<p>I go to a small Catholic school, and there is absolutely nothing there that interests me, other than hanging out with my friends and goofing off. I don't play any sports, and I don't participate in any clubs or activities. However, I have been riding bmx for the past 3 years, and that pretty much consumes my entire life. I'm also really into photography, you can check out my work at Flickr:</a> Photos from Josh McElwee Photography</p>
<p>Do you think colleges would look down upon the fact that I don't do any school-related EC's, even though I devote all my time to those two things? By the way, I'm a HS sophomore. I get very average grades, mostly Cs, and I'm planning to apply to an art college for photography when the time comes.</p>
<p>I'm an artist myself, and while I've got some other EC's, I've still got it listed as my primary activity. For an art school that would be expected though. If your school really offers nothing of interest I'd see if you can find anything in the community you can get involved with. Or if your school has a newspaper publication I'd talk to them about taking some pictures. You might even be able to get credit for it. I was able to get through the class with political cartoons and it's a good experience for translating your art into something semi commercial.</p>
<p>Art can be very time-consuming and can definitely be an EC on its own. Your dedication can be shown in your art portfolio which you'll send in with your application. Try to get involved with some established club or organization, but make sure it relates to art. If there aren't any offered at your school, it's not the end of the world, but make sure you get that across in the "additional info" part of your application.</p>
<p>Oh oh oh there are also literary magazines at most high schools you can submit things to
Even if your school doesn't have one, mine had the policy of allowing work in from non public schools occasionally, so you might be able to find one in your area that does so as well.</p>
<p>No, you don't have to do school ECs. You just have to show commitment to your areas of interest, some leadership, some organizational ability...It's easier to do all of that in school clubs. But if you have your own photography web site, enter contests, teach art to kids, etc...and can demonstrate those characteristics, no one will care that you weren't a member of the honor society.</p>
<p>If your neighborhood has a skate park, try offering free services there like volunteering with little kids, teaching them how to be safe, etc. That works very well.</p>
<p>beargarden: My school does have a literary magazine, and I submitted about 12 of my best black and whites the other week. A bunch of kids on the staff told me they all loved them and were planning on using at least two.</p>
<p>The county fair here has a photography division, and I believe the newspaper has a photography contest each year. Things like that would be good to enter. Is there anyone else at your school who is interested in art? How about organizing a student art exhibition? Our community has a local art museum which has student exhibits from time to time. Is there something like that available to you? The art museum offers classes for kids during school breaks. Something like that would be a good volunteer activity for you.</p>
<p>Can you enter any BMX races? Also, our community has some sort of bike safety events for kids. They have courses set up with cones for kids to navigate, talk about rules of the road, helmets, etc. I think it is the police department which sponsors it. Check with an elementary school to see if there is anything like that in your community. Volunteering to help out would be a good way to combine your love of biking with community service.</p>
<p>Very nice photography. I like how you capture the contrasts in the sky. The Gettysburg pics are awesome.</p>
<p>In terms of EC's, don't bite off more than you can chew. It helps to do one or two, but after that, each one you add will make the others seem less significant. Pick one, maybe two EC's that you can really enjoy and be involved in.</p>
<p>Schools also like when you found or lead clubs. If it doesn't exist, maybe you could start a photography club?</p>
<p>2 blue and ibtelling: I don't race bmx. I've never raced in my life, and i never will. I mostly do what is called "street riding". Street riding is just about being creative with your surroundings. We do tricks on stuff around town; ledges, curbs, stair sets, handrails. There's not really contests with this kind of riding, but we make videos sometimes. Also, I don't know about teaching safety to little kids, or being involved with the police department in any way. We don't even wear helmets, and the cops hate us and kick us out of every spot in town, so that's not happening.</p>