All the time I hear “everyone knows your high school is perfect and everyone gets perfect grades. You have to stand out” “Grades aren’t enough. You have to stand out” “STAND OUT”
Okay, so how do I stand out?
I have the grades…ACT 35, unweighted GPA 3.9(All A’s and one B, thanks junior year), etc. One AP one honors this year and 3 APs one honors next year.
As for my ECs:
2x week yoga/other fitness class. I used to dance my whole life but stopped b/c health.
11 years art experience but stopped lessons outside of school b/c time commitment. Still doing it in school though.
1x week I go to a math tutor, been going since 7th grade
1x Volunteer at a children’s hospital(maternity unit)
I feel like I have 0 time to squeeze anything in. It’s either homework, EC’s, or doctor’s appointments. And eating and sleeping are somewhere in that mix… I’m very passionate about art and video production and photography as well as medicine.
Other random things/achievements: 2 certificat d’honneurs(national french contest), bilingual, did a pre-med summer program. I love languages, art, crafts, clothes, cooking, reading, and medicine. Adore it.
But I’m so…boring. I’m so commonplace. How am I going to compete for schools like Brown and Yale and UCLA and Berkeley?
Yeahhhh you’re gonna need some pretty outstanding ECs…
I wish i had your stats tho…
Put together an art portfolio to submit with your applications.
That’s what I’m asking… What outstanding ECs? How can I improve what I have, or how can I drop everything I have and completely change? Please give some advice instead of just agreeing 
Well…
People tell me I stand out a lot, in terms of EC’s.
My grades are nothing like yours. I have a 3.7, and a 30 on the ACT. Still solid but nothing outstanding like your stats!
I do the normal things like sports service etc., club presidents all that…
What Ive done differently though is my public speaking. I have Tourette Syndrome and i go around to different schools and my own school presenting about Ts in order to spread awareness and advocate for myself and others with TS. I’ve also done a TEDX talk as well on TS to spread awareness. Im not going to go into detail, but I also have a story around Ts that makes me different.
So, my advice, as cliche as it is, is to find something you like, and personalize it. Many people have disabilities like me, but I did something with it because I wanted too, not to just stand out for colleges.
See, it would be wrong for me to tell you what to do. Yes, I can tell you to do a yoga class helping people who need it medically, or doing anything along those lines, but then it wouldn’t be your passion. See, what makes you stand out, is doing something that is unique and personal to you. I hate saying this, but you need to shape your story!
I guess my takeaway here is too use the things you love, and build off of that!
Also, I’m extremely busy and I have to miss school when I do presentations. Yes making up work is hard, but for me it’s worth it because i enjoy it.
Just follow what you love!
Hope that helps… Sorry if it didn’t.
Im a junior in highschool fyi
I don’t understand why you think you have to drop everything you have an completely change? Can you explain that?
And why are you listening to anyone who thinks that your entire school is 4.0 when you don’t even have that? A lot of thinks you say don’t make sense. I don’t know that doing any yoga a couple times a week is really an ec that I would list. Going to a tutor is not an EC unless you are being tutored in advanced math beyond that offered at your school.
Look, people who work hard to be top students are completely engaged. In the boarding school my daughter went to, they do sports or other set EC every day after school until dinner then study until 12 or one every weeknight except friday and most of the weekend. I’m glad she was in a boarding school environment where everyone is doing it because it would seem really hard to do with a hectic home life, so kudos to you for keeping it up. I think you got a good suggestion to submit an arts supplement.
btw this is not a Chances thread, it is just going to get burried here in the volumes of useless chances posts.
@BrownParent Sorry, I don’t think I have to drop everything. I never said I believe that. I mean, are all my ECs useless and if yes should I drop everything and get some that are meaningful?
Also in that case I guess EC isn’t the right term… Replace it with “things that are not school or necessary things for human life”. And yes I go to this tutor because in 7th grade I learned math that was more advanced than my school’s math. Currently I am learning a mix of my school’s math and advanced.
Basically people just see my school as a bunch of smart rich kids who all apply to Stanford. This isn’t the case AT ALL but it’s a hugely widespread stereotype. I hear this advice from all our counselors and staff, though.
Lastly, I don’t understand what you’re trying to say with your example of “top students being completely engaged.” Are you saying I am not completely engaged, or are you saying I am? Are you saying I don’t have a schedule like those people? If you are, sorry but that’s unfair. You don’t know my schedule or my situation or my family life. I’m probably completely misunderstanding you though so sorry if that’s the case
Create a club. UNCIEF sponsors high school clubs, and they help you with every process along the way. You could also start your own tutoring organization, instead of just noting that you get tutored once a week. Find a bunch of friends and class mates who are talented at academics and offer volunteer tutoring services to other schools. Make sure you are the facilitator of this, and you can call it a non-profit education organization. If you enjoy art, but want to do more than just a portfolio to show leadership, make an art club, or an art program that gives artists the opportunity to come together in your community to paint or draw… etc. Just think of what you enjoy, or steal other people’s passion and facilitate events…
two words. reading. comprehension.
ok thanks friends <3
Honestly, that’s a lot of time commitment already. I really can’t see how you can say it’s boring, unless you don’t like what you do. When you write the EC descriptions, make it sound like the most important and best thing in the world. Ever. If you can/want to, pick an event in the EC that intrigued you and write about that in your essay(s).
You really aren’t boring. Don’t let others tell you what is and isn’t a good thing to do with your life.
When it comes to UCLA an UCBerkeley, usually you’re ECs will barely mater. But you really only have 3 ECs. They seem pretty interesting though, although i have a hard time guessing if you wanna be a doctor or an artist. Also, if you’re an out of state applicant at UCLA and UCB, expect to pay a lot of money. Considering your description of your school, I assume that is in your parents ability. If you are looking at Stanford and such, your ECs and lack of ECs will definitely be a factor if you’re rejected. You REALLY need to stand out in the admissions pool there. Good luck tho
Word of advice: don’t put tutoring or doctors visits in your ECs. And if you wanna stand out, make an impact on your community doing what you love 
Good luck again
Don’t know why you feel you have no time. At both my kids’ prep schools, they avg 20 hours of homework per week and the kids have mandatory athletics 6 days/wk, often involving long bus rides to rival schools.
@sojinmilk I think you’re doing fine and you have decent chances at every school you apply to, especially UCLA
Ok I’ll bite. Based on this and your other thread your family will be seen by adcoms as wealthy.
For schools which are holistic, they will want to see evidence that you care about the less fortunate (whether economically or health) and so I suggest you get involved in some kind of charity project. Something that is truly helpful that you can quantify. If you have connections to rich people it could be fundraising.
The art supplement suggestion is good.
Why not do something charitable that combines your love of art and medicine together? How about creating an exhibition of your photographs for a charity auction at your local hospital?
Think outside the box. Try not to do something cookie-cutter. This is how you stand out.