Can you volunteer for something environmental in your community this summer, at least cover that beyond the hs sustainability club? Not recycling or taking kids to a park, but issues related or where you learn what concerns are and about viable solutions?
This summer I’m traveling, but I can volunteer at a wildlife refuge that is near where I will be staying. Would that work?
The top colleges are not just looking for someone that put in volunteer hours. If you’re doing this because it feels right to you and you’d do it no matter what, fine. If you’re doing it to impress adcoms, don’t bother. They want to see leadership and accomplishment. As Stanford says
There is a sticky on this forum that talks about that top schools look for: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/2646596/#Comment_2646596
So when you write about “Envirothon aka environmental competition (junior, senior (pending co-president)) && Sustainability Club (junior, senior- VP)” the question boils down to what did you DO in them? Colleges know that ‘leadership positions’ in these smaller clubs, president or VP, don’t mean much. Did you organize a community cleanup day? Start a new recycling program? As Stanford says above, these are the things they want to see, not empty titles.
Im sorry to tell you, but your chances of ivy league are EXTREMELY low. Your academics are not that impressive and it will be very difficult for you to compete with others who took 12+ AP classes and got straight A’s. 33 on ACT is also considered below average for Ivies. Extracurricular are also unimpressive and ridiculous (blood donor, really?) : anyone could have done all those clubs. You don’t show any deep achievement or passion/drive.
I’d say the only way you can get in is by writing an amazing and inspiring essay. Ivy leagues usually accept around 50 unqualified applicants every year, so your essay might do the trick.
^ Extraordinarily rude. Ignore that person.
OP, when you are writing your essays or interviewing, please rephrase that part about needing a challenging school to keep you interested and achieve your full potential. Colleges want students who are motivated and will find ways to stay interested and reach their full potential even if they are attending Directional State U. Emphasize what you are bringing to the university and how you will contribute.
What the guy said above is totally incorrect. In fact, not one of the Ivy schools has an average ACT score of above 33. While some of the schools’ 75th percentiles are 34 or 35, none of the schools’ one number averages are above 33. Cornell’s, Dartmouth’s, and Brown’s one number average is actually a 32. You have no need tone worried about your ACT score.
Why are 90% of responses always about the act score?
C’mon guys.
I envy the people who keep venturing into chance treads to give useful advice. I don’t know how they do it.
The act score isn’t even a problem. The problem is the extracurriculars
Another classic case of test score syndrome shown here on CC. Fact of the matter is, your ACT score and GPA are fine. The problem is that you don’t have anything special about you that would appeal to the ivy league universities per se. (That’s perfectly okay, considering that there are many great colleges in the U.S. that will give you an amazing education.) If you are so ivy bound, you’d know that only exceptional students are accepted. Exceptional students that go to ivy league schools are amazing in academics AND are well versed in their ECs, usually OUTSIDE of school. So when we tell you being the VP or P of an enviromental club for two years and competing in one local enviromental competition is not enough, it’s not enough. You are competing with kids with your ACT score, perfect 4.0 GPA, with published reaserch papers with profesors at universities in enviromental studies. Or perhaps your competition has 4.0 GPA/35 ACT and has also built from scratch a school wide recycling project/system that has generated thousands of dollars for their school and donated the raised funds to their community/favorable charity . (Yes, I’ve seen this done). So you have to constantly ask yourself, what is it about you that would make an admission officer want to give you that spot over someone else?
If you write a great essay it should help you stand out. I bet colleges don’t get a huge number of Belarussians. People here are a little negative because a lot of us have gone through it. My daughter applied to four Ivies and got into none of them. Fortunately she applied to a range of other colleges and ended up with some good choices. I’m sure you will too. Just don’t get your heart set on an Ivy.