Significance of weak ECs

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am currently a sophomore but am still actively interested in learning about the college admissions process. Statistically my applications should be sufficient for any college, with my GPA likely being very high. I took the SAT freshmen year and received around a 2300.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, my high school has very weak ECs. I tried to overcome this by creating my own club, but the administration did not approve. Further attempts to create clubs have also failed, leading me to assume that my school doesn't want any more clubs.</p>

<p>I am currently on my school's Scholastic Bowl Team (like Quiz Bowl), the JETS Team (enginnering-related), and the WYSE Team (Academic Competition Team). I am also the captain of the Mock Trial team. </p>

<p>However, there are very few non-academic clubs at my school that I can join. The extent of that is basically the language clubs, which do not offer leadership roles and which usually only engage in food-making. </p>

<p>We do, fortunately, have a Peer Leadership mentoring program, which I hope to participate in next year.</p>

<p>My question is: How much will my relatively weak ECs affect my chances of being accepted into the most selective colleges, and what can I do to improve my ECs given my circumstances?</p>

2

<p>I have the same problem. I'm a sophomore too, my school is newly opened, this is the third year. There are almost no clubs, and if you want to create a club, you need a teacher to act as a sponsor. None of my teachers want to sponsor a club, so I will have very weak ECs. I not musical or athletic, so I can't win anything like that.</p>

3

<p>I am further discouraged after learning from a guidance counselor that our school has not had a student accepted into an Ivy League School since we moved to a new campus, which was about ten years ago. This is despite our school having around 2,000 students.</p>

4

<p>Well, it sucks that your school is that way and you are obviously not getting the same opportunities that others may be getting, BUT you could choose to see this as an opportunity to really stand out!</p>

<p>Though I think you should still try to keep starting things at school, I think that maybe this can lead you to do stuff off your school campus, community service, volunteering etc.. There's A LOT of stuff you can do in you community that can look really impressive! :)</p>

<p>Take me for example, I'm from Sweden, except for student government(and a very laid back one at that) there are NO school clubs or extracurricular activities. If you play a sport, good, thats your thing, if you play music, you do it privately. School and extracurriculars are completely separated. </p>

<p>We're barely even able to do volunteering or community service, seriously, out of the 2000+ ppl at my high school, I doubt there were more than 10-20 who did any community service or volunteering at all... It's just not part of our school system.. Our colleges look only at grades...(stupid i know.. )</p>

<p>So what I did was just start stuff on my own, because there was no other way, every volunteering/community service opportunity that I got, I took, and ended up becoming a tutor and soccer coach for children in underprivileged neighborhoods!</p>

<p>Also, I started two of my own charities that were designed so that I would take peoples donation and give them to poor families in India. I ended up collecting over 600 pieces of clothing, yea thats like several suitcases!
I also collected over $ 10 000 for medicine and medical supplies for them!!
All of this I did on my own, because that was the only way!</p>

<p>I think you should take your schools weak EC's and make the best out of it! I'm sure any college would love to see that because it not only shows great leadership/motivation, but also shows a genuine interest in helping instead of just doing what you get caught up in, in school :)</p>

<p>If youre lucky you could even write an essay about it, saying how you school didnt do much and didnt support your ideas, but you really wanted to help/make a difference, and so you made your own opportunities! :)</p>

<p>A few examples of what you could do:</p>

<p>Charities (really rewarding :) )</p>

<p>Volunteering in like, hospital or any other public place basically.. maybe if you do well now, by senior year you could be able to get something really prestigious with like the mayor or some city official, depending on where you live ofc, but you know what I mean.</p>

<p>Start a non-profit organization.</p>

<p>Start a business of some sort. A friend of mine at my current school started a landscaping business at 15 and was making over $100 000 a year through high school. Now he's paying for college on his own :)</p>

<ul>
<li>lots more! :D </li>
</ul>

<p>The possibilities are endless, the only limit is your imagination! If you want more inspiration, I'd suggest watching the movie 'YES Man' with Jim Carrey, really funny, but also shows a lot of stuff you can do :) </p>

<p>Hope that helps!</p>

5

<p>Yes, it does. Thanks!</p>