Planning ECs for Junior Year - are 100hr weeks normal?

I’m planning out my schedule for the fall and I’m feeling very conflicted about what extracurriculars to do. I love everything I’m doing but I’m concerned I’m not going to last.

Currently, I am doing the following:
-skating (competitive, 10-18hrs/wk)
-team skating (3hr/wk)
-mock trial (10+hr/wk)
-Japanese school (4hr/wk)
-personal website on sports medicine(3-5hr/wk)
-self-started volunteer program (3-5hr/wk)
-misc volunteering (1hr/wk)
-research position (???)
-SAT/two SAT-II tests/TOEFL prep (5hr/wk)
-Scholarship applications/college prep (3hr/wk)

This is 35hr/wk EC + 32.5hr/wk school + 12hr/wk HW + 5hr/wk test prep + 3hr/wk scholarship/school = 87.5hr/wk at the minimum (potentially 98hr/wk). I would be working nonstop for 12-14hr a day, excluding transportation time, eating, personal hygiene, etc.

When considering my theme, I think mock trial is the best extracurricular to cut because it’s least relevant to my theme, I like it the least (still love it, just not as much as others), and it’s very time-intensive.

I’ve poured my heart and soul into it the last two years, even running for captain (and failing). If I get elected captain next year (which I have a chance at), my workload will increase to ~15hr/wk.

If I quit now, I’m worried I’ll let my team down and leave a bad impression as someone who was only in it for college (which I wasn’t). I’m worried I’ll also regret giving up this opportunity with something I love.

What should I do? Should I try to continue mock trial anyway?

I would greatly appreciate any advice, feel free to be brutally honest!

TOO much. Even if you somehow find enough time in your day or enough time in the week, you’re not gonna like it. You want to have free time to watch Netflix, hang out with friends, etc. No college is going to reject you because you didn’t spend 100 hours a week doing stuff. And if you’re spending this much time running around and being busy, I’d bet money that you’re going to end up hating a lot of it also.

Do what you LOVE. High school isn’t about building a resume–it’s about exploring yourself and your passions. I wish I spent more time in high school exploring what I was interested in and doing things just because they are fun. And that’s what you should do too.

It’s great to have to be really committed to your team, but other’s perception of you should NEVER be your reason to keep doing something you don’t want to keep up. Chances are you won’t be seeing these people after high school, and chances are they won’t feel “let down” if you make the decision that is best for yourself.

There’s some things you can combine. Like you have your own volunteer program and then miscellaneous volunteering. Focus on your own program, and volunteer for other things while you can. It just looks like building a resume. I feel the same about the research position. It looks like you just want to do research because it looks “good,” but you have no clue where or for what.

Consider these things:

  1. What do you want to study in college? Which extracurriculars fit in the most with that?
  2. Which will be the least stressful and/or the most fulfilling?
  3. What do you love to do?

You would be getting less than 6 hours of sleep per day on average every week. Coming from someone who used to have to deal with 50+ hours of work a week outside of school, do NOT do this. You will wear yourself thin and end up developing the mentality that your whole purpose when you wake up is just to get through the day. I ended up cutting out what I didn’t truly enjoy doing, and I focused a lot on trying to improve myself in the activities that I did enjoy. Quality of work is so much more important than quantity. Colleges don’t appreciate “resume builders.” They appreciate students who know what they love and who strive for excellence within those areas. Also, remember that school should come first. If you’re taking hard classes and really trying to learn, you’re going to have school work to do at home, which cuts your day down even more. Please do not take on this schedule. Figure out what you enjoy the most and prioritize.

T

I am doing what I love. Every single extracurricular I do is something I’m truly passionate about, which makes the decision even harder.

T

I agree, and it doesn’t make the transition any easier.

T

I am not just building a resume. If I didn’t truly like what I was doing, I wouldn’t do it. The volunteer program connects to my multicultural heritage and is very close to my heart. The other volunteering is for a friend, so I think I’m going to continue it to support her.
The same goes to the research position. I’m interested in pursuing a career in sports medicine, and I got a research position with a professor who is doing research on figure skating (my main passion). This fulfills many of my passions and I’m really excited about doing it. If I wanted to build my resume, I would choose something easier - I wouldn’t subject myself to doing this.

T

  1. Pre-med, specifically preparing for orthopedic surgery/physical therapy → figure skating, sports medicine blog, research position
  2. All of them would be very fulfilling
  3. I love to do everything

Again, I’m not just doing this to build my resume. If I was, I would’ve chosen a much easier route. I’m doing everything because I genuinely enjoy doing it - I’ve done things for the sake of college before and know that this isn’t the case.

