stressed about ec's...

Applying to College
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hi everyone! this is my first post here at cc. please feel free to move this topic if it is not in the appropriate forum.
i have some questions that i’ve been just burning to ask…sorry if this is a little long

how important are your extracurriculars? i know academics are the topmost priority, but a lot of kids have straight A’s and perfect or almost perfect test scores, which can make admissions cutthroat with all the other variables besides academics. following grades, i’m pretty sure the essay and teacher rec’s come next in importance, and then the extracurriculars. i am quite confident that i can earn and maintain good grades on my own, but i am not so confident about the merit, or lack of merit, from my present and future ec’s.

i don’t know…but somehow whenever i see people’s list of extracurric’s, like captain, president, founder or winner of some national competition i get so stressed out!! i’m planning on taking the toughest courses at my school (i’m a rising sophomore) but i also want to do worthwhile ec’s, and thus am unsure of what to do in case i bite off more than i can chew and my grades inevitably suffer because of it. in the back of my mind, i know grades are 100% number 1 priority, but all i can think of right now is ec’s…UGH! this is so frustrating =/

ultimately, i want to go to medical school, and i was wondering - what kind of things do colleges want to see? i am completely dumb in this area, and groping for useful and valuable information on how to get there, all i know is i want to become a doctor…would they want to see me enter some science competition? go work at a prestigious science lab in the summer? i’m going to take nearly all the science courses offered by my high school, as much as my schedule can fit. do i even <em>have</em> to have such a strong list of medical or science-related ec’s or summer experiences? i know i’m going to volunteer a lot at a local hospital, and someday aim for an internship or be a lab or research assistant. but even then, internships are hard to get with other students who have a mile long list of credentials especially pertaining to previous experience in labs and whatnot…ahhh…plus their parents probably have lots of money to send them off to academic camps or out of state or to work with professors or scientists…i just feel like i have such a late start… say, what if you are greatly interested in science but never had the means or opportunity to pursue that interest even further? that would be quite a handicap, wouldn’t it? compared to others who have lots of experience… plus the whole thing with having connections? idk, maybe that doesn’t make sense.

however, aside from science and medical school, i want to be able to do things that <em>I</em> am interested in (ec’s speaking), not something that would wow adcoms in terms of contests like intel science talent search (hah, i wish) or other prestigious national competitions and whatnot…but i’m afraid they might not be good enough. or should i say, impressive enough? i’m just trying to focus on maintaining a perfect balance between school and ec’s.

i think colleges want to see like that you are very dedicated to 3 or 4 activities, no? your core ones…but what if they are quite ordinary (e.g., violin or chess) but you’ve been playing or doing them for a long time? or you may not become very good at it/eventually gain a leadership position (e.g., a sport, debate team or other such academic teams)? all generally speaking. this is a gray area for me…please shed some light!

thanks for reading! looking forward to replies…

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<p>The general rule of thumb is that the larger the school, the more numbers driven it is. Meaning at large state schools and huge research univserities, your GPA, SAT scores and course load matter more than founding some random club. However, at smaller more competitive schools (most top 25 private institutions) like the Ivies will place more emphasis on the commitment and quality (not the quantity) of your ECs, recs, and essays. This is because, like you said, everyone has basically the same scores.</p>

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<p>Thanks for replying!</p>

<p>"However, at smaller more competitive schools (most top 25 private institutions) like the Ivies will place more emphasis on the commitment and quality (not the quantity) of your ECs, recs, and essays."</p>

<p>So I guess whatever ec you do, from a competitive college dean's point of view, it won't matter as much on how prestigious or impressive it is, as long as you are very committed and dedicated to it?</p>

<p>I know quality, not quantity, is the issue. I'm just wondering what exactly is "quality"? Something you put a lot of time and effort in and clearly impacts your life for the better, I think...no matter what your ec(s).</p>

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<p>Well the cliche ECs seem to be standard and expected, like a good SAT score is expected for the top colleges. So it gets brushed off. They look for individuality and playing the violin or piano wont cut it unless you have something that sets you apart from other violin players like a national distinction. But let's say your ECs are more unique, like you started a business or something, then the national distinction cancels out. It's a balance. --Hope that wasn't too confusing.</p>

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<p>No, that wasn't confusing. The individuality/unique thing makes perfect sense.</p>

<p>I guess I just gotta work harder, heh. Thanks for all your input.</p>

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<p>How about starting a Future Physicians Club at your school. Have the club focus on finding high school internship/research opportunities, mentors in the medical field, job shadowing, medical related community service, etc. Then write in your personal essay about your passion for becoming a doctor and what starting the club meant to you. </p>

<p>Or just identify a few ECs that you are really passionate for. They don't have to be medical related. Stay away from coming up with a laundry list of too many ECs and community service.</p>

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<p>Wow! Great idea, I'm going to think about that one. I think there was already some sort of club at my school related to medical experiences and all - I think I overlooked it somehow last year. But anyway, I'll look into that, thanks!</p>

<p>Yeah, I have some ECs in mind that I'm going to really focus on, ones that I love to do as well, and they're not medical related anyway...but all in all, a laundry list of ECs is the last thing I'm trying to attain. lol, why does everyone keep saying that.</p>

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<p>"a laundry list of ECs is the last thing I'm trying to attain. lol, why does everyone keep saying that."</p>

<p>It's because some on CC, who list their stats, like to include an extremely long list of ECs, and it is the general consensus that Adcoms may not be impressed with such a long list.</p>

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<p>Yeah I agree.</p>