I’m not aiming for the Ivy Leagues, but will my lack of ECs, volunteer work, and leadership roles still hurt me? I’m in a few clubs but I’m not an officer in them. I haven’t won any awards in competitions either (assuming that colleges only care about first, second, or third place). I have no volunteer hours, but would it be okay to start tutoring in the fall? In addition, I occasionally help the younger ranks in my karate class, but most of my time spent is devoted towards working out, not helping out
Bu working out, you mean lifting, at a gym? That’s your extracurricular activity, right there. Don’t discount it. (My D17 put down “hiking” for one of her ECs, btw.)
I do the training exercises in karate (learning the moves) and so far, it’s really one of my only extracurricular activities because I’ve been doing it for nearly 8 years. It’s my only EC that shows strong devotion. I’m afraid that my other ECs look weak because I’m merely a member (I’ve been looking at fellow seniors on here, and most of them have a leadership role in their club like President, Vice President, or Officer). I’m really hoping the occasional teaching in karate can count as volunteer work in some way.
I’m sure it does. You have shown commitment. What belt have you earned?
I’m a second degree brown belt (2 ranks away from black). 2 ranks away doesn’t seem that far, but there’s a rule in my dojo that you have to be a certain rank for a year before testing. Getting back to the topic at hand, would tutoring this incoming fall be a waste of time if I’m doing early action? My top school’s early action deadline is November 1st and I don’t really know if tutoring in of September (barely, because no one really needs help during the first two weeks of school) and October will help my chances at all.
Second degree brown belt is awesome, congratulations.
You know, I do think that signing up to be a tutor in the fall would look pretty obvious to an adcom, but you should talk with your counselor and see what he/she thinks about that.
I wasn’t intending to do any volunteer work this summer, but when the opportunity was given to me, I didn’t take it.I was intending to get a job this summer to add to my application (and to make some extra cash), but I haven’t managed to land one. I got hired by a cafe for a trial period, but I failed it, so they let me go. I was planning to do volunteer work because of my failure at the cafe, but I was persuaded to take the risk of job hunting. Sadly, I haven’t had any luck (even after applying to more than 30 places) and I think I lost my chance of doing the easiest volunteer work that I could have done. I’m sort of hoping that companies near me will start hiring at the end of August. If not, my plan of tutoring is really my last shot at getting any credit for volunteer work. However, I’ve heard people say a job is just as good as volunteer work on a college application.
Doing something counts more than worrying about an adcom reaction that may never happen. Think about it-- this a decision to do some good versus none at all. Even if a kid is padding, bottom line: he did it.
Now, many kids tutor, because it’s not hard and you usually do it at school. It’s not a stretch, though. Why wait til fall? Why not get out there this week, go volunteer at a meal site or food pantry or get involved in a cause. And do it regularly all summer.
Don’t worry about adcoms penalizing you, lol. And yes, helping in karate is good, if it’s a role, not just a random thing.
Any college that wants activated students who can take on a new challenge will want to see what you do, how you choose. Think about it.
I have difficulty finding volunteer opportunities near me. I don’t have my own car (or a license), and a rely on my dad for a ride. However, my dad refuses to drive far, and a lot of the food pantries that I’ve looked up are out of the way from my house. A lot of the programs that I had considered earlier in June have already started, so it’s too late to join. I’m considering just spending my summer studying for the August SAT, because from what I hear, colleges care WAY more about standardized tests than volunteer work. I hope a really high SAT/ACT score can compensate for my lack of activity (especially since I’m not shooting for any Ivy Leagues), because that and my GPA are really the only things going for me. Also, was I right to assume that colleges only care about awards when you receive first, second, or third place? I placed 15th out of 45th in my state Science Olympiads, but the placing doesn’t sound all that notable or stellar.