What to do for extracurriculars

Applying to College
1

<p>I really have no extracurriculars to list, maybe just a club or two. I know I should have done more but I was never athletically talented (turned into a klutz under pressure) and the majority of clubs I attended bored me to death, even if the topic was interesting. I want to say volunteer work but that also was really spotty at times, never going past a month or two at a time. </p>

<p>Now I got nothing to write on applications, personal statements and probably the college essay. It doesn't help that my grades weren't stellar during my first year as well. Has anyone ever been in my situation and does anyone have any advice or tips on something I can do?</p>

2

<p>first off it might not even matter. Given grades that aren’t stellar and not much going in the way of ECs, the most selective colleges are probably going to be a real reach. But there are over 3,000 4-year colleges in the country, and most of them outside of the most selective pay minimal or no attention to ECs. Given that is where you are likely to apply, there is no problem here.</p>

<p>The question about impressive EC’s comes up regularly on the forum. There is a thread with several posts by Northstarmom, a Ivy alum interviewer, about what constitutes impressive ECs from the point of view of the most selective colleges. The post is at <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>But like I said, you are probably not going to be trying to get into the Harvards and Stanford of the world. I think you are worrying for naught.</p>

<p>Still, since you asked about ECs, 2 very interesting articles about ECs that stand out and how to get them (same author, different examples) are at [How</a> to Be Impressive](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-art-of-activity-innovation-how-to-be-impressive-without-an-impressive-amount-of-work/]How”>The Art of Activity Innovation: How to Be Impressive Without an Impressive Amount of Work - Cal Newport) and [Save</a> This Grind?](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/09/12/case-study-how-could-we-save-this-ridiculously-overloaded-grind/]Save”>Case Study: How Could We Save This Ridiculously Overloaded Grind? - Cal Newport) I don’t buy into his underlying explanation of why they are impressive, but take a look at these 2 articles and I think you’ll get some original ideas.</p>

3

<p>Your activities outside of school don’t make a huge impact on college admissions at most schools. Students tend to overemphasize activities because they are relatively easy to control as compared to test scores and grades. But, test scores and grades matter far more in admissions. Only the Activities section of your application will be affected by this. You can certainly still write very strong essays without extracurricular activities. Many outstanding essays are written on self-reflective topics drawn from life experiences not noted in the Activities section. </p>

<p>Don’t join clubs or take on activities solely to get into college. That isn’t at all necessary. </p>

<p>But, it is necessary to to do some research to find affordable schools that are realistic for admission based on your grades, test scores, academic interests and ability to pay.</p>