Like most on CC, it’s my dream to attend a selective school. From my understanding, there are four different areas of focus that could increase one’s chances of receiving acceptance into a selective school, which are: your academics, including a high GPA and some consistency with advanced courses, your SAT or ACT test scores and two SAT Subject tests, a list of extracurricular activites, and your college application. So, the first two are pretty straightforward; however, I’m having some confusion as to what’s considered a good EC. The college app can come into play later on, as I am a rising sophomore, but I’m feeling a little behind with my ECs. My interests involve: tennis, politics, biology, writing and art. I also enjoy church and helping the homeless, due to the influence of my parents. So, what now?
Good is subjective; do whatever makes you happy and get up in the morning. It’ll shine through in your app.
Different communities and areas have different opportunities for all the things you mentioned, so don’t be afraid to ask and email around. Not super comfortable going into specifics, but my culture means a lot to me and I ended up getting a volunteer position that allowed me to give talks about culture in my native language just by asking. This wouldn’t have been possible had I lived somewhere 50 miles away; nobody on CC knows what opportunities are available in your area, so you have to seek them out yourself.
I find ECs based in communities to be a lot more unique than ECs available to the entire nation (e.g. FBLA, JSA, etc.), but join well-known organizations by all means they mirror your interests and you think you’d be able to get a leadership position. Enter competitions, like YoungArts and Scholastic for writing/art. Email professors at a local university if you’re interested in bio research. I have a friend who was super involved in JSA (she literally breathes politics day and night) and got into most of the selective schools. I also have a friend who was a USABO finalist and AIME qualifier and only got into one of the schools she applied to, and another friend who was an Intel STS 2nd place winner and got waitlisted to/rejected from all the Ivies. In the end, it’s how much passion you have for what you do and how well you can convey that passion in your essays.