What Activities Would Really Help Me In My Pursuit of Top Schools?

Applying to College
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@lookingforward Thank you for the help here; I especially appreciate it because I am, ironically, having such difficulty understanding my own situation.

Well, my typical day from here to fall will be something like this:

Wake up at 9, do school for four hours or so. After that, I’ll do something like go wake surfing, fishing, sports (not official), or just hang out with some friends. For around 2-3 hours-- sometimes a lot more, depending on the day-- I will work on something else like college research, studying, or something of the sorts. The rest can range from cooking to chores to going to town to get groceries. I have some free time, as you can tell!

What is around me? Mmmm…

It’s a small lake, a small resort, and there are very few people in the village apart from me and my family/friends who typically rotate in and out throughout the week (shared cabin). We don’t have any commercial buildings nor really anything apart from cottages and a marina. Not too sure what else I can include here-- it’s pretty vanilla. Internet is pretty weak as well, I run off a data plan lol. I do plan on writing my college essay on the lake though, as I’ve spent so much time here throughout my life and how close I am to my extended family.

I don’t have my full license yet, in case that comes up.

42

I just sent you a pm that overlaps this^ post.
You do seem to be doing fun things, maybe not so “purposeful.”

43

Following up on @lookingforward’s point about what an EC is: It might help to get back to basics. ECs - extra-curriculars- are what you spend your time on outside of your school curriculum. It can be sports, music, art, clubs- and it can be paid jobs, babysitting, gardening, baking, etc… Ideally, as mentioned in other places, it should be something that is meaningful or reflective of you / your life.

Fwiw, I heard a Princeton Dean of Admissions talking about an application essay that had made a difference in the application process. The student wrote about her only “EC”, which was leaving school, collecting her younger siblings and taking them home to mind them while the parent was at work. The essay caught their eye not because of the ‘hardship’ or ‘dutiful’ part, but because of the maturity (leavened with a light touch of humor) that the student showed in talking about what it had meant to her- and the concrete steps the student was taking to build on that experience. The Dean emphasized that many students don’t link a story of the past clearly with actions (not plans) they are taking going forward.

You (OP) often mention the determination and independence it has taken you to get this far- how are you applying those lessons to your life (beyond college applications) right now? how can you apply the traits that you want to showcase to AdComms to developing something that you already love, something that you are already doing, into an “EC” of consequence. As you correctly noted in another post, there is no magic EC that you can suddenly develop an interest in the summer before you apply to college that is going to be the magic bullet. However, you can take an existing interest, something with which you have a timeline and some depth, and apply the traits that you have developed by taking schoolwork seriously and apply them to that EC.

44

It seems like this thread is finally getting to the heart of things as the OP provides more information and we start to get a fuller picture. OP’s background and everyday experience are quite different from a typical applicant, so thinking in terms of typical “ECs” doesn’t really work very well here, although finding a way to pursue your CS/entrepreneurial interests would be close. You do have an interesting story, one that should provide the basis for a distinctive essay, and it also seems you can describe your life as part of a family and a community, which may be helpful to adcoms in thinking about how you might fit into their student body. If you have the means and the energy, I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t apply to Princeton as well as any of the other schools on your list. You are not the kind of applicant who will be evaluated on the basis of stats alone. In some cases, your background may work against you, but in other cases, you may be just the unusual person they are looking for. You have a nice manner in this thread, and hopefully that will convey as well.

45

I wonder what community service OP has done? Summer may allow travel and service, teamwork with new people.

46

I appreciate all the comments that I woke up to today! They are all extremely helpful-- thank you! I’ll try to provide as much information as I can

@collegemom3717

That story was so incredibly helpful! Of course, I understand that my admissions to any school will be rough, but I now have some hope that my admission to a top school is actually possible (albeit extremely unlikely).

I think I can further pursue some of the ideas that I have laid a foundation in, which would both take up some of my time and give me something more to be proud of on my application :slight_smile:

@tkoparent

Thank you for your encouraging words! Since I have the time, I might want to apply to some more top schools to cast a broader net. After reading so many comments on this forum, I realized that there are some who think I have absolutely no chance at top schools and others that think I should go for it because I might be what they are looking for. Hopefully, there are some schools out there that see me as a fit and let me join their community. I’m really excited to find out, regardless!

@Hippobirdy

No organized community service, but after thinking about it, I think I can name a few things that might help(?)

Since I live at a lake, I put in and take out 3 docks every year: both of my elderly neighbors’ and my own. Though I haven’t committed to any organized volunteering, I live in a small community. I’m not sure if that is relevant or not? My cabin is shared among like 3 families, and it isn’t very big, so there is a lot of work to go around :wink:

47

Yes, your volunteer work for your elderly neighbors will indeed demonstrate your willingness to contribute to your community. (As well as your other efforts.) Whether that will be enough to sway adcoms is another matter. You will be competing with U.S. students who put in 7 hours of classes, 2-3 hours of sports or ECs, then at least 3-4 homework hours, per day.

