You’d get into universities that have automatic admission for stats, such as directionals (“Western State U”, the CSUs, PASSHE…), plus probably private colleges outside the top 100. You’d probably get into some flagships, too, but getting into their honors college may be iffy: Pitt’s Honors College weighs SAT score heavily so it’d help, you’d get in with scholarship at UAlabama Honors, but for top-noth Honors programs such as Barrett and Shreyer, it wouldn’t suffice.
UCLA, UCB, Michigan are holistic and do weigh extracurriculars heavily. They don’t want a robot that’ll just go to class. They want someone who’ll participate in their community and bring interesting perspectives to the table during discussions.
An EC doesn’t have to be with your school - it can be anything you do to a level of excellence. It does have to have some external validation (ie., painting -> exhibit or prize; music-> concert, recording…; app-> number of downloads…)
Many publics don’t give a hoot about ECs. However, some of the top ones do.
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How about state colleges such as UCLA, UC-Berkeley, and Michigan?
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A bigger issue might be paying for these schools as an OOS student. Be sure to have parents run the NPCs.
What have you been doing in your spare time? IF you’ve had to have a job to help the family, that counts. What have you been doing? Playing video games???
mom2collegekids thank you for reply!
Does EC have to be during high school year? how about secondary school?
what do you mean - those activities need to be during grades 9 to 12, with emphasis on grades 11 and 12.
secondary school = high school.
if you mean, do things you used to do in 6th, 7th, and 8th “count”, the answer is: only if you continued and improved or at least maintained an exceptional/excellent middle school level.
Do you care about anything?
What do you do besides sleep, eat, attend classes, and study?
BTW, for many state schools, I don’t think your ECs have to be all that spectacular.
First of all, I am international student studying in the U.S. high school. I just came here about two years ago. When I I first came here, I just knew basic English, such as saying “Hi or My name is …”. At that time, even talking with friends and teachers were “studying” to me. I have studied very hard in order to “survive” in the studying in the United States, because, as far as you know, my English ability was very low… Eventually, with a lot of effort and studying very hard, I have been able to maintain 4.0 GPA.
However, since i am international student with student visa, I am not allowed to work in the U.S. and some types of “extracurricular activities” is not allowed to do. I am not the person who is crazy with testing. I just like learning new things and enjoying extracurricular activities, as I did when I was in my country. What kinds of extracurricular activities should I do or can I do?
What extracurricular activities did you enjoy in your own country?
Most international students join clubs at their high schools in order to practice their English (yes, you’re right, it’s “work” too - but practicing baseball, joining the SADD club, or even getting involved in theater, all create more opprotunities to practice English and make friends, which is why I’m surprised you didn’t do that on your own, or weren’t advised to do that). The 4.0 is impressive for someone whose first language isn’t English.
What grade are you in?
There is no “kind” of extracurricular for you “to do”. You need to find something you are passionate about, and do something about it, then become as excellent as you can in it.
Taking an example above: you join the SADD club, get involved in projects, suggest to create a new program with a faculty adviser, your project is voted on and chosen, you present it to the principal with your faculty adviser, it gets the club involved with sophomore driving lessons’ curriculum, you design a survey for students to take before they start your program, during the driving lessons and after the driving lessons, create a synthesis of your findings, and write up an article about them in the campus paper, then use them to improve the anti-drinking message in your school.
See what I mean? It’s not about joining, at least not for Top50 schools. It’s how much of an impact you have.
For most State Flagships (outside UNC-CH, UVA, Michigan, UCB, UCLA, UCSD) the level of involvement expected is less important.
The first step would be to check out every club in your high school and find a couple you like.
Thank you for reply Purple Titan.
When I was in my country, I used to work, travel many countries, do volunteer works, help my father’s work, practice martial arts, and join math contest and science community.
Thank you for reply MYOS1634.
I am junior and our school has very few clubs (less than four) because our school is small.(I like my school very much though!)
I have joined chess club.( I do enjoy chess! one of my best games)
There is also basketball team but i am bad at that.(In my country, we barely play basketball not popular in my country) I do martial arts! but no clubs in my school 
I think that this student’s stats (if real, not hypothetical) would gain admission to almost every public university in the country. Most public universities do not even accept letters of recommendation, which often address the student’s involvement in their school and community. Large, public universities are overwhelmingly driven by numbers, and perfect stats will prevail. The student would need a more compelling personal narrative, involving familial responsibilities, for example, to explain why he or she did nothing outside of homework and test prep for four years. Colleges might be more forgiving toward an international student, especially when English was not a native language. They undoubtedly recognize that there might be other cultural barriers, depending on background, to involvement in extracurricular activities. This is where a guidance counselor or faculty mentor can play a critical role. If your family is affluent, and you live in a suburban or urban area, there will always be a strong suspicion that you were receiving private tutoring when your peers were playing sports, rehearsing plays, practicing music, preparing speeches for debates, etc. If that’s the case, then that was a choice you made. If it’s not the case, then you and your adviser should figure out how to explain your absence from activities. If you can, you should look into volunteering opportunities within your community, or simply try to join something at school that appeals to you. Audition for a play, sign up for yearbook staff, join a robotics team . . . The most selective colleges can pick and choose among highly-qualified candidates. They want people who can bring something special to their campuses. You are obviously very bright and motivated. You need to let them know that your presence will contribute.
