Pathetic Extracurriculars = Rejection?

Applying to College
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<p>Soo basically I haven't been in any school clubs for my entire high school career (rising senior). Here's all I've got to my name:</p>

<p>High School Soccer all 4 years (Varsity freshman, junior, undoubtedly senior year)
Competitive club soccer all 4 years (undefeated in the district, if that counts for anything)
AYSO Tournament Soccer Team <a href="2008">Captain</a>
Tennis 2 years (JV freshman, sophomore years, will tryout senior year)
3rd place champion in Junior Team Tennis Tournament July 2009</p>

<p>Invited to National Honor Society, didn't make the cut
American Heritage Girls, achieved various awards (2009 - 2010)</p>

<p>Volunteered at local community center, tutoring lower-income children after school (Jan - June 2011)
Volunteered at Turtle Patrol (2008 - 2010)
Volunteered at High School Soccer concession stand EVERY game possible (2008 - 2011)
Volunteered through Children's Musical Theater performing for the elderly at nursing homes</p>

<p>Founded Shakespearean Drama Club with older brother for our homeschool group (2009 - 2011)
Founded Teen Writing Club at my local library (2010 - 2011)
Participated in multiple plays and performances, both self-produced and at a professional academy
Submitted writing to magazines (waiting on decision!)</p>

<p>I've been homeschooled my entire life, up until junior year, hence the lack of clubs (I was allowed to try out for public school teams and made them). Here are my test scores:</p>

<h2>SAT: 2030 (CR: 760, M: 530, W:740)</h2>

<p>AP U.S. History - 5 (Self-studied)
AP Euro - 5 (Self-studied)
AP Eng/Comp - 4
AP U.S. Gov - 4</p>

<h2>AP Macro - 3</h2>

<p>SAT Lit: 700
SAT World: 710
SAT U.S.: 760</p>

<p>GPA: 3.9 Unweighted, 4.3 Weighted</p>

<p>Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income bracket: Less than $30,000/yr</p>

<p>So with those pitiful extracurriculars, have I got a shot at any Ivy League? I will be retaking the SAT for a higher math score, as well as the SAT Subject Tests and the ACT. My senior class schedule is all APs save two electives. Could I maybe play up on the homeschooled/low-income status? I've taught myself nearly all my subjects, although I know allot of kids teach themselves AP courses. Also, my English teacher at high school thinks very highly of me, will be writing my recommendation letter, and graduated with a master's from Columbia.</p>

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<p>Your ECs are fine. Be worried about SAT scores.</p>

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<p>Try increasing your SAT score and applying for questbridge. That could help. Do you think you might be recruited for soccer?</p>

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<p>^ I doubt it. I’m a good player, but I’m nothing fantastic. Do you think a 32+ ACT would be good enough? I’ve been practicing and it’s way easier than the SAT Math, for whatever reason.</p>

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<p>I have no idea what the translation of a 32 ACT score would be compared to SAT. But if you find the ACT more comfortable, you should try taking it one last time or send in the 32. Seems like a good score, but then again, I never took it.</p>

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<p>A 32 translates to better than 2100. [ACT-SAT</a> Concordance](<a href=“http://www.act.org/aap/concordance/]ACT-SAT”>The ACT Test for Students | ACT)</p>

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<p>is a 30 better than a 1990?</p>

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<p>jojo, use the link Erin’s Dad posted and see for yourself.</p>

<p>swebber, I don’t think you have an EC problem, either.</p>

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<p>But do universities like Stanford prefer SAT scores over ACT scores?</p>

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<p>They all say they have no preference for one standardized test over the other. I have never seen any reason to doubt that.</p>

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<p>But surely my ECs aren’t really “great”? I mean, I haven’t been president of anything or valedictorian, and my volunteer record is kind of sub-par. If my ECs are adequate, are they any where near Ivy League level? Or should I do more?</p>

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<p>Your ECs aren’t what I’d call stellar, but as long as you can write a compelling essay and bring your ECs to life in the short essay on them (or write your main essay on them, too - that’s always an excellent topic), they’ll be relatively competitive.</p>

<p>My biggest concern for your competitiveness for the Ivy League is your SAT Math score. It’s simply not up to scratch. Ideally, it should be over 700.</p>

<p>I’d recommend either improving that or taking the ACT. A 32 composite is sufficient for the Ivies.</p>

<p>Ultimately, though, I think the Ivies are a long reach for you in today’s admissions climate.</p>

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<p>@ RedSeven - Thanks for the thorough answer :)</p>

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<p>Reluctantly, I agree that while you’re a good college applicant with a lot going for you, most successful applicants to Ivies have a lot more going for them. (For what it’s worth, which isn’t much, they also have a lot more going for them than I had 30 years ago.)</p>

<p>I also agree that your greatest area of relative weakness is your SAT and not your ECs. If you think you can score 32 or more on ACT, go do that, and a lot of very good colleges will take an interest in you.</p>

<p>Sent from my DROIDX using CC App</p>