<p>What are some impressive ECs a Political Science major can do?
Something very unique, original, creative</p>
<p>besides working with a campaign</p>
<p>Huge awards; research published in a polisci journal; books published; founding clubs; etc. There’s a list somewhere of extremely impressive EC’s, but I forgot where I saw it.</p>
<p>***Remember, SPECIFICALLY for a Political Science major</p>
<p>Well you are not a political science major, you are a hs student. Students are looked at more broadly than that. Likely you aren’t going to be accepted as a poly sci major, you are going to be accepted as an Arts & Letters major. Students are known to change majors. So anything you do that is involved, or shows talent and accomplishment is good.</p>
<p>Yeah, of course. I’m just trying to think what is one other activity/thing I can take up/invest myself in to show adcoms how dedicated I am to this particular field. I’m already involved/holding a couple of positions in JSA (junior statesmen of american) in both my region and my school chapter, and I’m the pres/founder of the school’s first feminism club. It’s just I’m really trying to find something I’ll enjoy that will really really impress them and convince them that I will be very successful at their school.</p>
<p>"It’s just I’m really trying to find something I’ll enjoy that will really really impress them and convince them that I will be very successful at their school. "</p>
<p>A very high GPA with a rigorous transcript and superior SAT/ACT scores. Not your ability to join political clubs or activities. </p>
<p>Like Brownparent said: you’re NOT applying to be a PoliSci graduate, you’re applying as in incoming freshman with a 70% likelihood of switching majors.</p>
<p>As a high school student, any EC taken to a high level of achievement or recognition (as in state or national level award or achievement) should be more distinctive than the usual school or local level ECs, for the colleges that care about ECs. And the colleges that care the most about ECs are the ones where ECs are used to distinguish between numerous applicants with top-end high school academic records and test scores (and college courses taken in high school if available to you). I.e. don’t let your pursuit of ECs cause your academic credentials to drop.</p>
<p>As far as specific ECs go, the one that is often the biggest bump, for a high level of achievement or recognition, is to be an athlete in a sport that the college is recruiting for.</p>
<p>Debate or Forensics would complement that field. It may not be the unique thing, you will have to think of that yourself, but seems to be quite valuable on the resume, not to mention the very real skills you will aquire:
[Accidental</a> Hero . College Admission | PBS](<a href=“http://www.pbs.org/accidentalhero/parents/college.html]Accidental”>Accidental Hero . College Admission | PBS)</p>
<p>Sometimes unique things come from doing ordinary things and being so good or dedicated that opportunities present themselves along the way.</p>
<p>My daughter had a really unique thing, really in depth. But it started from something every kid at her school was required to do freshman year, and a resource available to each one of them. She just did more and took it farther and ended up with all kinds of experience, research and publications from it.</p>
<p>Read How to be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport. Good strategy for stand-out ECs.</p>
<p>Embrace a change in your community and make it happen using the political process. It could be as simple as getting a traffic signal installed in a dangerous intersection. Turn a vacant lot into a playground. Find something that needs to be done, write a law, lobby politicians, testify before city council/state legislature, engage with lobbyists, hold press conferences, use social media.</p>
<p>You can do this on the school level, too. Find a way to improve your school (start a composting program; change to a block schedule) and work within the system to make that change happen.</p>
<p>You could also run for office. Or get appointed to a board (many communities have student reps on school boards, for example).</p>
<p>In some communities there is a student position open on the school board. If this doesn’t exist in your community, perhaps you could engage in some activism to try to create such a position – and then fill it yourself! </p>
<p>Also, why don’t you get involved in voter registration drives – perhaps the League of Women Voters; or that organization that MTV sponsors to get high school students interested in voting. </p>
<p>Our local newspaper also has a number of student reporters – perhaps you could convince your local newspaper to let you have a column where you would write editorials about issues of interest in your community or nationally.</p>
<p>For extraordinary ECs, you need to make things happen that don’t ordinarily happen for a HS student and to get involved outside the classroom. </p>
<p>One option is to find a local non-profit working in some area that it as least tangentially related to your interests. Approach the board, take people for coffee, explain your interests, drive and determination and ask to be an honorary, ex-officio or teen board member. Work to prove yourself in their organization. Participate, ask questions, be helpful, come up with ideas. Use your contacts to find a summer position doing research or taking on a big project. If your research is publishable, get it published. If it is both publishable and interesting to others, and if you have developed your public speaking skills, apply to speak about it or to present a poster at conventions. </p>
<p>And, while doing all that, definitely debate or do MUN. Regardless of whether you win, the speaking experiences are invaluable.</p>
<p>My son became a committeeman for our county. That’s along the lines of the advice given in posts 11 and 12. Hint: think outside your school to the broader community.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that out of the 3,000 or so 4-year colleges in the US EC’s are important for admission at only a small fraction. Perhaps the most selective 100 or so. You can see what factors matter in admission at schools you are considering by looking at their Common Data Set filings. Most students worry needlessly about EC’s when they’ll play only a small factor or not even be considered!</p>
<p>The question about impressive EC’s comes up regularly on the forum. There is a thread with several posts by Northstarmom, a Ivy alum interviewer, about what constitutes impressive ECs from the point of view of the most selective colleges. The post is at <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html</a></p>
<p>As you will see from that link, at the most selective colleges they are looking for depth more than just participation. Stanford, for example, says
</p>
<p>2 very interesting articles about ECs that stand out and how to get them (by the aforementioned Cal Newport) are at [How</a> to Be Impressive](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-art-of-activity-innovation-how-to-be-impressive-without-an-impressive-amount-of-work/]How”>The Art of Activity Innovation: How to Be Impressive Without an Impressive Amount of Work - Cal Newport) and [Save</a> This Grind?](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/09/12/case-study-how-could-we-save-this-ridiculously-overloaded-grind/]Save”>Case Study: How Could We Save This Ridiculously Overloaded Grind? - Cal Newport) I don’t buy into his underlying explanation of why they are impressive, but take a look at these 2 articles and I think you’ll get some original ideas.</p>