Hello, everybody. If you see this and have any advice or insight at all that would guide me, PLEASE respond below. I am currently a 2nd year student at Pasadena City College, a community college located in Southern California. My grades are great; I have a 3.9 GPA thus far. BUT the thing that I THINK is holding me back are my extra-curriculars because they are not so strong. II mean, I took on minor roles for clubs before, like public relations and fundraising coordinator. But I don’t have these uber strong leadership positions, like either president or vice president. I planned on staying for a third year to do something about my extra-curriculars. I am currently running for a vice presidency spot for the student government and the president spot of my school’s honors society. The problem is that this year there is A LOT of competition for these spots. I’m trying my hardest to win these spots, but I don’t know if I can. So my question is: Is it bad to stay at a community college for four years just to be more involved on campus? It won’t be for academic reasons, but for extra-curricular reasons. And it is that way for two reasons: 1) I genuinely want these positions before I graduate out of my community college. I want to feel good with the knowledge that I made a difference with my time at school. 2) I need an additional boost for my college apps because I personally don’t think that GPA alone is good enough to get into a school of my choice. I plan on going to NYU but also UC Berkeley, by the way. Thanks for reading this long paragraph I wrote. Please offer me with whatever insight/ knowledge/ advice that you have. PLEASE. I would GREATLY appreciate it.
You should be fine, as long as you have some things in listed in your EC section with a high GPA someone will admit you. What is your major? Where did you all apply to?
I’m a political science major. I want to get into NYU. But the thing is, I don’t just want to take on these experiences because I need them to get into a good school, but I also genuinely want to do them. And I believe that it will be a lot harder at a 4 year school to actually get these experiences. I mean get elected into student government.
Do you have a job?
That is a major EC!!!
Im still waiting for Berkeley decisions but maybe I can help out a bit… I’m part of Berkeley TAP at my CC so I had an awesome advisor help me out a lot. During my app process she mentioned that leadership is important but that Berkeley also wanted to see what I could bring to their campus and thought that volunteering in my community was something I should look into. If you haven’t done so, it might be something you might want to do. Leadership isn’t necessarily something that has to be done at school it can be at work or volunteering. I personally haven’t done a lot of EC’s but I do have a leadership role on campus and as my advisor suggested, I started volunteering and turned that into a leadership role as well… You seem to be active on campus and so I think that’s a definite plus… And it’s something you can put on your app.
@“aunt bea” I don’t have a job. I have always wanted to take on a position with the student government ever since I entered the school, but the timing was always off. I don’t just want it for college apps but also because I genuinely want the experience. So I’m asking if I don’t get it this time around, is it a good idea to stay for a fourth year? Would it affect my chances of transferring and then going grad school. I don’t know; I mean maybe I can win this time around, but I’m also running against a girl who is popular and has experience on the student government board already.
Personally I think it would not be a good idea at all. I wouldn’t have even recommended the 3rd year. I agree about going the community service route, especially if these elected positions don’t work out. You are far too dismissive of the “minor” roles you mentioned --you can highlight them by giving more details about what you did in those roles. And if you don’t get one of the “top” roles this year, volunteer for another less popular role. You usually have to list the number of hours you spend on an activity, so spending many hours will also show your dedication. You don’t have to be in a “top position” to exhibit leadership qualities.
@choirsandstages But the thing is that I want these positions for the sake of having the experience. Yes, getting into the school of my choice is important and having these positions will definitely help me out. But I still want the experience. I guess I can try out for Student government at my new school if it doesn’t work out this ejection cycle, but running at the new school would be a lot harder.
*election
“the thing that I THINK is holding me back are my extra-curriculars because they are not so strong”
Minor positions in clubs are fine. You’d probably get into Berkeley with no ECs as a PoliSci major with a 3.9. As for NYU, I dunno. One leadership position won’t make a huge difference, though.
“Is it bad to stay at a community college for four years just to be more involved on campus?”
Why would you want to? Leadership positions don’t necessarily have to be in things like student government. Moreover, solid internships would look infinitely better than being the president of student government in CC. Just saying.
I think it’s really not worth spending 4 years in CC just to hold leadership positions… Are you missing requirements, or will everything already be done by the end of this Spring?
@goldencub I’m not missing requirements. But NYU has been my dream school, and I know I need to do more to get in.
Do you plan to go to law/grad school?
@goldencub yes, i want to go to law school.
Coming from my perspective (late thirties), your plan seems quite short-sighted. I would never recommend spending more time in school than you have to. Asking if one should spend an extra two years at CC is roughly equivalent to asking if one should spend an extra 2 years in high school. If you’re done with the courses you need, then you’re done at CC. Apply to the schools you want to and let the chips fall where they may. There is no guarantee of getting in anywhere, and your life will not be defined singularly by where you got your degree.
Law schools don’t care about ECs much at all (except Stanford and Yale). If anything, 4 years in CC will probably be a red flag.
If anything, 4 years in CC will probably be a red flag.
B-)
ECs aren’t limited to what you do at your CC. You should look around your community and find something, if you’re really worried about having too little. 4 years at a community college strictly for the purpose of inflating your ECs is a very bad idea.
Staying at CC for the sake of more ECs is a terrible idea, even more so when we’re talking about a fourth year.