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Ask the Guru a question.Extracurricular Activities
I will be applying to college in the fall, and am nervous about being accepted to my top choice schools. I currently have a 3.8 GPA and am taking AP and honors courses, and I am very involved in sports, Girl Scouts, and the local Boys and Girls Club. My problem is that I have never been very involved with in-school activities because of my commitments outside of school. Is lack of involvement in school sports and clubs looked upon poorly by colleges? Also, I know that the National Honor Society is well respected, but my school's policy on accepting students to it is that you need 72 in-school service hours. As I explained above, I don't have the necessary hours and therefore wasn't able to be in NHS. Should I mention this to the colleges I apply to? Thank you for any help.
First of all, without knowing your test scores, it's hard to say what your overall chances are at any particular school. My own feeling on this is that colleges care much more about the depth of your commitment to outside activities rather than the breadth. They would rather you be involved in just a few activities and devote meaningful time, rathern than have more actitivites but not devote much time to any of them. Therefore, I think should be fine with the acitivites you have, assuming you devote some significant time to them (by the way, I also assume that the reference to "sports" means some type of organized league rather than just some "pick-up" games). I probably would mention on your college application that, while you would be eligible for NHS, your commitments to various activities outdie of school prevented you from being involved with NHS. Of course, I'd be sure to also tell the colleges about the extent of your involvement in sports outside of school and the scouts and some of the positive benefits you've received from your participation. Good luck!
I always read that it is important to colleges that you have leadership positions in the clubs in which you are involved. I am worried because I have always pursued leadership positions in Student Council, Beta and NHS, but I have never won the elections. Should I say that I at least ran for a position?
It’s true that colleges like to see leadership in their applicants, but it doesn’t have to be through an elected position. Are there projects or activities within your club that you have spearheaded? If so, be sure to mention these in your applications. If not, there’s an easy solution: Volunteer to start an initiative or coordinate an event through one of your clubs (a conference or fundraiser, for example). You could also start your own club -- something that reflects your personal interests. Be creative, and leadership will follow!
I am currently a sophomore at a fairly well known private school in Florida. I am in all honors classes, have a 4.15 GPA (out of a possible 4.3), am a member of the student council and PALS (an organization to help new freshman), the manager and statistician for the varsity basketball team, have starred in 2 plays, and plan to take 3 AP courses as a junior. My school does not list class rank, but I would guess that I am 8th out of my class of 155. Last summer I took a sports law course at Duke. This summer I will attend a legal conference at Stanford and a leadership conference in Washington, DC. I recently took the new PSAT and received a 71 in critical reading, a 73 in math, and a 77 in writing. Academically, I'm not worried, but I have not done much community service. Though I have 100 hours, most of it comes from volunteering at a summer camp. I'm concerned that not having enough community service will hurt my chances of being accepted into a school like Stanford or George Washington. Is it necessary that I help out more in the community or can I continue to focus on academics and leadership?
Let me start by congratulating you on your accomplishments so far. Your excellent grades, strong test scores, and variety of extracurricular activities should give you a good shot at getting into some of the country’s most prestigious colleges. If you want to get involved in another volunteer activity, that’s fine, but I don’t think it’s necessary. First of all, 100 volunteer hours are nothing to sneeze at. Second, you seem to be involved in plenty of extracurricular activities already. Colleges would rather see you participate in a limited number of activities and devote significant time to them than join every club in sight but not be deeply involved in any of them. Basically, you’re doing all the right things already. As long as your SAT scores are consistent with your PSAT scores, you should be in great shape. In the meantime, relax a little and enjoy the rest of high school. You don’t want to burn yourself out before you get to college!
What do most colleges look for when they are reading students’ applications? Second, does volunteer work make a student’s college application a little more presentable, or should I say deserve a second look? Third, does a student have a good chance of being accepted into a college if he or she has volunteered time at certain places?
