<p>I asked this on another thread but didn't get any responses, so:
I'm thinking of starting something at my school next year, but I'm conflicted as to which one. I'm equally interested in both, but they're very different.</p>
<p>1) Starting an exchange program at my school. This would be very difficult and quite time-consuming, but I imagine it would pay off and look unique to colleges.</p>
<p>2) Starting a vaccine fundraising club. We basically fundraise/spread awareness/write to Congress regarding vaccines for third-world children through an organization. This would be easier to manage, but might not be as unique.</p>
<p>I'm a rising senior and I have other ECs, so I might be short on time in first semester. I love both, but which one would be more worth it?</p>
<p>Your question indicates that you do not understand the role extracurriculars play in college applications. One extracurricular activity IS NOT better than another – all of them are equally good, provided your involvement with each EC has depth. Specifically, selective colleges are looking at your EC’s to see what you have spent your time doing outside of school. They most want to see activities that have demanded a serious time commitment on your part (1 to 3 years), something that shows your love of doing something outside of the classroom – and they don’t care what it is, so long as the activity demonstrates devotion and passion. Colleges are ultra clued-in to activities created at the last minute that are meant to make your application appear stronger, different, or more unique – and they can smell those from a mile away. So, basically by the time you are entering your senior year, it’s too late to think about creating a new activity, as colleges want to know what you have been devoting your time to during your freshman, sophomore and junior years. So, whatever you have right now, is what you need to go with.</p>
<p>Neither will have a major impact on admissions this late into your high school career. Pick whichever one you will enjoy more (or that you think will be more doable with your current schedule)…</p>
<p>@ArtsyGirl13 Thank you. The impact it has on college admissions is really secondary, I just wanted to leave a mark on my school, because I never really had the time or resources to do so in earlier years.</p>
<p>@gibby I had this whole spiel typed out, but then my internet went down. So on to what I was saying… I think it’s incredible that you have made such extreme assumptions about me from one post. I’m not some vapid teenage girl who’s only interested in college admissions. I FULLY understand that depth and passion is key in ECs, which is why I’ve concentrated my efforts on a few things I truly love. You can read my previous posts on ECs if you want, they all say depth>numbers. By creating a club or exchange program next year, I’m not looking to pad my application or have a last minute add-in. More so, I’m not going to let the possibility that colleges will think I’m padding my application deter me from trying to better my school.</p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t think anything here was gibby’s fault. I jumped to exactly the same conclusion from that one post of yours, vivendium.</p>
<p>Maybe it was posting a thread titled “Which extracurricular is better?” on the College Admissions forum that duped us into thinking that you wanted to know which of your proposed senior-year start-ups (that you might not have much time for in the fall) would help you more with getting into college.</p>
<p>But if your question is, “Which one would be more worth it, leaving the issue of college admissions completely out of it?” then I’d have to say either the one that would be more personally rewarding for you, or the one that would have more lasting benefit for your school. But since I don’t know you or your school, I don’t know how I’m supposed to choose one.</p>
<p>My apologies, then. It wasn’t my intention to come off as someone who was solely doing activities for college admissions. Maybe my post was deserving of such a response, but I’m not that type of person and it sort of shocked me. I’ll try to explain why I asked this a little more, if that helps:
I love both activities, and they would both be rewarding to me and (hopefully) to my school.
One requires more time but the impact would be greater, while the other requires less time but might not have as much impact.
As I said, I don’t start activities because of college. College admissions is secondary at best, but given that all other factors are equal at this point, it comes into play.</p>