Rating my ECs + Awards For Top Schools

[pv9812]

Hey everyone! I was hoping I could get some critique on my ECs and what not (rating them, seeing if they are competitive for the Ivy League and other top schools, like Stanford, UChicago, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Duke, and Vanderbilt). My main worry was that my ECs are all over the place (some ECs I didn’t mention on the common app, but put them on the LOR sheet for my bio teacher, so it could be even more confusing if my bio teacher wrote about them a bit). Another worry of mine is the # of hours and weeks I put down for each activity (it may seem low). Yes, I already submit my applications, but I wanna come back here with my results. Please let me know if you find any red flags.

I am also a philosophy major.

Here are my awards:

1. Octofinalist (Top 15%) in the National Catholic Forensic League Tournament in Oral Interpretation (Grade 11)
2. #1 Ranked in State’s Speech and Debate League for Prose Reading from 2020-2021 (Grade 11)
3. Speech and Debate League, State Champion in Play Reading (Grade 10)
4. Speech and Debate League, State Champion in Multiple Reading (Grade 9)
5. Composed and released lo-fi album on Spotify with 600+ streams across seven songs (Grade 10) (this I put down for fun because it was a really fun project of mine!)

Extracurriculars (descriptions from my application):

1. Chair of the High School Committee of an Undergraduate Institution’s Philosophy Group (Grades 11-12)

• Managed a team of 25 undergraduate and high school students to direct an
  international philosophy conference with 100+ attendees from over 50 schools.
• 4hr/week, 20wk/yr

2. Director of a Student-Run Philosophy Initiative (Grades 11-12)

• Taught introductory philosophy to 40+ students in Haryana. Created videos for a
  learning management system with 80+ schools in India.
• 5 hr/wk, 35 wk/yr

3. Youth Eco Defender for a Local Climate Emergency Group (Grades 11-12)

• Presented citizens petition Article 34, regarding the legislative support for a town
  declaration of a climate emergency, to 200+ town meeting members.
• 3 hr/wk, 20 wk/yr

4. Lead Student Volunteer, Religious Group: Soup Kitchens Project (Grades 9-10, and 12)

• Prepared 108 sandwiches bags and 90+ meals for a local homeless shelter per
  month. Led team of students to serve meals at the Mustard Seed shelter.
• 5 hr/wk, 18 wk/yr

5. President of School’s Political Action Group (Grades 9-12)

• Facilitated meetings on political philosophy and policy. Arranged a webinar with
  a local university’s professor on activism during COVID-19.
• 2 hr/wk, 30 wk/yr

6. Assistant to the Founder of a Harvard Innovation Labs Venture (Grade 12)

• Assistant to Founder. Using prior knowledge from making
  introductory philosophy videos to aid in the production of research videos.
• 2 hr/wk, 25 wk/yr

7. Lead Harmonium Player at Religious Center (Grades 9-12)

• Organized music programs for center-wide events with 50+ members. Taught
  harmonium to younger students.
• 2 hr/wk, 20 wk/yr

8. Student Researcher at Psychology Lab at Local University (Grade 12)

• Proposed a study on the perception of 3D printed foods. Earned Human
  Subjects in Undergraduate Student Projects course certification.
• 2 hr/wk, 10 wk/yr

9. Mentee (Grade 12)

• Writing a paper on the Haidbauer incident and Wittgenstein’s later philosophy
  under the guidance of local university’s (T35 LAC) philosophy professor.
• 2 hr/wk, 10 wk/yr

10. Member of Speech and Debate Team (Grades 9-12)

• Mentored novice students in Dramatic Performance and Prose Reading.
  Competed at state and national tournaments.
• 3 hr/wk, 25 wk/yr

Thank you!!!

[DadTwoGirls]

Admissions at top universities is very difficult to predict. Your ECs have approximately zero overlap with my ECs (from decades ago).

Given that, I like your ECs quite a bit. To me it looks like you have done exactly what you want to do, done it very well, and excelled at whatever you did. I think that this is the right approach. Also, if you read the blog on the MIT web site “applying sideways” it also recommends the same approach (and I think that this also applies to other top schools other than just MIT).

[Novacat9191]

I think your CV is a great example of what “good” looks like for ECs. It shows you have a passion for your intended major and you’ve woven that into your EC and volunteer work.

If I had one criticism, I would say it is very academic focused. And doesn’t tell me anything about what you like to do for fun. Schools are looking for potential students that are going to be active members of the school community. What activities are tied directly to your high school? Speech and Debate team? Political action group?

[AustenNut]

I agree with @DadTwoGirls. I think your ECs will definitely keep you competitive with the highly-selective universities. There’s a variety of interests (speech/debate, philosophy, community service, music) with noted accomplishments and awards in them. Admission to the Ivy League and all other highly selective universities is unlikely for everyone, since far more qualified individuals apply every year than there are spots available. But I would not be surprised to see admitted students with an EC resume like this one.

[pv9812]

@AustenNut @Novacat9191 @DadTwoGirls thank you all so much! I was pretty confident about my ec’s and what not but after the early round, it shot me down a bit. But, c’est la vie! Only hoping for better from here on out. I did get into UMass, UVM and UConn (both without honors which was a real bummer), and Pitt. Rejected Yale REA (kinda expected, but was hoping for a deferral at least), and Deferred Bowdoin ED2.

[AustenNut]

You’ve been accepted to some great colleges, so congratulations on those acceptances! Did U. Mass and Pitt offer entrance to honors?

[pv9812]

UMass did, Pitt I do not know yet.

[Novacat9191]

@pv9812 - Congrats on Pitt, they have a great Philosophy program! Where else did you apply?