I’m in marching band, the tennis team, key club, and model un. The thing is I don’t think this is enough to stand out from other applicants. I also would like to volunteer at a hospital but upon further research, that isn’t special either. What extracurricular or activity should I do to stand out from other applicants?
To stand out from applicants, you do what YOU want to do. An “original” EC is not going to make you stand out if it means nothing to do. If you want to stand out, particiapte in the things you enjoy and excel in them. And then, when the time comes, you’ll be able to write about them passionately than other students. Besides, there’s no one thing that can make you “stick out” or guarantee acceptance.
It isn’t WHAT you do so much as HOW you do it.
This is going to mean different things to different people and for different activities, and THAT is how you’ll “stand out” to colleges. A tennis team that wins first or second in a state competition may get see some college recuriters. A tennis team that wins a national competition is going to have still more choices. A Key Club doing ordinary year-after-year volunteering is nice… good, but Key Club members that, in some way, can make a strongly impactful positive change in the community at large certainly kick it up a notch.
^^^^these… Bad example but by son played 4 years varsity on his school’s ranked top ten chess team. Cool… Then he volunteered to help teach chess at a summer camps for underprivileged kids. As one example
The one you love.