48

I do alumni interviews. I had a student that didn’t appear to have many ECs. But we were talking about that…and it turned out that he watched his little brother after school. His parents were getting divorced and he started to notice his brother falling through the cracks. So he started making sure he did his homework, and also signed him up for a baseball league. He took him to practices and games.
So not only did he babysit his brother, he showed leadership in making sure his brother had opportunities and support.

He got admitted.

49

I think your EC is your community life among elderly neighbors, extended family, and a shared cabin. And the concrete physical/logistical work and interpersonal efforts that make community life possible. Taking initiative to give a hand to those in need of help (chopping wood, shoveling snow, buying groceries from far away, changing the docks, or just making sure everyone is OK ) Is important (if it’s true that you ARE taking initiative and not being told or nagged to do it.

Could you (or have you) put your skills in logistics/design/ CS, etc., to work in your community? Maybe you have, but you really haven’t viewed your activity that way. Where did your passion for the thing you want to major in come from? Surely you have done some things in your everyday life that relate to this (or else how would you know you love it so?) Is there a need or difficulty (however small) that you have improved/simplified, that makes life work more smoothly in your remote community? Expanding on these improvements this summer in a big way could show impact in your community and on applications. A separate new EC that you slap onto your application will not have depth, but expanding greatly on something you have already been doing for years will show some maturity and longevity, a theme. If there actually IS something new that you’ve always wanted to try (self-teaching a musical instrument, carpentry, sewing, painting, really anything, I imagine that can’t hurt, either, but you do need to show what you’ve been doing long-term. Are there other things you do that you don’t think of as an EC but is part of your life in a remote place? Star-gazing, hiking, awareness of nature, swimming or boating?

Your life has the makings of a great essay, if you put your mind to it…

50

The issue with being too tied to family or the cabin can be, does this kid really want to leave home or be so far away. Be careful.

And when kids portray themselves as being so critical to, eg, babysitting, it can leave the impression the family can’t lose them to college. So be aware of that.

The dock work is good. We dont know if it’s over time or one period of a few months. The idea is, in part, to show how you stretch from the default of school.

51

“You will be competing with U.S. students who put in 7 hours of classes, 2-3 hours of sports or ECs, then at least 3-4 homework hours, per day.”

I’m not sure about that, internationals would be compared to other internationals, they would have to be, most high schools outside this country do not provide the rich opportunities for ECs - sports for one, other things too like music, drama, publications. Competitions would be one that would be available.

OP - the definition of an EC as stated eloquently by on admissions office is whatever you do outside of class. So it’s a broad ranging definition, you’re getting a lot of good advice here, good luck!

52

Thank you for another page of great information, everyone!

I’ll try to respond to any questions or comments that I think could help out the discussion :slight_smile:

@fauve @theloniusmonk

Ah, yes. Where my application starts to weaken is when it is compared to other applicants-- normally because it is so hard to compare my high school life to someone else’s. Regardless, I understand that my ECs will be considered weaker by most adcomms. I think that if I get into some great school, it will be because they like my character and want me to be a part of their campus (agreed?). I think that the best thing I could do is just continue my work, but focus on finding more of these ECs (like the docks. And yes, I do that twice every year without nagging or asking). Also, I can definitely dedicate some of my time to a new activity, so I think I will contribute that to my community. I’ve been thinking about the following for something to do this summer alongside my summer classes: Wood chopping/distribution business, volunteering around the community, and maybe working on product design on the side (hobby).

Thank you, both!!

@inthegarden

Sounds like great advice-- thank you! Yes, I have not been nagged or asked to do really any of these community things. It’s just the culture I was raised in: help everyone/anyone when possible, even if they don’t necessarily need it.

The thing with a small community like mine is that ECs aren’t really big things or solo-efforts. I can’t think of any instances where I’ve created or designed something that is pertinent to my major, but I certainly apply that kind of thinking to daily life. The problem, as @lookingforward likes to mention, is that I need to show, not just tell. I’m not sure how to show how I’ve demonstrated that kind of learning so far, although there are many parts of my day where I demonstrate such interests.

The passion came from my Dad. Ever since I was able to form a complete sentence, my Dad and I would talk about a product, business, or advertisement and how it could be better. To this day, we don’t go through a commercial break without talking about a product’s brilliance or mediocrity. We don’t go through a day without thinking about ways to improve something. We both have this entrepreneurial gene on top of this interest, so I don’t really have a concrete answer other than it simply being who I am. I have pursued some product design activities, but I haven’t really had much success so I figured I would wait until I know what I am doing (in college). I understand that most people will have figured out how to do it, rather than giving up when you can’t crack the code. But it’s worth considering that I am a late-bloomer and I worked until I realized it wasn’t possible (quitting isn’t really the right word, above).

If I think about it really hard, I can think of simple stuff like pitching ideas for how to put in the boat-lifts better (by using the boat-- our new technique) or how to tow the fish-shack to shore, but that’s pretty minuscule and is more talk and less show. I’m not too sure how I would demonstrate this skill in my community, but I am open to ideas. I’ll think more about it, but I can’t think of anything apart from some of the activities listed in the first paragraph in this comment.

