Volunteering - SPCA of Texas - 4 years (Adoption Counselor/PET Trainer)
Volunteering - Special Olympics - 4+ years (Swim Coach/Meet Coordinator)
Part-Time Job - Lifetime Fitness - 1 year (Swim Instructor specializing in special needs/Lifeguard)
Along with some other activities (Latin Club, Forensic Club, Violin, etc) that don’t really relate to what I want to go into - I’d like to enter college as a psychology major, and continue on to clinical or psychiatry. I feel that my Special Olympics and special needs work would be extremely relevant, but also fear that it may come off as contrived or not genuine enough if I talk too much about it in an essay.
Any advice? Would it be more about how my essays read? Thanks.
I think if you can show that you’re passionate about whatever extracurriculars you do (that you do them because you love them, not to look good to colleges), that is what will show if the activities are “artificial” or not.
Not all your activities have to relate to your future major. Admissions officers understand high school students join clubs for fun or because they have multiple interests. Go ahead and list them. The common app specifies to list things in order of importance to you, so just put them last.
When people talk about having contrived activities, they mean “founding” multiple clubs just to get leadership positions, yet not actually doing any events or things within the club once it starts.
Nothing about this seems artificial. Just make sure your essay is not an extension of your description of your volunteer service. If you choose to write about a volunteer experience, it should all tie back to you- how it made you feel, how it affected/influenced your future plans, etc.