Do colleges take this into account when admitting kids? I ask this because my school only offers SGA, NHS, Beta, etc. We dont have ECs like I see from others. Do colleges take this into factor? Thank you in advance.
Yes schools consider your credentials in light of your school and what it offers. But ECs don’t just mean things at school. Some students are involved in activities that have nothing to do with school. Those can be helpful if it relates to things that the student views as meaningful/important.
Get involved in your community and make good use of your summers to compensate for what the school lacks. You can always find a way to volunteer somewhere.
The context of your application will be taken into consideration, but there are many ways to get involved outside of your school. Volunteer at a museum. Organize a charity event. Tutor younger children.
I bet you do have ECs and don’t know it. An EC is something you like to do in your free time at which you have developed some skill and expertise. I’ve interviewed kids who do photography, ski, bow-and-arrow hunt, restore old cars, garden, sail, design jewelry and sell it on-line, do mendhi for weddings, or have taught themselves languages. None of these activities required being involved in a club (although some were), but all were able to talk about their ECs with a level of expertise and enthusiasm that was compelling and interesting. A lot more interesting in many cases than someone who did the conventional math team, school newspaper, orchestra. Nothing wrong with those ECs either, by the way - but it’s awfully hard to differentiate yourself from the pack when you go that route. So look at how you spend your free time right now. Assuming you aren’t a couch potato, you probably already have some ECs which you can take to a new level if you chose to do so.
You only need good ECs if you are trying for top schools. Most colleges do not care about ECs. And if you are shooting for top schools, the secret to success is still to do what YOU want to do outside of class - NOT what you think some AdCom wants you to do.
I agree with those who have said that ECs can be found anywhere. If you take music lessons, work in your community etc. that counts. One of my S’s two main ECs was volunteering to teach disabled men and women how to swim which was done on the weekend, completely outside of school. You can ask at the library, soup kitchens, anything that peaks your interest.
Keep in mind that ECs should not be just to help you get into college – if you find something you care about it will really help you to grow as a person which in the end is more important.
I had one kid who taught himself origami from internet videos and then made it into jewelry he sold at a local gallery. Another taught himself computer programming and worked part time during the school year and full time during the summers. (He also volunteered at the senior center computer lab and won some award for modding a game with online friends.) The other one also volunteered at the senior center teaching origami and giving a couple of violin concerts.