Weakness in ECs?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I am currently a high school junior and am concerned about my ECs. I have a 3.9 GPA and take all advanced courses but am unsure if I have enough activities outside of the classroom to stand out during the application process. I am extremely interested in science and also have a passion for writing. I hope to major in astrophysics when in college. During the first two years of high school, I lived in a small southern New Jersey town that did not offer many choices for extracurricular activities. Last year, I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina and am now able to be involved in a wide variety of ECs. However, after looking at my list of ECs compared to some of the other students on these forums, I am getting nervous that I look weak in comparison.</p>

<p>My ECs are:</p>

<p>Volunteer at Raleigh North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences – After an application and an interview, I was chosen as a volunteer at the North Carolina Museum of Natural History in downtown Raleigh. I originally worked on the main floor of the museum for my first 20 hours and then was promoted to a specialized exhibit and now work alongside a biochemist that manages it. I have well over 100 hours of service in the museum.</p>

<p>Plan and Manage Events at a Local Library - I helped create, schedule, and oversee youth (ages 5-12) events at my local library when I lived in New Jersey during my first two years of high school.</p>

<p>Grocery Shop for the Elderly and Disabled - In my small New Jersey town, there were not many opportunities for community service so I decided to start my own shopping service for the elderly and disabled in my community. I mailed flyers out to various retirement communities and fulfilled grocery orders for all of my clients.</p>

<p>Duke University Field Study at North Carolina Observatory - This summer I will be attending a very selective field study program for high school students at an observatory in North Carolina. I will be learning from people in the astronomy and astrophysics fields as well as conducing actual research using the equipment at the observatory.</p>

<p>I am currently member of the Nation English Honor Society and am trying to see if the Math and Science Honor Societies will let me join mid-year. I am also a member of my school's photography club.Debate team and Science Olympiad are some of the activities that I hope to become involved with soon</p>

<p>Some of the schools I am interested in are: UC Berkeley, UCLA, UPenn, Harvey Mudd, Cornell, UC Santa Barbara, and Dartmouth.</p>

<p>I also feel I have very strong references including my manager at the Museum of Natural Sciences, my math and science teachers, and one of the chief doctors at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who is also a medical professor at UPenn.</p>

<p>I will be taking the upcoming SAT in March and based on my PSAT score as well as my numerous practice test results I am projecting about a 2150-2200. I am also preparing to take the Math II, Chemistry, and Physics subject tests in June.</p>

<p>My main concern is that my ECs are going to undermine my academic success. I would really appreciate it if someone would be kind enough to offer an opinion.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I think they may be few but they are unique! They always say quality over quantity! </p>

3

<p>They are pretty good and thorough, but all kind of in the same area. Try doing a sport or something active. </p>

4

<p>Rest assured that you do not need to be involved in a sport, and it doesn’t matter whether you are involved in various fields or not - in fact, colleges like “well lopsided kids” better than “well rounded kids” (unless the BWRKs are exceptional in two fields, say, Xgame champion and ceramics sculptor).
You just need to demonstrate passion and leadership skills in <em>something</em> - what are you able to do when you’re passionate about something? (the assumption being that it represents the top of what you can do :slight_smile: )
Your EC’s are very good but you need to find something in which you “stand out”.
Try to be photographer for the yearbook or to have a photography exhibit (rather than the generic “involved in photography club”).
The Duke U summer program is especially important and will need to be highlighted - especially if the research you’re involved in leads to a presentation by you and teammates at a high school science fair or research conference.
The strong references will also be very important.</p>

<p>Question: have you run the Net Price Calculators?
UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara are 50,000 per year (and you will not receive any financial aid) so if your parents don’t have 200k in a college fund somewhere, drop them from the list.</p>

<p>I assume you will be applying to UNC-CH, another public (you’re lucky that in NC, the university system is very good), Davidson, and perhaps Duke?
Note that if you want a college on a beach (like UCSB) UNC-W’s Honors College would likely be safety so apply as soon as the application is up so that you have one affordable admission in hand before the admission cycle even starts.</p>

<p>Please refer to and list the information requested so we can help you identify colleges that would work for you.
<a href=“Before you ask which colleges to apply to, please consider - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums”>Before you ask which colleges to apply to, please consider - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums;

5

<p>I suggest you drop the UC’s from your list. You can get the same large class size and lack of personal attention for much less at state schools in your region. The UC schools are a good deal for California residents, but I struggle to come up with a reason for anyone out-of-state to find them worth it.</p>

<p>Be sure you understand that you will never qualify for in-state rates. A lot of people have the idea they will move to CA and after a year establish residency; not going to happen, as far as the UC system is concerned. Nor is any financial aid other than loans available for the OOS tuition.</p>

<p>f your parents are dying to help out us folks in CA with an annual non-deductible 23K+ (and rising) donation, then as a CA taxpayer let me thank them in advance for their generous gift.</p>