College admissions offices consider a range of factors in evaluating applications: grades, essays, standardized test scores, rigor of coursework (e.g. AP and other advanced courses), teacher recommendations, extracurricular activities, and personal qualities. Volunteer work is certainly a worthy extracurricular activity, as long as you show a commitment to it. Most colleges prefer someone who does a few extracurricular activities with consistency and passion than someone who belongs to every club at her high school but isn’t deeply involved in any of them. Where you volunteer is not as important as the time and energy you commit to it—and how well you convey what you have learned from the experience in your application.
Dear Admissions Guru, I'm a Junior in high school and i have participated in school sports and activities. But, I haven't done any volunteer or community work. I wanted to know if I start volunteering and doing community work would it still be worth it? Thank you.
Yes, it would still be worth it. It's not too late for you to start since you're only a junior. But I wouldn't wait any longer since in the fall you can start applying to colleges. Good luck!
I am a sophomore in an IB high school and I am not sure whether my extracurricular activities are the right activities for colleges. I am not the leader of anything in my community and I really haven't done much volunteer or community service activities. I have mainly focused my energy into after-school activities such as G-force, Youth Leadership, FCA, choir, soccer, and the full IB diploma. I want to go to college and major in nursing. Would my extracurricular activities be looked upon as good enough for colleges or do i need to do more community things and be a leader of different organizations? I have good grades, (4.25 GPA)and am number 13 out of a class of 278. I haven't taken the SAT or ACT yet. I'm not sure that my current activities will be enough to get me into a highly accredited or ivy league university. Do I need to be more involved in other things?
You're doing a lot of things, and I think with your grades and your IB courses you'll be fine. Of course, it's hard to say which schools you would get into because that will depend on your test scores as well. However, based on what you've told me, you should get into some very good schools. If you want to get involved in a community activity, it wouldn't hurt, but I don't think it's necessary. Don't overextend yourself; sometimes colleges would rather you be involved in less activities but devote more time to them. If you have too many things "listed", it might look like you're joining things just for the sake of joining without devoting meaningful time to them.
Dear Admissions Guru, This is my junior year, and I am extremely stressed out about my chances of getting into an Ivy League school. Currently, I have a 4.4 GPA, rank number one in my class of 458 students, and am taking all the AP classes available at my school. I have been taking advantage of my summers by attending the NYLF program on medicine, and am attending the People to People's program at Johns Hopkins University this summer. In the community, I am a youth executive board member of the Santa Clara Valley Red Cross Chapter, an intern at a medical clinic, a clinical research assistant, a YMCA youth and government delegate, and a hospital volunteer. At school, I am President of my Red Cross Club, and a member of NHS, CSF, and Literary Society. My SAT score is about a 1200. I understand that I need to improve my score; however, besides the SAT, I feel very uneasy. The load of stress is making me feel "burned out". Although I am stressed out and constantly tired, I know that there are other spectacular students out there. I feel as if I am not doing enough to get into Stanford University or Johns Hopkins University. What else can I do to make myself stand out? If I am doing the right things, what am I doing now that DO make me stand out?
First of all, you are doing everything you can do and more! Your class rank, GPA and activities are very impressive. And, your SAT score of 1200 is definitely nothing to be ashamed of. Now, is your SAT high enough to get into Stanford or Johns Hopkins? Maybe not, but you'll still get into an excellent school (and, with your being number one in your class and all your activities, you still may have a shot at these schools). Don't stress yourself out over this. All you can ask of yourself is to do your best. I would not recommend that you get involved in any more activities because it looks like you're already busy enough. You need to have some free time to yourself too. In fact, I think you ought to stop some of the things you're doing so you have some time to yourself to do whatever you want to do--relaxing things like reading, watching television, going to a movie, concert or sporting event, etc. Put everything into perspective. Getting into a good college is important, but I don't think you have anything to worry about in that regard. Just do your best to try to raise your SAT score, keep doing the other things you're doing, and stop worrying! It's ok (and actually important) to have a little fun in high school too! Too much stress is not good for your physical or mental health. Relax and enjoy your high school experience.
