<p>^I second that.</p>
<p>How does one present these accomplishments (you know, I did this project, I started a tutoring program)? I havenāt really read any applications. Would one include this sort of thing in the essays?</p>
<p>I find myself similar to nickmo and nervusā¦</p>
<p>I go to a small school where football is nearly life. Iām a guy, and I went along with that mentality most of high school. I spent a lot of time working out, practicing etc. I was tired alot and I didnāt really do much else. I skimped on joining clubs and groups.</p>
<p>But after I quit (after junior year), I didnāt really do much ECās then. I (also) love to learn about things, teach myself things. I enjoy designing and building projects around my house. Iām more of a shy, reserved person, and I prefer being by myself.</p>
<p>My only real ECās are that Iām an Eagle Scout and am an editor for the school newspaper (and football, I suppose).</p>
<p>I plan to major in enviro engineering, and I just wanted to ask what you guys think the relevance of ECās are to engineering related majors (and in general). Admittedly, I havenāt read all 51 pages of this thread, but I thought this topic might spark some discussion.</p>
<p>So, how important do you think ECās are, really?</p>
<p>Hey people help me out. I am a highschool graduate. My grades are good but i am not quite sure of my extracurriculars.
Help me figure out what is lacking or if anything listed below might not be important.</p>
<p>Publisher(establisher) of a youth oriented national newspaper.
Teacher- Business Studies teacher in a A-Levels College in one year contract.
Tutorial Classes in economics, business and accounts.
Went to a nearby village and taught to underpriviledged students.
120 hours of community service as a member of a NGO
Soccer and Cricket played in high school?</p>
<p>What kind of colleges can i target?</p>
<p>Hey,
I was wondering if you guys could help me out. Iāve done karate since I was 4. Iāll have my black belt by next year. So by the time I graduate I will have done it for 13 years. How would you rank this as an EC?
Thanks.</p>
<p>does it have to be some prestigious or academic EC to be a good EC and do you have to hold some sort of position in order for it to show well in your application? and do you have to have a lot of EC to be considered an impressive applicant?
if so, iām screwed cause quite frankly, iāve always been more concerned with my in-school academics (except tennis season, cause thatās like the best part of the school year)</p>
<p>^^Yes, having your BB in martial arts is considered an EC. Be sure to list any awards you have received related to this (ie. competitions). If you act in a leadership role in your dojang during classes, helping lower ranked belts, list this.</p>
<p>@NervusBreakdown
No you do not need a lot of EC to be an impressive applicant to top schools. However, if you do not have involvement in a variety of activities, many schools will be looking for some serious commitment to one or two activites in perticular. Ones that you have gone above and beyond in and transfer though as a āserious passionā that shows your fervent commitment. If you love tennis and that it, no problem there. But definately stack up your accomplishments within that EC. Being on varsity, winning state, ect.</p>
<p>I donāt know how to get involved in these āoutstandingā ECās. I mean, I play a sport, Iām on the debate team, etcā¦ but I just canāt seem to find an opportunity that would fit my interests AND be an excellent EC. I donāt play an instrument. Iām not an excellent athlete. We donāt have that many āregional or citywide awardsā opportunities where I live. And so far I havenāt found a community service project that fits me- donāt call me evil but Iām just not the type to devote all my time to raising thousands of dollars for the homeless shelter. To put it bluntly, am I screwed? What should I do?</p>
<p>@runline
Because your goal is to prove to college that you have lasting and meaningful commitments to your EC, you do NOT necessarily have to be captian or editor in cheif, ect to a vast array of activities. Though schools what to see that you are a leader, they donāt want you to spread yourself thin. So look at yourself critically and really think about what you enjoy that you can ALSO do strongly in. If you really put your heart into an activity and make it important for yourself, youāre going to have something much stronger than being comitted to several activities that, all together, are quite impossible to invest into hard core. Think depth, not breadth.</p>