And, yes! We do a ton of watersports, stargazing, fishing, boating, and activities alike. We pretty much spend all day doing something, but I’m not sure how pertinent that is(?).

@lookingforward

Great point. I will be sure to consider that when writing my application. It’s definitely not the case, so I hope that I don’t misrepresent myself. Thank you!

“The dock work is good. We dont know if it’s over time or one period of a few months. The idea is, in part, to show how you stretch from the default of school.”

Every fall and spring, 3 docks, for as long as I can remember. Even when my brother and I were 5 we were out there helping out; although we weren’t doing much of anything lol, probably just to learn and have fun. Lately, it’s just been me and my brother and our cousin working on it!

As for the idea you talk about, I would question how much that applies to my case. School takes up very little of my life, considering I am doing everything online. I feel like almost everything I do is stretching from the default of school. Heck, even my school is stretching from the default of school. My life is a lot of things, but nothing is really ‘default.’ Sorry if I misinterpreted what you meant!

53

Oops, I forgot:

@bopper

That’s a really good and pertinent story-- thank you for sharing. I’ll be thinking hard about events like this in my life that I can use in my application to describe myself and my environment. I think I have some cool life stories like this to share when applying. Hopefully, I’ll have a similar result :wink:

54

Where you talk about Dad and products or with brother at the docks is a good start for an essay. At issue can be how you took this further. It’s not just product or process design but how you collaborate and with whom, learning from someone in that capacity. Easy example is solo stem research vs getting into the milieu, with other (adult) researchers.

We’re running into the real complexity of how one shows he pursued an interest and, in the process, learned various lessons, shows various traits relevant to adcoms. It’s not just the work itself.

My ID grad friend was interested in bike design. He worked in bike repair and modification for a few years first, during a gap. Had that experience and (product) knowledge base before applying. He also had the grounding in art, rendering, drafting, from pursuing art from hs on.

Think about opportunities. Any way you can get involved with some firm or startup that takes ideas, vets them, designs, tests, etc? Even a short time exposes you. It takes you from your curiosity to the next level, shows that drive. Etc. Your role might be a grunt but you’re there.

55

@lookingforward
I’m sorry I don’t know what ‘solinstem research’ and ‘milieu’ mean.

I agree with your second paragraph. I’m just not too sure how to move on from this. I don’t have a specific passion within ID, and I won’t be

I will think about opportunities, but I don’t want to sacrifice my location (remote, remember) to join a firm or startup. The reason for this is because of my summer classes and location. I would be away from my family for the majority of the time and I am not licensed, so it would be extremely difficult to pull off on a consistent basis. I’m absolutely willing to do something of the sorts in my community, but I am not sure how much that helps.

Also, what do you mean by “your might be a grunt but you’re there?”

Thanks:)

56

I corrected the spelling error. Solo stem research.

I’m not talking about “sacrificing” your location for some long period. Since your schooling is independent and mobile, why not something this fall? Sometimes, kids go in for a couple of days/week.

Do you have accommodations in the city?

Bear in mind that once in college, you’re no longer on the lake.

57

Gotcha.

I’ll definitely consider something this fall. I might PM you this internship that I found. To clarify, do you mean “some kids go for a few days a week,” OR “some kids go for only a few days or weeks?”

I do have a house in the city! I’ll have to be there for a while for SAT tests anyway, so maybe there’s a good opportunity.

Great note. I understand that I have to leave some time (and I do. I spend like 200/365 up here, 75ish in the city, and around 90 on vacation), and it’s probably best to demonstrate that I can leave and get into a new environment. I’ll see what I can do with this!

58

I meant some kids do 2 days/week for some period. Some go more days or longer. See what you find. Too short is too short. Grunt work refers to lowly busy work, even copying. The idea is you get into the environment, observe, listen, etc. Maybe you get some productive opp, once there. Maybe not.

59

Ignore me if I already told you this:

Check out “How to be a High School Superstar” by Cal Newport.

“The basic message of the book is this: Don’t wear yourself out taking as many classes as you can and being involved in every club and sport. Instead, leave yourself enough free time to explore your interests. Cultivate one interest and make it into something special that will make you stand out among the other applicants and get you into the toughest schools, even if your grades and scores aren’t stellar. Newport calls this the “relaxed superstar approach,” and he shows you how to really do this, breaking the process down into three principles, explained and illustrated with real life examples of students who got into top schools: (1) underscheduling—making sure you have copious amounts of free time to pursue interesting things, (2) focusing on one or two pursuits instead of trying to be a “jack of all trades,” and (3) innovation—developing an interesting and important activity or project in your area of interest. This fruit yielded by this strategy, an interesting life and real, meaningful achievements, is sure to help not only with college admissions, but getting a job, starting a business, or whatever your goals.”

http://www.examiner.com/review/be-a-relaxed-high-school-superstar

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Was Cal Newport ever an admissions person?
And has the book been revised in 9 years? He gives good life advice, but theres a big diff between one/two pursuits and the indiscriminate jack of all trades. “Spike” is not necessarily it.

Today, the right balance matters.