What to do with low EC's

Applying to College
1

Hi everyone, I will be applying this year, and to be honest, I’m not sure that I can compete with others with my ECs. Mostly because in my country not enough ECs are offered and most of them aren’t as good as ECs in the US, so I’m a little worried. But anyway, I hope you guys can help me to see what I can improve.

Bio:
-Citizenship: Vietnam
-State of residence: N/A
-Class: 2022
-Race: Asian
-Gender: Female

School:
-Type (Public/private & size): Small public school (about 500 in my class). Oh and my school is for gifted students, so it’s very competitive.
-Graduates (How many go to Ivy’s/top 20): about 1-3 every year, not a lot.
-AP’s Offered: None is offered at my school. There are English centers that offer AP, but my teacher said that APs don’t really affect my profile.

Academic Profile:
-Unweighted GPA: 8.9/10 (I’m not sure how to convert to 4.0 scale, but according to WES I have a 4.0)
-Weighted GPA: N/A
-AP’s: None
-ACT: Didn’t take it
-SAT: 1500/1600 (math 800, CR+W 700)
-SAT II: Chemistry 780, Math Level 2: 800
-Rank: N/A (But I guess somwhere about top 10%)

EC (In order of importance/commitment):

Volunteer for Earth’s Hour (about 100+ hours)
Internship at a Enviromental Company (About 200+ hours)
Tutor at an English Language Center (For about 6 months before I resigned to focus on my study)

Third Prize in Language’s Ball Cutural Competition
Third Prize in Spring Sports Competition
Top 10 in my school’s Natural Science Competition
Third Prize in City’s Online English Competition

Schools I’m looking at:

  • Brown (I think this is a high reach, so maybe I’ll apply next year as a transfer to work on my ECs and scores): reach
  • Wellesley: reach
  • Smith College: reach
  • Reed: reach
  • Mount Holyoke: reach
  • Clark Uni: match
  • St. John’s: match
  • San Jose State: safety
  • Cogswell: safety

Intended Major: Economics (Engineer if I apply to Reed or San Jose)
Intended Minor: Forensic Science.

Hope you guys can help me out.

2

Very good grades and scores! Your ecs show commitment and your awards are important! You dont have ecs that show leadership which is important for schools like Brown. I think that what you need to do is show your passion for economics through your ecs. You could for example search for seminars or try to get an intership that has to do with your major! The lack of AP classes is a problem tha i face too, but most people have told me that the comitees know what the system in your country is like, sο they wont blame you for that (again im anxious about that too, but thats what ive been told). Good luck with whatever you do! Maybe chance me back?

3

Thank you so much, I’ll chance you right away!

4

I wouldn’t call 500 in your class small and 1-3 to top 20 schools is actually pretty good. You are a reach everywhere you listed but apply to Brown as a freshman. I don’t know Brown specifically, but transfer admisison rates are generally much lower than freshman. Harvard drops from 5% to 1% as an example.

I think your ECs are fine. Work hard on the essays and don’t pin your dreams on one school.

Finally, what is your budget? San Jose State may be the most expensive on your list because you will get no aid at all.

5

My budget is around 15-20.000/year, but if I’m attending San Jose, I’ll be living with my aunt so it would just cost me the tuition. Anything else I need to improve, at least to be able to make my Matches match? Cause it worries me a lot when you say all is a reach, even the safeties

6

Don’t worry about your EC’s. They show that you stick with something and not just do the next thing to get hours. I think you would be a good fit for those matches and maybe those reaches. I wish you the best of luck! Chance me maybe?

7

ECs are overrated. Focus on good grades and test scores, essays and LORs. Those matter most.