<p>Hey. I'm a sophomore in high school and I'm trying to get my EC's to flow...to show that I am a passionate and focused (as much as a high schooler can be). Anyway, I'm planning on starting my nonprofit next year or next summer. Here are my current activities & my nonprofit ideas. I'd like to know whether or not my EC's are good, and which nonprofit idea would work better with my EC's. Thanks!</p>
<p>Writing: (I'm one of the only sophomores & am most involved, will be 3 yrs) Editor in chief of Literary & Arts Magazine, numerous writing awards, numerous writing published, Attended University of Ohio Young Writers Workshop</p>
<p>Environment: (I'm the only sophomore apart of it & very involved, will be 4 yrs)..President of Environmental Club, spearheaded a composting program throughout my city's public schools, increased school recycling by 30% through a campaign which I organized with a few other girls, have worked closely w/ my city for about 3 years</p>
<p>The Arts: Guitar (will be 3 yrs), Theater (will be total of 6 yrs..stopped when my parents divorced & am just starting again next year...leads in many shows)</p>
<p>Volunteerism: Special friend to Jewish, special needs children ages 2-18 almost every Sunday & at holiday programs, Member of Teen Board (will be 3 yrs)</p>
<p>Nonprofit Ideas:
-Organize a couple of dances or a prom every year for the special needs teens from my city's high schools
-Bring the arts to nursing homes, homeless shelters, prisons..High school students perform theater, music, etc. and give workshops to teach them how to play an instrument, hold poetry slams
-An organization for all of the teens in my city concerned about the environment to take action together</p>
<p>Just a couple of general thoughts about ECs:</p>
<p>Stop worrying about looking passionate and focused, and just be passionate and focused. </p>
<p>Part of being focused is not having multiple all-over-the-place ECs. Pick one or two that you really are passionate about, and pursue them to great length, depth, and height. Colleges would rather see just a few “real” ECs than a dozen “made for the college app” ECs.</p>
<p>I couldn’t agree more with above posts. “Starting a nonprofit”" is not easy; sustaining a nonprofit is full-time, professional work, born out of passion and a long-term commitment to a clearly-defined organizational mission.</p>
<p>You seem to be involved with many ECs and have already demonstrated leadership and commitment to those organizations and projects. If you are sincerely passionate about those, I recommend you continue deepening your involvement with those organizations and projects rather than “starting a nonprofit” for the sake of college apps.</p>
<p>I’m on board with the general theme of the thread…don’t start a non-profit for your college app. That said, if you truly are passionate about something, then you could pursue that goal, because there’s no arguing that ultimately it would look really good on your app - that is, if you’re 100% invested and develop something meaningful.</p>
<p>My advice for that path would be to focus on one idea, whichever you are most passionate about, and start with extensive research of the cause and existing non-profits related to the cause as well as high school activities through which you may be able to support that cause without the huge undertaking that is starting a non-profit.</p>
<p>If you come out of that research with the conclusion that starting a non-profit is the best way to support your cause, then you’ll need to map out a plan and figure out what resources you’re going to need (people, time, money, etc.). I would find one or more willing mentors that could help you with the planning. For example, if your cause is the environment, get a science teacher to help guide you through the process.</p>
<p>Starting a non-profit is extremely time-consuming, and pretty rare for high school students, but it can be done. Here’s a story about one high school student who started her own non-profit that has funded the primary education for more than 500 children: </p>
<p>Thanks for your feedback, everyone I actually have spoken to a few people who have or had their own nonprofits and said that my ideas for nonprofts that I listed above, wouldn’t cost much & I could easily get grants (I have someone that will help me develop grants) Plus, I have some people I know who would very possibly help me with these projects. For example, I already work with the Supervisor of Solid Waste of my city who would be happy to develop an organization for the environmentally conscious teens in my city. Since I volunteer with an organization for kids with special needs, the director would most likely help me with organizing a prom for the teens, etc.</p>
<p>I am passionate about the ideas that I listed. Yes, of course, I’m thinking about how great it would look on my application. My GPA will only be about a 3.7 with rigorous schedules (total of 6 or 7 AP’s & 9 H’s), except for freshman yr (2 H’s out of 5 taken) I’m trying to make up for my ‘decent’ GPA with awesome EC’s.</p>
<p>BTW- I’m also really passionate about my EC’s (writing, environment, theater, guitar) I love each and every one of them. Do they seem unfocused ?</p>
<p>I think the first idea is the most realistic and the easiest to implement. The second idea strikes me as a bit naive and farfetched. And the third sounds difficult.</p>
<p>If you can pull of #3, go for it. But #1 seems more realistic.</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply, MSauce. Just curious- how does the third sound difficult & the second, naive? I actually thought that the third would be easiest. </p>
<p>Also, does anyone have suggestions regarding my EC’s… Are they too scattered or not? & which nonprofit would match the best with my EC’s?</p>
<p>The second is sort of naive because of your targets. Nursing homes may be interested in theater, but a good amount of the people in the homes can’t remember their medications/walk around easily, much less are going to want to learn instruments or put on shows. Shelters and jails are even worse targets, where interests differ far from the arts. If you’re going to do something where you “bring the arts” somewhere, do it for kids, or people with interest in the subject–don’t try to enlighten a group that is likely going to resist the effort, like people at a shelter who are more interested in their next job or even meal.</p>
<p>The third seems difficult because when you’re trying to start something with a group of people you don’t know, the leadership element of the organization is very difficult. The only way I could see you effectively recruiting members from your entire city is if you had a few good friends from different schools who were willing to recruit for you. If that happened, you could get a fantastic turnout and really get things done. If you don’t have those networks, though, I’d think you’re going to struggle to get reliable members and get stuff done–or at least have to get lucky in order to have a reliable group.</p>
