What would be the best extracurriculars for when applying to top schools or the Ivies?, the difference in my situation being that I am in a rural/small town setting where neither me town or my town and high school don’t have the same opportunities as would kids from high funded schools and big cities. Anyone that got in that came from a rural area, any advice I can get from you guys?
There isn’t a “best extracurricular” activity. Selective colleges look for student’s who have made a significant commitment (3-8 hours a week) to something beyond academics. The idea is that a student’s time, energy, commitment, drive and devotion to any singular (or multiple) activity demonstrates a transferable set of skills – something that could be directly transferable to another activity in college, or something later on in life. Here, please read this: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marjorie-hansen-shaevitz/extra-curricular-activities-college-admission_b_3040217.html
Do what is right for you. Students (and their parents) need to eliminate the words “impressive,” “better,” “best,” or similar words from their vocabulary until after college admissions decisions are made. It is the rare application/course schedule/EC that will “impress” admissions. Perhaps the AO that read Malala’s application was “impressed,” but she set the bar high.
Wait, forget the idea of some target number of hours. I’ll put it this way, instead: do you have the vision to find worthy activities, in and out of the hs setting? And the energy to then go for them? No one should ask for definitive answers.
Go see what the colleges say and show they look for. Not strangers. Lots of kids in rural settings are activated.
There is no “best extracurricular.”
The best thing to do, from what I’ve read and in my opinion, is to pick one or two things you’re really good at and that you really enjoy and just devote yourself to them.
The only “requirement,” really, is to make sure that there’s some way you can show proof that you excelled in that specific activity. That’d mean participating in competitions if applicable. Other than that, though, if you’re passionate and skilled at it, that’ll lead to more opportunities and also be the most genuine on an application. Additionally, it’ll make it easier to write essays about it bc it’ll be something you actually care about.
Don’t need competitions. Don’t need to show you excelled. Do need to make valid commitments, consider what the tippy tops want to see. Relevant. Do need eyes wide open.
This isn’t entirey about some notion of genuine. There’s a lot in real life we do because it’s necessary or right. Think about it. Just having some passion doesn’t make it meaningful to adcoms going through roughly 40k apps, looking for the attributes they value.