<p>I seem to see a lot on these boards about science/math stuff, but not so much for us aspiring literary types. :) I'm a rising sophomore and wondering what kind of extracurriculars could I pursue in that area? The Eragon/Kaavya "child star" route is a long shot, so I'm thinking more along the lines of essay/poetry contests and the like - is there a list of fairly worthwhile ones somewhere? I have won several local/regional writing contests and I attended a writing program this summer. I'm hoping to submit to a bunch of things this year - NPR's This I Believe, Newsweek's My Turn, and so on. I live near a large university with a very good journalism program, and I know there must be some way to use that resource, such as an internship, but I'm not sure how. The local newspaper and "writer's center" seem like there would be some sort of opportunities there as well.</p>
<p>I'm planning on doing my Gold Award for Girl Scouts - the equivalent of Eagle Scout. I design knitting patterns and am working on submitting some to online magazines. I'm also thinking of becoming a literacy tutor and joining MUN, and I am minorly involved with music (mainly voice). I hope to make the county math team this year, just because. This summer I also volunteered as a CIT for 4 weeks at a Girl Scout camp.</p>
<p>I'm a little worried because my freshman year sort of crept away. I have a tentative list of schools going, but I really need to work to get my extracurriculars up to where my grades are (1/390 rank at a decent public school).</p>
<p>I would recommend emailing/calling/writing the editor at your local newspaper and offering to be a student correspondent if they don't already have something in place. At least at my local paper they appreciated when I offered to do that sort of thing because it broadens their appeal and gives a younger person's perspective, plus it's a writer they don't have to pay, which is something that helps smaller newspapers. If you do this and really dedicate yourself to it, it also makes for a great additional recommendation from someone outside of school who has had an opportunity to become very familiar with your strengths and weaknesses.</p>
<p>Don't worry about about wasting time, you're only a rising sophomore. I didn't continue most of my ec's from freshman year; but got really involved in some stuff such as my school newspaper from 10th grade on. Also, you may be considered to young by some places if you try to get internships and such. I didn't start writing for my local newspaper until the end of my junior year. And still I got into some really great schools and really competitive journalism programs.</p>
<p>Is journalism something you want to pursue as a career or is it just something you are good at and enjoy. I only ask because if you're really passionate about journalism and want to pursue it as a career I may have some more suggestions for you that are more specific to that.</p>
<p>I'll definitely think about that. I live in a largeish, although by no means large, city, and it would be great exposure. I'd really like to work with a professor at the local university in some type of a mentorship role, but I'm not sure how or if that would work out, because there isn't really a mutual benefit.</p>
<p>HoyaChick: I'm not sure if journalism is going to be my "thing," I'm mostly interested in literary non-fiction but I thought I'd look into some other things - any advice would be appreciated, even if it is journalism-heavy.</p>
<ul>
<li>Check if your local paper has a youth/teen section, and if they do ask how you could join.</li>
<li>School Newspaper</li>
<li>Internship or Mentorship at a newspaper</li>
</ul>