I am a junior in high school. I have been taking all the honors and AP classes at my school, and have been keeping my Straight A's since freshmen year. Although I have a passion for academia and community service, I did not attempt to join a sports team because I found myself unpassionate about sports. Will I have a disadvantage when I apply to college?
Well, not because you're not involved in sports, but you will have some disadvantage is you're not involved in any extracurricular or community activity. Based on your grades alone, assuming you have good test scores you'll probably be able to get into some good schools. However, to be able to get into the upper echelon of schools, I think you need to get involved in some of these activities.
I am a junior in high school. In my sophomore year, I attended the National Youth Leadership forum on Medicine. Although the program was a great experience, I would like to know how "good" the program would look on my college application. Also, I am planning to do the People to People's Ambassador program at Johns Hopkins University this summer. Does this also make my application look good, or will colleges just see this as "another leadership program"?
I don't know a lot about these programs so it's hard to say how they'll be viewed. Certainly the one from Hopkins will carry some weight because of its affiliation with Hopkins. These sound like worthwhile programs that will help your application.
I'm a freshman in high school and I have no community service or extracurricular activities. I'm in mostly honors and accelerated classes and get mostly A's and A-'s. I'm planning on taking foreign languages for two years and fine and performing arts for two years. I am also planning on taking two AP science classes and AP calculus in my senior year. I would like to know if I would strongly need community service and/or extracurricular activities in order to be accepted by the more selective colleges? If so, how many hours (e.g., volunteer work) should I do? Thank you. Tim Nijkamp
First of all, your grades are excellent, particularly since you're in honors and accelerated classes. Your intention to take foreign language and fine and performing arts courses shows your commitment to academic success. It's hard to say how much extracurricular and volunteer activities you need to do to get into any particular school. If you continue to get mostly A's and do well on the SAT, you will probably get into most of the colleges you apply to. However, I say "most" because the very top schools will most likely want to see some extracurrcicular activities and community service. At that level, such activities and service may be the difference in your being accepted or not. Therefore, I encourage you to get involved. Ideally, you should do something you like. I suggest you try to get involved in some activities through the school and do some volunteer work in the community. As to how many hours, again, that's difficult to say. It should be enough to be meaningful but not so much that it interferes with your studies, work, etc. My general thought is that you might want to consider devoting between 5 to 10 hours per week on average. Of course, if you get involved with any sports, it's likely to involve a larger time commitment. However, absent that, I think something in the 5 to 10 hour range would be sufficient, particularly if you're involved in a few activities. Good luck!
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I’m a sophomore in high school and I have a 6.76 out of 7.00 gpa. My class rank is currently 7/945. I’m also an officer in interact club (volunteering + community service) and teach and assist at my church. I am thinking of trying out for my dance/drill team this fall since it is a good extracurricular activity and I also enjoy dancing. Dance/drill team is approximately $900 - $1,000 the first year and requires a lot of dedication. They are expected to stay after school a few hours Mondays through Thursdays and they perform at football games and do other volunteering & fundraising projects so it takes up a great deal of time. I’m worried I won’t have enough time for my other classes because I’m taking an AP class right now and am also planning to take 2 or 3 next year. Should I try out? But if I try out and make it, my GPA may suffer because I won't have as much time to study. Is there any other option in this situation? I was also wondering if I can take one year of dance as pass/fail. I can just take one pass/fail course per year because the maximum number of pass/fail courses you can take is two and I would like to take PALS during my senior year as pass/fail. Also, does dance/drill count as leadership? Finally, I want to go to medical school. Would Rice(ranked 17 for 2005) be a good school to go to? I am also considering UT(ranked 46). Which would you recommend, or do you recommend another option?