I don’t think the SAT/college/scholarship prep needs 8 hours per week every week, if any at all. I never did SAT prep consistently. It’s really only helpful to start studying about 1-2 months in advance because the test is just about how well you know HOW to take the test. Also, college prep/scholarship stuff won’t take 5 hours a week. It takes me around 5 hours per week now, but that’s because I’m heading into senior year, which is when this stuff really matters. I’m not saying to not do any of the things I mentioned, but it certainly doesn’t require that much energy. I applaud you for how proactive you’re being, but you need to work smarter. If you’re starting junior year, even 1-2 hours per week for all of those things combined is enough.

If you were my kid, I’d suggest you consider dropping the sports med web site. You’ve done it, it can go on the app. And you’re not an expert. It’s relatively low value. Then evaluate the vol gig you run. Is it meaningful to the people you serve? or something easy? You could transfer the reins and get as much mileage. (X number of years on the app.)

After that, you have to decide whether you- and your soul- need both competitive skating and team. You’re at a crossroads (it’s clear you see that.) You do have a future to tend to.

It makes sense to keep to keep the work with the prof. That’s experience with an adult in the field. It shows you pursue more than hobby “passions.”

The value in keeping Mock is it expands you, your picture. Contrary to what many think, depending on the college targets, they aren’t looking for kids who only qualify their time choices based on what they like. Or even where they excel. They like balance, the right sorts.

I’m taking the September SAT, September TOEFL (for scholarships), October SAT-II, November SAT-II. If I take one practice test a week, that’s 4hrs of testing minimum excluding any studying.
I’m allocating 3 hours a week for scholarship searches/applications/college research because I’m in a situation where I can’t get much financial aid but need significant merit aid to afford college. I need to start looking for scholarships and schools that offer merit aid ASAP if I want to afford college.

Actually, they do appreciate resume builders who don’t look like people just checking boxes for resume building. I.e. resume building has to “look natural”, i.e. look like they know what they love and strive for and actually achieve excellence within those areas.

Are your practice scores less than what you want? Are you focusing prep specifically on those areas of the tests where it would do the most good for your scores?

Also, if you are taking TOEFL, are you an international student (i.e. not a US citizen or permanent resident)? If so, then be aware that US medical school admission is even less likely than it is for US citizens and permanent residents.

That’s a ridiculous schedule.

Cut the test prep. I’m a test prep tutor. 1., no one needs to do five hours a week to prep for the SAT or ACT, and 2., more and more colleges are test optional. The majority of US colleges are test optional for the coming cycle, and yes, they really mean it. Tests are not that important and many colleges have already said they will be optional for next year too. All these came colleges are not requiring SAT 2’s. Forget those.

I’m glad you enjoy all you do, but if your goal is Elite U or bust, you’re prioritizing the wrong things. Grades are king. Does that mean exclude enjoyable stuff from your life? No. A burnt out, unhappy kid who never sleeps, eats or sees friends doesn’t make for a good applicant.

Why do you need to find a research position? Don’t do that. Almost no college will care that you did “research” in high school. ETA: Not including Science Research Programs or similar.

Delegate some of your volunteer activities to someone else in the volunteer program that you created. If it’s truly a program, it shouldn’t be difficult to do that.

Why are you doing TOEFL prep? You want to teach English too? Seriously, stop finding new ways to keep yourself busy.

Does your website need that much time per week? Do you need to spend so much time at Japanese school or skating? What will happen if you shave off a couple of hours a week somewhere between those things? Agree that maybe mock trial is expendable, but it doesn’t have to be.

TBH, it sounds as though you are trying to fill every space in the activity section of the Common App. That isn’t necessary. It’s ok to be busy, but being busy for,the sake of being busy is counterproductive.

I genuinely enjoy the sports medicine website, and I am planning on continuing this in college. I’m not doing it solely for my application, otherwise I would’ve quit a long time ago. I find this to be high value because I’m exploring my academic and personal passions.

My volunteer program is definitely meaningful. We’re supporting ELL students through bilingual learning and we’ve been receiving good feedback. It definitely isn’t easy, but it’s rewarding, which is why I’m continuing it in the fall. I also have a co-founder and 13 volunteers so I’m all set on that end.

I definitely need both competitive skating and the team. Skating has been my passion since I was 5, and due to personal health struggles, I’ve come close to losing it. I won’t be able to skate in college because I can’t afford it, so I want to make the most of my last years of skating. It is absolutely a nonnegotiable.

Agreed

Colleges don’t want a well-rounded student, they want a well-rounded class. While I don’t think doing mock trial would help or harm my application, I’m more worried about the practicality of it. Since it doesn’t align as well with my academic and personal interests, and it’s a huge time commitment, I’m worried I’ll burn out. I’m also more willing to let it go than my other ECs (but still feel very resistant)

Are you an international student? (I ask because of the TOEFL and because some schools have different standardized test criteria for international/domestic students). If you are international, that may reduce your admissions chances and may affect your eligibility for financial aid at many colleges.

