ECs and Volunteer work

College Admissions
#1

Hi, I’m going to be a junior next year and really needed advice for how to improve ECs and volunteer work in order to get into some good college (upenn) for business or engineering

School: Public High School
GPA: 4.0
Weighted: 4.6
SAT: Around 2100 planning to improve to 2300 by November
SAT II: 800 in Math II and 800 in Biology, planning to take USH and Physics next year
Taken 2 APs, 5 next year, and have 6 college credits in Computer Science from my Community college
ECs: Been part of DECA for 2 years, year 1, I won regionals, year 2, I came 1st in states.
Vice-President of FBLA and unofficial chairman of competitve events
Computer science club, competed planning to place next year
Volunteer: Nothing really, I just have about 40 hours from my library

my academics are solid, but my ECs and Volunteering are horrible for the Ivys.
Does anybody have any suggestions how to improve my application, before its too late!
Should I be founder of a sci bowl, take part in AMC, do some research project, get a job, start a business?
Thank you so much in advance.

#2

You should do something that corresponds to your interests. I’d go for the research project while making some connections for possible lab work. In my experience, conducting meaningful research has opened up many doors for me.

#3

There is no requirement that you do volunteer work for the Ivies or any other school. The requirement is that you show an exceptionally high level of achievement in whatever it is you choose to invest your time in. Zero hours of community service is fine if you are accomplished in some meaningful way. And 1,000 hours of shelving books in the local library isn’t going to help if you aren’t.

So back to ECs - what do you enjoy doing? Your current ECs good. But is there something else you’d enjoy doing/learning that you haven’t been? What do you already do with your free time? What does your family do in which you have developed some skill and ability? What makes you an interesting person to talk to? If you weren’t going to school next year and could just indulge your intellectual curiousity for a year, what would you do? If you can increase your competence and engagement by interacting with others who share your interests, adding new skills, finding new ways to attract others to what you love, you will have a satisfying high school career, be someone interesting to talk to, and just maybe, as a side benefit, get into the colleges you want to attend.

#4

N’s Mom, you have a really good point because I’ve always viewed college admissions as some type of numbering system, not really thinking about who I am as a person…