I think it's generally better to do less activities and put more time into them. The activities you're in sound good, and I wouldn't do more if you think it will affect your grades. However, if you think you would like the dance/drill, then you might consider stopping the other activities to concentrate on the dance/drill team if you can't do all of them at once. With regard to takin dance as pass/fail, I think that is more a question of whether it's something you'll enjoy rather than something that will make any significant difference in your admission chances. I wouldn't say that Dance/Drill is "leadership", but you have a leadership position already in the interact club. Rice is an excellent school. UT is also a good school, but if you can get into Rice you might want to consider some higher ranked schools for your pre-med program. Since you're familiar with the rankings you can see which are these schools. A higher ranked school doesn't mean you'll get a better education, but there's no denying that sometimes the reputation of the school can make a difference to medical school admission officers. Of course, I suggest you also take into account other factors in selecting a school, such as type of campus, student mix, geographic location, sports and activities, etc. You have a very strong record, and I'm sure you'll get into a very fine school.
I am a high school senior, and I was told to take the SAT exams. Is it a bad thing that I haven't taken them in my junior year? Would it help to take them twice in my senior year? I am not a very athletic or academically inclined person, although my grades aren't bad. But I am very active in community service with a volunteer fire department, and I am also an EMT. Will this help me get into any colleges? Thanks for your help.
It's only a bad thing that you haven't taken the SAT inasmuch as taking them more than once can improve your score. I would take them as soon as possible, then, if you feel like you need to take them again, do so. Decent grades and the kinds of valuable things you're involved in will get you into a good school. Read the advice on the site and match your grades and SAT score up with likely colleges.
Who should I ask for recommendations?
Don’t assume that the teacher in whose class you did A-level work will write the best recommendation. Select people--preferably teachers, unless you’re instructed otherwise--who are likely to take the time to write thoughtful comments and who seem interes ted in doing so. If you are in a position to request letters of recommendation from persons of influence (alumni, politicians, or company presidents, for example), ask yourself these questions: Does this person know me well enough to write an informative reference? What information can this person add to my profile that others have not already covered?
Do admissions people know about all school clubs?
Blue Key, NIFTY, CYO, ETC! Whatever the organization, don’t assume that admission officers will recognize titles or acronyms. Define the activity, as well as your role in it.
I’m a high school sophomore at a respected public high school in the Midwest. I’ve got a 5.75/5 GPA and am ranked 6 out of 439. I take challenging classes (about 4 honors per year). My problem is activities. I have onlylimited involvement in 2 clubs. However, this summer I plan to participate in some research internship program at Argonne Labs and am also attending the National Scholars Academy. Next year, I will also join science club. What are my chances for Michigan? Northwestern? Others?
Your grades and class rank are great, especially from a “respected public high school.” An admissions person told me the other day that Stanford received enough 4.0/4.0 GPA applicants to be able to fill their entire freshman class. So grades are not enough. Being involved in two clubs is not the problem. The problem is your “limited” involvement. Find a couple of activities to throw yourself into, something you REALLY care about. Become a “star” in them. The other activities--the internship and the Nation al Scholars Academy--are pluses, too. Your chances at Michigan and Northwestern? That totally depends on their applicant pool at the time you apply. It would be impossible to predict. But one thing is for sure: You can’t do anything about the other applicants; you can only do something about yourself. Good luck.
What do you think of the idea of writing your own letters of recommendation, then getting your teachers to sign it with whatever modifications they would like to make? And do you know where sample letters of recommendation are on the Net so I don’t hav e to write all of these myself?
I don’t think too much of this idea; I think it more or less defeats the purpose. In my mind, the best letter of recommendation is one that can speak specifically about your ability to perform at a certain school. Thus, a letter from an alumni or someone connected with the school, who knows the environment and can say, “So and so will do well” is going to be a powerful statement. Other letters, from respected people, also carry weight. Personally, I would never sign a letter of recommendation for someone that I hadn’t written myself. Maybe you know people who don’t care.