Do you go to a martial arts club? You have progressive belts? Do you teach martial arts too? That IS an EC.
Martial arts are an EC, especially if you have “belts” or reached certain levels.
Chess: are you good at it?
Can you found a club at your school? It could be a book club, for instance.
At least I enjoy chess! I think not bad at chess but not that “superb.”
I already searched what clubs are in my school, but these are what I could only find.
Unfortunately, I do not live with my parent in the United States (they stay in my country. I am “international student.” I believe u understand what situation i am in…)
Yes, but even if you live with relatives or other people, you are allowed to found a club. I suggested book club because it’s relatively cheap to do: everyone borrows or buys the same book, you meet every week to discuss it. No need to expensive material, trips, etc. Students who can’t afford to buy the books borrow them from school or the town library. Your job is to reserve these at town & school library for your book club, get faculty approval on the book choices, reserve a space (in the school library, a classroom after class time) , assign chapters per week, prepare questions, and lead the discussion, plus making the first posters to advertise the club and the first book (which should be a pretty popular book that appeals to both boys and girls). A book club can be done with very little material, time, and money.
It’s good you enjoy chess, but for colleges, “I play chess and I like it” won’t be enough - you need to compete and be good at it. Enjoying it of course is more important for your life, but colleges will want more.
Everything you’ve done should go on a “brag sheet” where you list your accomplishments: learning English in a year, getting such test scores without prep and with English a 2nd language, your belts in Taek won Do, being a Tai Chi leader, working in a supermarket 20hours a week to help your family, etc.
If you have to go home after school for cultural or safety or work-related reasons, you’d need your guidance counselor to write about it in his/her recommendation. This would also go on your “brag sheet”. And if she knows you didn’t get private prep or coaching, she would also state it (and you should put it on your brag sheet).
Frankly, since you got a 2400 and have no ECs, most colleges will think you devoted all your free time to cram school, Kumon, prep school, test coaching, etc. Only if your guidance counselor can certify it’s not the case will that suspicion be lifted. So, provide the information to your guidance counselor.
What state do you live in?
Also, if you are saying you’re undocumented, there are some laws depending on the state, plus Pomona College considers students who graduated from an American high school regardless of legal status. But for Pomona (an elite university in California) you’d need some ECs. AND you may qualify for Questbridge, a program that prepares lower-income/first generation students to elite universities in the US - and through Questbridge, undocumented students at select colleges are considered like American students for the purpose of financial aid.
Well, no school will expect you to have activities that you cannot possibly have done! Your visa is restrictive and being away from your family is a hindrance that any adcom will understand.
I do NOT think that joining clubs at your high school will make a heck of a difference. Adcoms will review your application in its correct context, and your job will be to make your journey interesting and perhaps inspiring.
Here is something you can do: write about your experience in the US and share it will people at home. You could score many points by showing that you took the initiative to write about it in order to inspire others to follow your footsteps. Present it as a guide to “How I changed my life in the US as a foreign student” Mix emotional and technical content. Freely admit that you did not find it easy to do the “American” high school student thing. Sports, except what you knew, does not come easy.
Turn yourself into a charming student with a nice story to tell, and you can safely forget about the resume fillers most everybody has to rely on to cover an usual average image. Your story is special and build on it!
@woogzmama, the top publics definitely care about your essays.
In any case, to the OP: can you practice martial arts outside of school? Is there a martial arts school anywhere near you? Exploring the philosophical thinking behind the martial arts would be a neat area to immerse yourself in to that you can talk about in your essays.
What volunteer work did you do in your home country?
BTW, you can also start clubs at your school. Take the initiative!
I’m sorry if anything in my post suggested that an applicant’s essays would not matter. I did indicate that letters of recommendation are not even accepted at many large, public universities. Those letters often wax rhapsodic over all that a student has contributed at his or her school. Colleges that don’t look at LORs will not compare them. Extracurricular activities can be conspicuous in their absence, when a student leaves an entire section blank on an application. A very high-performing student with no activities whatsoever will raise questions at the colleges that will not automatically jump at the statistics. With no cultural or familial context, non-involvement hints at social maladaptation or, in affluent communities, non-stop after-school tutoring.
I don’t know whether it would be either interesting or practical for this OP, but I wanted to make a general suggestion. I’ve observed that some “techie” kids enjoy getting involved with stage crew projects in school or community theater. They can work on set design & construction, lighting, sound, stage management, etc., while having an opportunity to mingle with peers they might not get to know otherwise. It can also show some versatility and dimension on an application.
ECs help adcoms see how you operate. Or not. Your awareness and judgment. That includes whether you can see opportunities where they are and pursue them- not just say they don’t exist.
Why aren’t you doing community service now?
No you can’t just paint at home and call it a “passion” and impress a highly selective college. (Adcoms don’t sit around just looking for passion- it’s a few more buzzwords than that.) And no, you don’t need some award. But what you do has to reflect more than just occupying yourself. And founding a club only works if its productive in some way.
Tech Crew is super for techie kids.
Btw, plenty of intl kids come here to finish hs or do a post-secondary year- on restrictive visas. And they find ways to engage and contribute. Volunteer, play some local sport, get into the city chess league, if there is one, etc. Get involved with a church or your cultural group, if there is one within reasonable distance. Even if you are in some rural area, there are ways.