<p>On the other hand, a Special Needs Prom is something you could just pull from your school for and do without a lot of manpower.</p>
<p>And don’t worry about your EC’s or how the nonprofits fit with them. You’re fine.</p>
<p>Thanks alot. I see your point… I know the Presidents of Environmental Clubs at local high schools, so I think that organization of us all wouldn’t be too hard. </p>
<p>With these EC’s + either starting the group for environmental teens in my city or a special needs prom + a 3.74 UW & 4.53 W (Total of 8 AP’s & 9 H’s) & Top 7% (W Rank) + 2300 SAT, what do you think my chances would be at top schools?</p>
<p>I’m having a reaction to this thread and the self-absorbed approach to a service-based initiative, choosing among the options based on which one would be easiest to implement (in the words of the OP, “wouldn’t be too hard” combined with “what do you think my chances would be at top schools.”) While I applaud your transparency, it seems disingenuous to start a nonprofit based primarily on how it would look combined with your ECs for college apps (and, again in your words, “make up for a decent GPA with awesome ECs.”) </p>
<p>Have you given any thought whatsoever to how you could possibly sustain a nonprofit organization after you go to college? Tax-exempt organizations are formed to further a mission and receive such status because they serve the greater good; they are not intended to be “pet projects” for self-serving purposes and then discarded after they have met your needs.</p>
<p>If you are truly passionate about one of the causes, the ethical thing to do is to partner with an existing organization and initiate a short-term project aligned with the mission of the existing organization. Yes, you will still get the visibility and accolades you desire while in high school, and can then move on to college without having formed an organization that you, most probably, will not be able to sustain.</p>
<p>I’m one of the least self absorbed people you could meet, haha.</p>
<p>I love volunteering, and I REALLY care about the environment. I want to use that to my advantage. So what? I would put 100% into any of the projects that I listed - because I truly enjoy making a postive difference in people’s lives and bringing hope to the earth’s future. I was having a difficult time deciding which project I should go with since I’m passionate about all of them.</p>
<p>As I said, “For example, I already work with the Supervisor of Solid Waste of my city who would be happy to develop an organization for the environmentally conscious teens in my city. Since I volunteer with an organization for kids with special needs, the director would most likely help me with organizing a prom for the teens, etc.”</p>
<p>Agreed. I recommend you volunteer at such an organization for at least a semester (or a summer) before branching off on your own. This ensures you have not only backing for your project but have the insider expertise necessary to pull it off. I think the special needs prom is the most feasible option, as it involves a relatively short-term input of effort.</p>
<p>How will it look on your college apps? Good, obviously. Will it get you in? That’s another question entirely. With your GPA (unless you come from a hyper-competitive school), I’d venture to say no.</p>
<p>Actually, OP, I like your nursing home idea, part of it at least. I’ve seen it work, in fact, from two different perspectives.</p>
<p>My D and her dance group used to perform in nursing homes (also don’t overlook assisted-living and independent-living communities). The residents LOVED these performances. Remember that the people who live in these communities rarely see a young face, and it brightens their day just to be around the energy and freshness that you bring.</p>
<p>Also, my elderly parents live in one of these places, and it’s the highlight of their day whenever any entertainment group comes in, but especially when the group is young people.</p>
<p>A couple of cautions: First, anything you do needs to be traditional and conservative. My D’s group used to do their classic Broadway tap numbers, pretty ballet numbers, stuff like that. They didn’t ever do hiphop or avante-garde modern. The entertainment needs to be something that the residents can relate to or at least isn’t too radical for them. This is not the place to push the artistic envelope (slam poetry is far too edgy for this audience).</p>
<p>Also, I don’t know that workshops or classes would be very rewarding for you or for the residents. Many of them think slowly and move slowly, and I think you’d find it a frustrating experience. </p>
<p>But performing – that’s a winner. You’d be doing something lovely for people who often feel that the world has forgotten them.</p>
<p>I think you need to ask yourself why this project needs to be a “nonprofit organization.” I suspect a lot of colleges are catching on to the “started my own nonprofit” game - most of the time it really just means someone started a club and filed for 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. Why do you need to have an official nonprofit in order to do any of the projects you listed? It sounds like you really don’t need the nonprofit status in order to complete the project; you just want it for your application.</p>
<p>Go ahead and file for whatever tax status you like, but it’s not going to fool colleges into thinking you started an organization with, for example, full-time paid employees. It’s going to look exactly like what it is: someone who’s doing some good work in the community and then decided to file some paperwork.</p>
<p>If you choose your ECs just to position yourself for college applications, you’ll find yourself always doing this - and it will never end. Also, colleges are quite experienced at seeing right through this kind of behavior.</p>
<p>Pick an EC because you enjoy it, not because it meets someone’s approval. Doing that tends to result in college apps that show a real depth in you. Plus, and most important, is that it leads to greater fulfillment and happiness for you.</p>
I actually have spoken to a few people who have or had their own nonprofits and said that my ideas for nonprofts that I listed above, wouldn’t cost much & I could easily get grants (I have someone that will help me develop grants) Plus, I have some people I know who would very possibly help me with these projects. For example, I already work with the Supervisor of Solid Waste of my city who would be happy to develop an organization for the environmentally conscious teens in my city. Since I volunteer with an organization for kids with special needs, the director would most likely help me with organizing a prom for the teens, etc.</p>