<p>The whole EC worries meā¦ Iām an international from the UK hoping to apply to top schools for 2012/2013 application depending on whether on not I decide to do a gap year, which is seeming pretty likely at the moment. Basically, I didnāt do any ECs in my 1st 2 years because I either wasnāt good enough (my school is pretty elitist when it comes to this sort of thing, and then because of bullying & just general low self esteem issues. All I really did was flute lessons (5 years, grades 1-3 abrsm) and 2 years in my schools raf section. i also did a weekās unpaid work experience with the national trust and will be getting a holiday job, starting this Xmas. Although work experience seems to be a little different in the us, more like a proper job. This year, my year in my house (16 girls, I go to a boarding school) is organizing a charity dinner, although I seem to be doing most of the organisationā¦ and I will be volunteering at the local primary schools for about 2 hours a week as well as joining english, history and politics based clubs but my question is, how badly will it affect my application if I didnāt do anything at the start of hs? Iām worried that iāve ruined.my chances for good unis without even knowingā¦
Not sure if its relevant, but if I did a gap year, it would hopefully be working in a boarding school in Dubai for a yearā¦
Thank you & sorry for the long post! :)</p>
<p>Hi, I was just wonderingā¦ Iāve done volunteering every year that benefits children, but theyāre never under the same organization. How would I go about documenting this? Or should I even bother?</p>
<p>My grades arenāt too good but my SAT score is high and I own a business that makes roughly 5k a month (60k annually)</p>
<p>Is that enough to negate my grades for ātopā schools?</p>
<p>That depends on what you mean by ānot too good.ā Top schools are first and foremost academic institutions, and you need to prove youāre capable of handling the workload. This means good SATs and a good GPA/rank. I would say below a 2100 and the top 10% would be almost sure signs of rejection from top schools. Superb SATs (2350+) and still within the top 10% in addition to your EC could work (as could grayer areas).</p>
<p>Basically: What kind of grades do you have, in the context of what rigor and what rank?</p>
<p>UC weighted gpa would be approx 4.2</p>
<p>SAT Score 2300 (unless i completely bomb it)</p>
<p>I did get a C+ in honors english 1st sem sophmore year 
that went up though 2nd sem</p>
<p>i made a huge mistake spending too much time on my businesses and not enough time at schoolā¦ wellā¦ no time actually. never turned in my homework, but thatās getting better now 
</p>
<p>junior year so far iāve been doing good, and in my ap bio and ap chem class weāve had several tests already and iāve been doing fine</p>
<p>as for top schools, iām not too sure. WashU is on my list because Iām a double legacy
iām hoping my business and income will make up for my poor grades, but who knows? by senior year iām hoping i can up the income even more</p>
<p>Does anyone know if this is a good extracurricular?</p>
<p>I started a non-profit business where I sold t-shirts, sweaters, bracelets, etc. that all had cool logos and designs. I was able to expand it across the nation through the internet, newspaper, etc. that I raised nearly $50,000 in a year.</p>
<p>It was an amazing experience and something that I had to do nearly all on my own. But from the looks of this thread, it seems even that wouldnāt be that good of an EC.</p>
<p>Can someone please answer my question? Thanks! :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You donāt need official documentation, but you should organize your volunteering on an activity list that makes it clear the link between the organizations. You may want to label a section on your resume āVolunteeringā with a subheading āChildrenā (be more specific if you canāchildrenās health? childrenās education?).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not being from California or applying to a UC, Iām not entirely sure of the value of this number. But I do know that non-UC schools will look at your unweighted GPA in the context of course rigor. So in that sense, UC schools, which numerically factor in course rigor as opposed to some nebulous concept, may be your best bet. </p>
<p>An upward trending GPA will help as well. If you can continue to draw in an income while increasing your GPA as much as possible, your chances at good schools will increase. And if youāre in love with WashU, ED may be your best bet, especially as a legacy, which tends to count more in early rounds.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I started a non-profit business where I sold t-shirts, sweaters, bracelets, etc. that all had cool logos and designs. I was able to expand it across the nation through the internet, newspaper, etc. that **I raised nearly $50,000 in a year.[/**quote]</p>
<p>If you think this is unimpressive, youāve grossly misinterpreted this entire thread. Assuming you have top grades and scores, you have a fantastic chance at top schools.</p>
<p>@glassesarechic: Hmm, thank you. It felt good to me but going on this website for the first time was extremely overwhelming at first. So many national presidents, researchers, etc. </p>
<p>Anyways, itās best that I just do what I keep doing best. Thanks.</p>
<p>Spiffy, you represent one of the ultimate symbols of depth over breadth. I wish you luck at what ever school you end up in and, from your progress, Iād say it is a safe bet that you will make something great with your life.</p>