<p>I would really like to start two clubs next year. I know it is late and may look like padding on my application, but I have only recently developed these interests and I am extremely passionate about the clubs I want to start. Will colleges that care about personal qualities/talent like this? I will try to express to the best of my ability through the rest or my app and interviews that this is not just padding.
Also, would it be fine to email people in admissions offices questions like these?</p>
<p>One last thing (and sorry if this is ridiculous). Could being in a particular Young ______ (political party) hurt ones chances if an admissions officer is against that persons political views?</p>
<p>Would you like to start these clubs for the sake of starting these clubs, or would you like to start these clubs for the sake of looking good to colleges? The first is probably worthwhile, and the second, probably less so. Not that it’s bad to start a club in your school, not that it hurts your application. It’s just that it’s probably not quite as much of a boost as you might think. Think of it this way: haven’t you heard a lot of people on College Confidential talking about starting clubs at school? I have. So, really, how much can it make you stand apart from the crowd to do something that a fair number of people do?</p>
<p>As for your final question, you mean something like Young Republicans or Young Democrats? Fine. Admissions officers aren’t trying to build a network of their own friends; they’re trying to build a dynamic, interesting freshman class. On the other hand, if you’re talking about something along the lines of Young Anarcho-Syndicalists, that might be more of an issue.</p>
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On the other hand, if you’re talking about something along the lines of Young Anarcho-Syndicalists, that might be more of an issue.
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<p>hahahahah yeah I’m talking along the lines of Young Republicans/Democrats. </p>
<p>Obviously I would like to look good to colleges, but this is mostly out of the wanting to start clubs that I am very interested in and that could hopefully live on after I graduate.</p>
<p>No, YR/YD won’t hurt you. Several adcoms will read your app and they care less about your political affiliation than whether you actually accomplished something of substance. This means: if you form a new club, you better have legit, pre-existing activities beyond that. It can’t be just that you did a few measly things, then started a club, even if it’s your passion. If your ECs are lagging right now, go out and do some legit vol work this summer, something that’s not just about hanging with friends. If you are into politics, go vol on a campaign and acquire the most responsibilities you can. That will show more of your passion and sense of purpose than the hs club.</p>
<p>I’m sorry but let me share a more cynical perspective. Why do these two causes merit another club founding? If I interviewed you, I’d ask: What other orgs existed before your “aha” moment and why were they so deficient?</p>
<p>Unless you had a really really good answer, I’d assume you were just resume padding.</p>
<p>This “club founder” routine? LIke Sikorsky said: it’s been done ad nauseum.</p>
<p>Right. There are exceptions, but at this point, you don’t have time to develop a new club into something meaningful, something more than a few kids getting together. Your focus should be on how you personally move forward into activities relevant to your future, outside the hs comfort zone.</p>
<p>Since you brought up padding: I might think just forming a new club or two was limited vision, which can be worse.</p>
<p>well one of the clubs I want to start is a NACLO (North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad) club to participate in the competition next year, as linguistics is something I plan on pursuing in my future</p>
<p>Two clubs may be ambitious and risks looking like a desperate attempt to appeal to colleges. One would be ok, see if you can reach some measurable goals to convey its legitimacy.</p>