<p>I know you're supposed to focus on your "passions" or whatever, but at this point there's pretty much no chance I'll ever get a leadership position or an award, so I'm just trying to do some last-minute face-saving with what I have.</p>
<p><em>Book Club (11)
*Chemical engineering mentorship, 50 hours (11)
I don't want to be a chemical engineer. It's all they had.
*Piano lessons (3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11)
Suck at piano.
*Scholastic Bowl (11)
Did not get picked for team. I go to meetings.
*School musical ensemble (10)
Didn't get a part. Not doing it this year because of the time commitment.
*Science Club (11)
*Science fair participant (10)
I did not win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place out of *five</em> participants.</p>
<p>Oh, and I work at McDonald’s. But I get four hours a week. I have no idea why. I told them I could work more than that. Other places won’t call me back when I apply.</p>
<p>Is your intended major close to chemical engineering? Like, would you be applying to engineering school? If so, it’s relevant. Also if you don’t want to go to engineering school and the school you’re applying to doesn’t accept by school, you might want to consider just putting it down on your application as one of your possible majors.</p>
<p>The mentorship is at a chemical plant and not a university, so I’m not sure they publish research papers.
Right now I’m thinking of being a math major. Nuclear engineering is also a possibility, and chemical engineering is relevant to that.</p>
<p>I don’t get it, how can someone improve their EC’s? That’s why it’s extracurricular! You do the things YOU want to do. I’ll use myself as an example. I chose to play piano, and I love it and I chose to teach younger kids every month. To me these are not awful and someone shouldn’t judge my EC’s and call them awful.</p>
<p>What I <em>want</em> to do is sit on the couch, eat salt-and-vinegar potato chips, and watch reruns of TV shows I’m way too old to be watching in a non-ironic way.
Maybe colleges shouldn’t judge, but they certainly do. It’s how they pick who gets in. I’d like to get in, and my current hobbies aren’t going to help.</p>
<p>I just don’t like the fact that you want to kiss up to colleges. The whole point of EC’s are to participate in activities that interest you and make you unique. I’m not going to say teaching others is weak and boring, unless I win an award or recognized by others. Or my little piano career is awful because I didn’t win the annual contest or whatever. Maybe it’s just me, but I think students these days are just TOO concerned about what colleges think, than their own interest and took the term “extracurricular activity” in the wrong direction.</p>
<p>Colleges consider them in admissions - of course we’re going to try to do EC’s colleges like so we can present ourselves well. Teaching others looks good to colleges because it’s “leadership”. It’s nice if people just do all these productive things because they enjoy them, but I don’t operate that way and neither do a lot of my peers. If something is difficult I want it to have some sort of tangible positive effect. One of the things that keeps me motivated is thinking of how I hope to get into a good college and impress people and such, and I don’t see what’s wrong with that. Getting into a better college will give me more opportunities to do what I want to do later. For now, I need to do things colleges will find impressive so they’ll let me in.
I certainly wouldn’t do something I hated, but I don’t think being some measly member of a random club at my school is particularly interesting or unique.</p>
<p>What year are you? If you are a senior, things are pretty much set because apps are pretty much all due in the next six weeks.</p>
<p>If you are a junior, I would say:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Stick with the stuff you are already doing this year (all the “11” stuff). Maybe you can make the Scholastic Bowl team next year if you study up. My kid is in Quiz Bowl (like Scholastic Bowl). Honestly, she studies a lot (and is a good player). But she works hard at it. Maybe pick some subject area your team is not good at. For example, teams with more boys are often are weaker in literature. My D also learned art & opera to help her team out because no one knew anything in those areas. Start studying, show up in practice and show your stuff, and maybe next year will be better.</p></li>
<li><p>Stick with the mentorship, that sounds more impressive than your other stuff. Even if it isn’t truly, you can make it sound that way in your apps. :)</p></li>
<li><p>Another option is to pick up your volunteering activity this year and over the summer. Volunteer hours at something you care about are always good, and can give you some essay topics for next year. My kid is pretty into volunteering at the large food bank in our city, and is pretty excited about it. Find something you like and get into it.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>By the way, my D does not have any leadership either. She is “only” a participant in all of her activities. So don’t feel bad, you are not the only one. She is just focusing on her strengths as best she can on her applications.</p>
<p>I’m a junior.
Unfortunately I probably won’t be able to stay with the clubs at my school next year because I finished all the graduation requirements at my high school and I will be taking dual enrollment classes all year at a university in a different part of the state which will require me to move and stay with relatives.
So summer activities and things I can do from any location or on my own schedule are ideal.</p>
<p>Bump.
There are only three people on the actual quiz bowl team, and I found out today I was picked as an alternate. So I could probably try to stick with that next year, because the current members all graduate this year.</p>
<p>I’m going to agree with the person who commented first…you have a career in writing. Practically all your posts made me laugh out loud (and no I’m not making fun of you, you have a excellent writing style!!)</p>