Worried about my bad ECs?

[PolyglotGal]

<p>So my family is going through financial issues and I had to get a job. The issue is that for the duration of this year and my high school career, I must give up my ECs to work from after school to late night closings. Will this ruin my shot and make me look mediocre compared to the presidents of 30 clubs and the kids who volunteer in third world countries during the summer? I mean I am also going to need FA, so that's not going to help. All I do in my spare time is learn additional languages, hence the username. Could my essay save me? I mean I am only a sophomore and there are other colleges out there. I know not to expect a lot from the too schools. </p>

[notjoe]

<p>No, this won’t harm your application, when you get to that point. Explain your circumstances in your application. I’ve heard Dean Fitzsimmons more than once emphasize that they consider strongly young folks who must work to help support their families, and that they understand the effect on participation in extracurriculars.</p>

<p>Also, don’t worry about financial aid. Harvard is need-blind. The folks who determine who will and who won’t be admitted are different from the folks who assess financial aid, and Harvard does not balance the decision to admit against the amount of aid a student might require. Most students require financial aid, and the average financial aid award approaches $50K annually. Roughly 20% of Harvard undergraduates have an estimated family contribution of $0. Students will still be expected to generate part of their own tuition through summer and term-time work. However, even there, if your summer and term-time earnings are needed for your family, let Harvard know, and they’ll work with you.</p>

<p>I know, when my son was accepted, I needed a little more financial aid to make it work. I visited the financial aid folks when my son visited the campus. They were very gracious, listened intently, evaluated my circumstances carefully, and increased my son’s award so that I could afford to send him to Harvard.</p>

<p>Good luck! </p>

[T26E4]

<p>Read posts 1 and 3</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-are-weak-so-what-s-good-p1.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-are-weak-so-what-s-good-p1.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[brm114341]

<p>Most of my free time has been spent working since I turned sixteen, and I got in. What I pretty much did in addition to my job was have one club each year that I really loved and threw myself into that didn’t require practice/meetings every day, usually lit related, and when I wasn’t working I read, because I loved it. I needed a ton of FA- they don’t look at it at all when they evaluate your app. People will tell you that you can explain your circumstances away to Harvard and that this kind of thing won’t hurt your application. I honestly think it will HELP you. My interviewer was really impressed with the independence/responsibility/maturity I gained from working and valued that I came from a different background. I was blindsided when I got in because conventional wisdom told me that the things that, in the end, made my application strong, were obstacles to be surmounted. You don’t need anything to “save” your application after working to support your family. It’s the other way around. It might have helped that I demonstrated that I was really passionate about my job (it’s just a regular minimum wage thing but I’m proud of it) and stuck with it for two years. The fact that you are teaching yourself other languages is incredible and shows self-sufficiency and determination. Getting into Harvard comes down to luck, but you are definitely on the right track!</p>

[gibby]

<p>In the world of college applications, having a job – and getting an additional rec from your boss – is a plus not a minus: <a href=“Guidance Office: Answers From Harvard's Dean, Part 3 - The New York Times”>Guidance Office: Answers From Harvard's Dean, Part 3 - The New York Times;

<p>

One of the best letters we ever received over the years was written by the school’s custodian who supervised the student in the school’s work program under very difficult circumstances, when everyone was tired at the end of the school day. The letter supported the other positive information in the application about how the student always made everyone around him better — and it made up for sparse recommendations from the over-worked teachers and counselors at that school. The strong personal qualities and character noted by the custodian were confirmed by the remarkable difference the student made to others during his college career and the difference he continues to make today.

</p>

[PolyglotGal]

<p>@brm114341‌ @gibby @T26E4‌ @notjoe Thank you all very much for the insightful answers and extremely helpful links. It’s just that my freshman year wasn’t so hot and I am extremely insecure around some of my peers. Two of the top kids are affluent, they do several clubs, and they are tennis and track stars. I am just intimidated. But I guess I must work on my application, not theirs. I’m just so afraid. I need to make the best of junior year.</p>

[gibby]

<p>Have you read through this thread, it contains a lot of helpful information: <a href=“Chance Threads - PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING ONE - Harvard University - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1420290-chance-threads-please-read-before-posting-one-p1.html&lt;/a&gt;

The term “extracurricular activities” covers an enormous amount of ground. We are interested in whatever a student does: in addition to school extracurricular activities and athletics, students can tell us of significant community, employment, or family commitments. There are many who spend a great deal of time helping to run their household, preparing meals and caring for siblings or making money with a part-time job to help the household meet expenses.</p>

<p>Unfortunately many schools have had to curtail or eliminate extracurricular activities and athletics, or they charge fees for participation. In addition, many students cannot afford expensive musical instruments or athletic equipment — or have families without the resources to pay for lessons, summer programs and the transportation networks necessary to support such activities.</p>

<p>Admissions Committees keep these factors in mind as they review applications, and are concerned most of all to know how well students used the resources available to them. Extracurricular activities need not be exotic — most are not — and substance is far more important. A student who has made the most of opportunities day-to-day during secondary school is much more likely to do so during college and beyond. This applies to academic life as well as extracurricular activities.

Bottom line: There is no such thing as a bad EC!</p>