Given that you’re a junior, I would back off on SAT prep. Because test sittings continue to be canceled due to coronavirus, unless you have reasonable certainty that your local test center is functioning and will continue to function during the pandemic, maybe wait on this? I know current seniors who have had the test cancelled 5-6 times in a row and all that prep was essentially wasted.

There are almost no schools in the US right now that are requiring SAT II tests and some won’t even consider them. So you could take that off your list. Or you could prep for these next summer.

Finally, if you are hitting your target on your practice tests, there is little value added in continuing to do them.

Of your ECs, obviously skating is the main one so keep that. It seems like you’re least passionate about MT and it’s a big time commitment so maybe cut that?

A note of advice, one of my kids had a very time consuming EC that occupied 20-30 hours per week nearly year round. There were a few other school-related activities around the edges. Aside from that, it was schoolwork and not much else. It was tiring and sometimes stressful but they loved the activity so it was worth it. They got accepted everywhere and got scholarships at most places. A more balanced life happened in college. You don’t need to be all things to all people. Learning to set limits and to prioritize is a valuable life skill - good for you that you’re addressing this now.

You are going to have to cut something. There are just not enough hours in the day. You need sleep and downtime. It sounds like mock trial is the activity you are least wedded to, so drop that first. You are going to need to cut back on other things but it sounds like you aren’t really ready to let anything else go yet. When school starts and you get overloaded you will come to realize that something else has to go and maybe something will just naturally fall off.

Yes to both. I’m aiming for at least a 1550 on the SAT, 770+ on SAT-II (800 on the one in my language). I really haven’t done much prep for the SAT at all so I need to do more than normally needed.
I am a dual citizen with the US and another country (non-English speaking, won’t disclose for privacy reasons). If I take the TOEFL, I’m eligible for so many scholarships, including full rides.

I haven’t studied much for any of my tests, which is why I need to study more than usually necessary.

My goal is Elite U and significant merit scholarships.

I’m genuinely interested in this research, and it’s a great way to explore my academic interest.

I have. For my website and volunteer program, I’m listing the max time necessary. I’ll likely have weeks where I don’t do that much but others where I will.

See #15.

This is part of my volunteer program. And I’m not doing things just for the sake of being busy.

Yes, yes, and more flexibility with skating. I’m going to try doing mock trial for the pre-season, and if that’s not sustainable, I’ll drop it/reconsider.

I’m not - if I were, I would choose much easier activities than the ones I’m doing.

See #15

I live in an area with low COVID-19 transmission so I think the tests will be happening. I do live in a dense college area though so who knows. Either way, preparing now before junior year gets intense will serve me in the long run.

I’ve already registered so I don’t want to waste my money. I also want to get tests done ASAP so I can focus on college apps next summer.

I’m close for the SAT but nowhere near close for my SAT-II

Time IS money. So yes, you will literally be wasting money. FWIW, colleges aren’t terribly impressed when a student takes an SAT 2 in a language they already speak.

Getting scholarships, if that is what you absolutely need, will require far, far more than just three hours a week. But understand that there are not that many elite colleges which offer scholarships (no Ivy Leagues) and the ones that are offered at the most elite schools are as rare as a unicorn. Your supplements (and interviews, if required) will need to be amazing.

You are a US citizen. Are the TOEFL scholarships you plan to apply for open to US citizens, who by definition speak English? Your English is perfect, so why do you need to study for a TOEFL test? Is there a full ride TOEFL scholarship to an elite university in the US? Or are these scholarships awarded by the other country you are a citizen of? If so, would those scholarship committees know that you are a US Citizen who speaks, reads and writes English fluently?

I am a test prep tutor with a number of students who were due to take the SAT today. Some were notified of cancellations a few days ago. Others were notified yesterday, Friday. We live in a very low COVID area. Test cancellations are at the discretion of the school hosting and being in a low COVID area guarantees nothing.

You do not appear to be interested in the suggestions you’ve been given. Don’t cut anything. Hopefully it will work out and you will be tired but happy.

OP wrote: “Colleges don’t want a well-rounded student, they want a well-rounded class.”

Sorry, you’re wrong. You would benefit from a deep look at what the colleges say and show, not what any Tom or Harry says. Be discerning.

You’ve talked of T20 schools. For heaven’s sake, it’s time to put the right effort in and show the right thinking. Getting in at that level is no simple matter of what you want; if you just want to keep as you are, pick easier colleges to get admitted to.

You’ve got decisions to make, a maturity to show. You can’t keep all the fun stuff of younger years and expect to make the college leap on a high level. Learning this NOW will serve you throughout your life.

Once you better understand what they value and look for, you can strategize.