The only EC’s that I have are a couple of volunteer activities. I couldn’t do any sports or other activities that required frequent participation because I live with a host family and my host mom doesn’t have time to take me places. She has a job and on top of that has tree kids. The only activities I have the ones I did in school or church, so she didn’t have to give me a ride. I don’t want colleges to think that I didn’t do a lot of EC because I was lazy but at the same time I don’t want it to sound like I’m blaming her. What should I do?
Maybe something impersonal like: Due to transportation limitations, I was unable to participate in many ECs.
don’t make excuses. It sounds bad, and, in fact, it is bad. Do you want to tell adcoms you were unable to come up with any leadership activities at school (presumably you were able to go there daily so transportation should not have been a problem)? That you didn’t take part in anything in your local community or, better, create something in the community? Yeah, you faced an obstacle. But the colleges that care about ECs (and most give them little or no weight, BTW) are also looking for kids that find their way around obstacles. Writing an “explanation” that comes down to claiming there was nothing else you could have done is going to hurt, not help.
Do you mean you’re an exchange student? Are you a U.S. citizen living outside the U.S. or the other way around?
@mikemac I go to a small private school, so there’s not a lot of activities at school. I’m in all 3 clubs that my school has, and I do volunteer work online (I have over 200 hours) . What I meat by no EC’s are mostly sports and researches. I made the tennis team and had a research opportunity at a college but my host mom said that she would have to charge me an extra $500 a month for each activity. Being an exchange student is already expensive enough. My family can’t afford another $1000 a month or afford to give me a car. You don’t have to be so harsh.
@halcyonheather I’m an international student and go to high school in America.
If you’re in three clubs and made the tennis team, and over 200 hours of volunteering, that’s still a lot of ECs. I think you’re fine.
So what you’re saying here is you had a golden opportunity to start something, given the paucity of activities. And you even could have looked around at larger schools, seen what they offered and picked something you liked and brought it to your school instead of having to invent something from scratch. But you didn’t.
In your post http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1846638-high-test-scores-ok-gpa-no-ecs.html you talk about applying to MIT, Cornell, Penn. What do schools like that look for? Not what you might be hearing in the lunchroom about ECs, kids that play this sport and take part in that activity and belong to those clubs. As Stanford says in its FAQ
Had you picked one thing you cared about and brought it to your “small private school” you would have been doing exactly what they look for. You would have had to navigate the administration to get it approved, found a faculty sponsor, recruited fellow students to join, perhaps raised some money. In other words shown initiative and leadership. Joining a couple of clubs, making the team; all laudable and I hope they were rewarding to you, but not exactly what the most selective colleges in this country are looking for.
Write your letter if you must, it’s your choice, but IMHO it will just serve to underscore the difference between you and those type of kids. And nobody likes to hear excuses.
Rather than writing excuses, write about the different experience you had living with a host family. What are some of the things you learned while living with them? It is a rather unique experience that may help you. No one likes to hear excuses.
For ECs, quality matters a heckuva lot more than quantity. Just write expansively about the passion u have for the ECs that u do. Don’t EVER apologize in your application. It always looks bad…
The smartest thing to do is use what you have. You may not think you have ECs, but you probably do. Hobbies? Sports? Recreational activities? Use those to your advantage–show how they have cultivated you, define you and complement your strengths.
@Woandering mentioned talking about your host family. That’s a GREAT idea. Literally, you have a unique experience on which you can relate a multitude of topics about character and life lessons.
As an international student living in the US with a host family, you are already doing something unique as an EC. US students who do high school abroad while living with a host family do not get ‘downgraded’ by colleges because they didn’t start a club or do research at their foreign high school. College admin knows perfectly well that isn’t a realistic expectation for a student living abroad with no family support. So 200 hrs of volunteer work and some school clubs is impressive under the circumstances. It won’t get you into MIT - but frankly you could have amazing ECs and still not get in. Aim for schools where you are an attractive applicant, and if money is the issue, look for those where you will be in the top 25% of the class academically.
You don’t have to ‘explain why you have no ECs.’ You explain that your primary EC has been being a foreign high school student, living in a host country, with no family nearby. And if English is not your primary language, kudos to you again - that by itself is difficult and something to be proud of.
You’re more than fine. Good luck!
Wow, OP, not sure why people are being so hard on you. First, I think the activites you have listed are plenty. It’s your grades and test scores that matter. Second, ask your guidance counselor to add something to his or her letter about your circumstances. Living with a host family isn’t the same as having your own parents around, who are most likely to take you around. I think you are overly concerned about this. It sees as though you ahve done plenty, and you have done it while living away from your own family. I think you should listen to those of us who,think you will be fine.
Lack of transportation sounds like a really lame excuse. There are plenty of alternate options (biking, public transport, getting rides), etc.
I wouldn’t mention any excuse.
I think @N’s Mom nailed it.