So basically, I was about to start my junior year in the U.S. Virgin Islands but then hurricane Irma and Maria (two category fives) hit us. So I had to transfer to a school in Florida. The problem is I lost all my EC. It was to late in the school year for me to even join any aswell. I started like in late October and school in Florida starts early August. I did manage to become an IB Candidate but, I feel like joining so many EC senior year is going to make me look desperate (which I am).
Join things you are truly interested in at your new school. You can list things you did at your old school.
Ask your guidance counselor to mention that you transferred schools junior year and you may want to put one or two sentences in the Additional Comment section (keep it brief and to the point) saying that your family moved as a result of the hurricane.
Fret not You can explain this in the Common App “Other Information” section, include it in your essay or your guidance counselor can mention it.
But do you have ECs? Watching siblings? Work?
For IB, you have to do CAS. What are you doing for that? Those can be ECs as well.
Thanks bopper. I work during the summertime. I worked at a University as a paid intern.This summer I took two dual enrollment classes at FIU and got two As.
My ECs are and were
Peer Tutoring for the entire of junior year 45 min/day
S.P.A.R.K.S. (Community service group) 9th and 10th
Armed Drill Team (JROTC) 10th Won 2nd place in competition
I competed in Poetry Out Loud and made it too the school wide competition.
I did 80 hours of community service with JROTC
I’m a member of both Broward and National Honor Society.
I don’t know if that’s enough to get into a school like University of Florida.
I also have no idea what I’m doing for CAS but I am joining yearbook so probably that.
I wouldn’t worry too much about ECs. I see them as largely what Harvard and Stanford use to distinguish between many otherwise perfect applicants. For other schools a bit of imperfection is okay. We are after all human.
Keep your grades up, and pick up ECs that are of interest to you. If nothing else, the hurricanes will give you something to write about. I expect that you will do quite well.
Having moved to Florida, you have also picked up some very good in-state public universities (assuming that you will have lived there long enough to count as in-state).