<p>I am worried I do not have enough extracurricular involvement to compete at top-tier colleges in the future. Everyone says I have a lot of time (I am in 8th grade), but I really don't think I do. I know there are a ton of options in high school, but I want to start now, so I have some experience in the clubs they offer there. I wanted to do volunteer work, but when I asked the librarians at my library, they didn't know about it. I don't know anyone else who might know about volunteer work nearby, and it is something I really want to do. The only EC I have is one sport, and I'm not even at a competitive level! I know colleges look for sports to show teamwork, but is there any other type of activity I can do to show colleges that trait? I have tried all types of sports, but none of them feel like something I want to compete with.</p>
<p>Can you recommend anyone I can talk to like a librarian or counselor? How can I get a head start on volunteering, and EC's now? </p>
<p>Definitely look around where you live, there should be plenty of volunteer opportunities; animal shelters, hospitals, and veterans/nursing homes are some options, but you might also be able to find a position working with kids in a summer camp or an after-school program.</p>
<p>Arts are a great place to start with EC’s. Theatre productions and musical ensembles (like band, choir, or orchestra) require high levels of teamwork, and there are tons of studies that show kids involved with the arts do better in school and on standardized tests. It’s pretty biased, but I would even encourage you to do something in fine arts over a sport; you can only play sports for so long, but if you find that you love to act or you learn an instrument it can become a lifelong activity that you can continue wherever you go.</p>
<p>Definitely work to keep your GPA up when you start high school; that, along with your test scores, will likely be the top thing to qualify you for the colleges you want to go to. Don’t get so involved with EC’s that you start doing poorly academically.</p>
<p>You really do have time. While it’s great to start planning for college early, it’s perfectly okay to take your freshman year to really try out a bunch of different things and figure out what you love doing. Colleges don’t necessarily want super long lists of extracurriculars; they want to see that a student is dedicated and passionate about the EC’s that they do participate in. It’s not worth it to join 20 different clubs if you don’t care about any of them.</p>
<p>As far as getting a head start goes, don’t go too crazy right now. You’re not going to be including activities from middle school on your application; colleges don’t really care what sports you did in the 8th grade or where you volunteered as a kid, and you kind of just start with a completely clean slate freshman year. Your high school guidance counselor is going to be your best bet regarding any questions you have, and they should be more than willing to help you look for activities and opportunities. I wouldn’t necessarily rely on a librarian very much, unless it directly involves something you do at the library; your counselor is the one who is paid to help you academically and with college.</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 200 or so… Most students worry needlessly about EC’s when they’ll play only a small factor or not even be considered! But since you’re on this forum and worried about ECs, you’re probably aiming at one of the most selective colleges ;-)</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
HS kids “know” a bunch of things that are inaccurate or plain wrong. This is an example of the latter. Most kids that get into selective colleges did not play a sport! Another myth is “gotta have some volunteering” on the belief colleges demand to see that you are willing to give back. 50 hours (or 500 hours) of volunteer work is meaningless at selective colleges; they don’t want to see time, they want to see achievement and leadership.</p>
<p>@mikemac after reading How to be Impressive, I thought it was great. I love that this author likes looking into these issues. He actually had a specific approach to digging deeper into your interests that I thought was really great, and something we need more of.
I also read the second article, and it really made me worry a lot less about the sports I felt like I have to take, or the instruments I thought I have to play. I have many interests, and I can pursue those, and also dig into “List B” material.
These were such interesting articles, thanks so much </p>
<p>@mikemac that CC link is one I have read before. In fact, when I read it for the first time, I copied the long list in the comments and pasted it into my notes lol :)</p>
<p>You are welcome. One thing I thought about adding (but didn’t for the sake of brevity) is advice about doing volunteer work or sports or whatever. An eye on college admissions is important, but not everything. If you play a sport or instrument or do some other activity because you enjoy it then by all means keep on doing it! And there is much to commend volunteer work; helping others is a tenet of many religions, it gives one a sense of balance and perspective, etc. So I’m not saying drop anything that isn’t a bona-fide EC adcoms drool over, just to be aware of what counts and what doesn’t. It’s not what a lot of your friends are saying.</p>
<p>@AnnieBeats I have been reading college confidential for a long time, I thought I might as well ask about things I am worried about for the future. The responses I have gotten are making me feel much calmer than I was before I started. Though I appreciate your concern, I think CC helps me, as young as I am. Besides, knowing myself, I am going to worry and give myself higher standards anyway. I might as well get help.</p>
<p>It doesn’t help you OP. TRUST ME. Wait til you are older. If you don’t want to wait, hang out in the High School Life thread even though that thread is too adult for you. CC is not a place for middle school students. It just isn’t. Do yourself a favor and come back when you are at least a sophomore in high school seeing that you are so eager. I know it’s exciting to think about colleges, but this is what is for the best.</p>
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