I am a junior in high school and would like an impartial recommendation on what to do for my summer vacation. I hope to be accepted at a highly selective school based on my great test scores and my ok grades. I don’t have an overwhelming passion except for soccer, which despite dedication and hard work has limited potential to polish my halo due to genetic ability limitations. So... do I spend $6500 of my parents’ hard earned cash to go to an elite summer school program that might make me more attractive to an Ivy League school.
I am a junior in high school and have a GPA of 3.8. I have taken honor courses and this year i'll be taking a college course as well. I am involved in a few extracurricular activities (section editor of school paper, student council, community service committee) and volunteer at the local hospital. But I made the mistake of not doing anything in my freshman year. Do you think colleges might turn me down for that or look badly upon it? When I write down my activites I did each year what should I put for my freshman year?
A student’s first year of high school is a learning experience. You are introduced to more difficult assignments, larger classes, new social pressures, etc. You are “learning the ropes,” and may not be ready to tack on several extracurricular activities. In fact, many students don’t become involved in clubs, societies, and organizations until their sophomore or junior years. They want to give themselves time to adjust to their new school and the new academic responsibilities.
You are a very involved student and should have no problem being accepted to several fine schools. The most important things you can do now are to maintain that high GPA and to continue serving and volunteering.
You have to be truthful on your application, so you shouldn’t put anything in for your freshman year that you didn’t actually do. If you think about it you might remember something you did, even if it was only something you did one time. It really shouldn’t be a problem if you became involved in activities in your sophomore year.I am just starting my junior year and I have a problem with my classes. I am taking 3 AP courses and all advanced classes possible at our school. I got into journalism class, but my teacher said that there is a major time commitment involved both in and outside of school hours. My problem is that I already work 36 hours a week at my job, am starting to volunteer at a local hospital, and am beginning to play golf. If I were to drop this class one of the only things i could do would be to be a TA for a teacher. Will that affect my chances greatly of getting into a college like UC Davis? Also, i played football and baseball my freshman year but sustained injuries. My doctor told me not to play theses sports any more. Will this affect how the colleges think of me, even though i would've been playing them if not for those injuries.
Students often overload their schedules with activities because they think that schools are impressed by the number of clubs, organizations, and sports that they are involved in. While it is important to be involved, overloading your schedule may lead to serious problems with grades—and even your health.
Schools want to know that you are committed to the things that you choose to be involved in. Even if it is only one or two activities, colleges will be impressed if you invested valuable time in volunteering at the hospital and playing on the golf team. Students who are able to hold down a job while in school are also impressive to colleges.
I don’t think that dropping the class will have any effect on your chance of getting into any college. However, unless you really need the money, I would recommend you cut back on your work schedule. Working 36 hours per week is an awfully high amount for a high school student. It’s almost working full time!
And, no, your not being able to play sports because of your injuries will not affect how colleges think of you. In fact, I would put on your application that you played the sports but then got injured and couldn’t continue. Colleges will like that you made the effort.
Remember: it’s not how much you do. It’s how hard you work at what you do. You are a very involved student and should have no trouble getting accepted to several fine schools. So concentrate on maintaining your GPA and continue to be active in your current extracurricular activities. And, remember to have some time for yourself and enjoy your high school years!What qualifications or extracurriculars, such as community service, mean the most to colleges when they are reading admissions?
Colleges are impressed when students show commitment to whatever extracurricular activities they become involved in—and they don’t necessarily have favorite activities. So, the best things to do when choosing one or more ways to get involved are to: 1) Consider your interests. Ask yourself if joining an athletic team, playing in the band, or volunteering at the hospital excite you. 2) Consider your schedule. Will you be able to commit to three-hour evening practices for four months as a lead in the school play. 3) Consider your level of commitment. For example, do you really love French enough to be President of the French Club?
After you know what you like and what you can commit to, enjoy! Choose one or a few things to do and get busy doing them. But remember: it’s easy to concentrate on extracurriculars and let grades and test scores slip. Don’t over commit, keep your trend in grades moving up, do your best on the ACT or SAT, and you should have no trouble getting accepted to several fine schools.
