I just came to the realization that my extracurriculars aren’t that good (at least I think). I’m a junior now, so I don’t have much time to change them. My extracurricular are as follows:
-Model UN (4 years, president senior year)
-DECA (2 years, won 1st place at state competition)
-Job (have been working in retail for one year)
-Teen Leadership Program (year long program that helped me develop leadership skills)
-Public Speaking Academy (2 month program that helped me develop speaking skills)
-Track and Field & Cross Country (3 years, distance runner, not that good but I managed to make varsity for cross country, had to quit due to injury, but I hope to return by the spring of next year)
-Service Trip (going to Peru for two weeks to volunteer, I know admissions counsilers think that these trips make you come off as privileged, but I intend to make it clear that I 100% payed for it myself and I don’t plan to write any essays about it and make it seem like something so much better than it actually is)
I have also been in Boy Scouts for 12 years and am as Life Scout, but I’ve decided against doing the Eagle Scout project due to academics being my first priority. Is it still acceptable to include Boy Scouts even though I never became an Eagle Scout or will that make me come off as lazy? Also, I volunteer whenever I have the opportunity, but I don’t volunteer on a regular basis and count my hours. Do I include that? I realize that it’s important to have some sort of community service on my application. If I can’t include how I volunteer from time to time, is it too late to start doing meals on wheels?
It’d be great if y’all could give me your opinions on whether these could get me into my top choice schools (Tulane, Emory, USC). Thanks!
@xvigil5, S applied to all three of those schools (Tulane, Emory, and USC) and was admitted this year to all three. USC had a 13% acceptance this year, Tulane was 17%, and Emory was under 20%. All of these schools are “reaches” although S felt Tulane was more of a match. I would say you have some solid extracurriculars. What are your plans this summer? Do you know what major you are interested in? Try to do something this summer related to the area of interest, whether an internship or you could consider attending a one week summer program at a strong university in your area of interest, whether that is computer science, business, health science or something else. Agree that the 2 week program in Peru may not necessarily do a whole lot unless you can tie it to something else that you have done or plan to do that is longer term commitment.
You will, of course, also want to get your standardized scores up as high as possible. How is your GPA? Those three schools do not solely focus on scores, but it helps to have a minimum of 32-34 ACT to enhance your chances of admission. That being said, many with 35 ACT will not be admitted to USC and some were not admitted to Tulane this year with 35 ACT. You might try to weave a narrative where your extracurriculars go together in some way. Your leadership position in Model UN is good. Are you interested in Political Science? See if you can volunteer for a campaign this summer or for the fall 2022 elections.
Some of the schools on your list really require showing demonstrated interest. Tulane is one of them. That means going to New Orleans for an interview and I would write in your Tulane essay something personal about Tulane or New Orleans that resonates with you or your family. Your essays will be important for USC as well. It is your chance to express something unique about yourself. Also, be sure to include specifics in your essays how you will contribute to life on campus. This may include continuing an area of interest or passion. Buy some books on college essays. Your story of participating in track, becoming injured, but returning to track and overcoming adversity may be something to write about. Best to show a progression of achievement, setbacks, more progress towards a goal, another setback and another achievement… than a straight progression in which you toot your own horn, or just one setback. You could, for example, talk about how you did not consider yourself “that good” but your love of the sport kept you in it until you were injured and how you struggled to decide whether to go back, how you feel about winning and losing… tie it to other activities where you worked hard to win awards…
All three of those schools have Early Action admission. Be sure to start writing your essays this summer and keep refining them. Have a trusted teacher provide feedback about your essays.Don’t miss the deadline for Early Action for Tulane and Emory. USC will also consider your application for scholarship consideration if you submit by December 1st. Also, apply for other scholarships at Tulane, which shows more interest and allows you to write other essays to express your interests. Community service is big with Tulane. The Peru trip may help with Tulane, as long as you do other community service throughout the year. Good luck!
Clarification. I meant joining a campaign for this Fall midterm elections (not 2022 :-)).) Also to answer your question, it’s not too late to do Meals on Wheels. The more community service, the better (especially for Tulane).
Also, doing boy scouts for 12 years does not come across as lazy to me. It shows you stick to an activity. You might weave that in with the theme about track, how you are not doing these things to necessarily gain trophies like Eagle Scout but for other reasons, whether because of the social benefits, learning certain skills to be able to help others, or other aspects. By the way, you mentioned being President of Model UN. Have you won some awards at Model UN?
Also, how has the leadership program or Public Speaking Academy impacted your other activities? Did you have a fear of public speaking at one time? What specific leadership traits have you used or plan to use… all things that could be included in an essay, rather than just listing excracurriculars. Alternatively, you could go contrarian and talk about how leadership cannot be taught but honed through life experience. Maybe you have stepped up at your retail job in some way that may apply some leadership qualities? Have you used leadership at Model UN to help younger classmen learn the ropes? All this to say that your essays are going to be as important as the extracurriculars. Try to find a way to connect them together in some cohesive way.