I'm a sophomore in high school. My GPA is 4.0 and I'm taking the hardest classes possible (all honors) as well as psychology (which is considered a more junior/senior class at my school). I play a sport every season and I'm also moderately involved in student government. Also, I volunteer and am involved in a youth group. I'm wondering whether my lack of in-school extracurricular activities, such as different clubs, will reflect negatively upon me, and whether I should attempt to get involved in one or more of those.
First of all, congratulations on your accomplishments so far. Given your avid participation in sports, as well as your volunteer work and youth group participation, I don’t think admissions committees would construe you as lacking extracurricular activities. They want to see well-rounded students who are involved in their communities, and it sounds like you fit the bill.
If you’re still paranoid about not being sufficiently involved in your school community (remember, being involved in your school isn’t something you need to do just to strengthen your resume, but also to woo teachers and your guidance counselor to write you great recommendations), the answer is not to add another organization to your resume, but rather to take a greater leadership role in the ones you’re already involved in, such as student government. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you’re able to identify an activity you feel passionate about, so you can make this the focus of your application essays. Good luck!
I am a sophomore at my school with a 3.6 GPA. I am not in any extracurricular activities because I have to work. Will not being involved in any extracurricular activities affect me for college?
While admissions committees tend to frown upon students who don’t participate in extracurriculars, they don’t write off students who work, particularly those who work to support their families.
Based on what you’ve told me, it sounds like you fall into this latter category, in which case colleges are likely to evaluate your job like an extracurricular activity. They may even give you some bonus points if you have to work long hours (or every day during the week) and still manage to maintain a high GPA through your senior year.
I have heard that colleges actually prefer to see applicants with a clear path of consistency that is shown in their extracurriculars and other activities. I would guess this means that if someone wanted to be a doctor they would volunteer at a hospital. Is it true that universities only want applicants who have a choice of what they want in their life?
While colleges certainly don’t frown upon students whose extracurriculars forebode a particular career path, admissions committees realize you need some time to explore and figure out what you’re really interested in. Consequently, they’re most concerned with the level of commitment you demonstrate for the activities you partake in and the passion that level of commitment reflects. The specific activities are not as important as your showing that you're devoting some meaningful time to them.
Is a work experience very necessary to get into Ivy leagues or other really good universities? Apart from grades and SATs, are they very particular about extracurricular activities? Is a student who gets good grades, gets a good SAT score, but isn't too involved in sports or extracurricular activities or a work experience still considered a potential candidate?
Work experience is not necessary to get into good schools. If you do have a job, you can make it a very positive part of your application, showing that you are responsible, learning new skills, able to work with people, etc, but you don't HAVE to have a job in order to demonstrate these things. Having a part-time job in high school can be good, but it should never interfere with your grades. And if you need to choose between having a job and being involved in extracurricular activities, choose the activities - you will have a job for most of your life!
Schools look most closely at your grades and test scores, so yes, they are extremely important. After that, schools will look at your extracurricular activities along with the rest of your application. Even if you get good grades and test scores, it will be very difficult to show that you are a well-rounded person if you aren't involved in anything else. But before you think you have to go out and join every sports team your school offers, remember that there are hundreds of activities to get involved in BESIDES sports. Check out clubs of every kind, and if you don't find one you like, start your own. Look into school activities like newspaper, yearbook, debate, or music - just to name a few. Volunteer in your community by serving at a food kitchen once a month or helping tutor kids at your local Y. I can't even begin to list all the opportunities...
You don't have to go crazy joining every activity in sight. Carefully look at your options and choose a few things that really interest you and sound like fun as well. Activities aren't meant to burden you - they are meant to be fun and give you new experiences all at the same time - something you look forward to! Even if you haven't been involved much in the past, it's never too late to start something new. Good luck!