What are some extracurriculars that I can do that don’t require interacting with other people? I can’t play a musical instrument, by the way.
Record yourself reading newspaper articles for the blind.
How much interaction is the problem - is it actual face-to-face, or does the concept of interaction include digital or telephone conversations? Telemarketing/fundraising for a non-profit can be a substantial EC that also benefits your community.
Please, though, just don’t call me during dinner…
How about volunteering with animals?
What is the issue/symptoms of the issue?
Like could you play chess? or could you work on the yearbook? Write for the newspaper and just hand it in?
Can you help an organization with computer work? Do you belong to a house of worship? THey often need help with things that could be done independently.
What do you like to do? That’s usually a good place to start with extracurriculars.
There’s a lot of volunteering that can be done with limited interaction. I volunteered at a local history museum, the local library, and a science museum in high school, and they all involved various degrees of behind-the-scenes work, like stuffing envelopes, shelving books, cataloging items, setting up displays, filing, computer work, etc. You would likely have to talk at some point with a supervisor though.
Why don’t you want to interact with people? Depending on the answer, avoiding interaction entirely may not be the best decision.
Do you mean alone-“at home,” or alone-“not on a team”?
I volunteer at an animal shelter, where most of my interaction is (obvs) with the animals, though one does have to take direction from more experienced volunteers, especially when just starting out. So I’d second that suggestion!
Why can’t you learn an instrument? If finances prohibit it, my school has a renting program–see if yours does too? Another possibility: check out eBay. My dad has a hobby of buying cheap trumpets there. 
Also:
Volunteer at a library
Learn a coding language
Learn an actual language
Start a blog, amass a following
Take an art class
@baktrax It’s just an anxiety disorder that I have. I’m in “treatment” for it but it’s not really getting better. I thought about volunteering at the local library. I think that’d be a good idea.
And I not really passionate about anything…I like gardening and reading and using the Internet but those aren’t extracurriculars. But I am in the readers club and the garden club at my school. No leadership, though.
Either one.
And I could learn an instrument, I just don’t think I would get good enough in a year that I’d be able to put in on my college application.
I think gardening is a very good EC. You need certain specialized knowledge for it. You can keep gardening journal or start a gardening blog?
I am also not the biggest fan of interacting with people (and I go to UChicago…not conforming to stereotypes at all hooray). I did a lot of programming.
- Being good is hardly a requirement for an EC to count, lol. Lists would be about half as long if you had to be the best at everything you included.
- Besides. You have a year. That's 25% of your high school career. 25% is better than 0%.
- At my school, fourth graders learn to play instruments. Brass instruments especially aren't that bad.
Can you do gardening as community service? For your school, house of worship, seniors who need help?
@bopper Actually they do have after-school gardening at my school. I’m going to do that next school year.
Maybe you could try writing? One of my main extracurriculars is writing and submitting to writing contests and literary magazines. I love it and it basically requires you to isolate yourself LOL but it’s really cathartic. If you like writing poetry, short stories, newspaper articles, or anything really, maybe you could to enter in some contests and see where that gets you! It might result in some nice awards to put on your resume, who knows. 
Anything computer related. Running a blog, programming an app, running a website, etc.
Any kind of art (painting, photography, writing, macrame, candle-making, basket-weaving etc…), cooking/canning, repairing cars or any other kind of equipment, building/construction, sewing, self-teaching any topic of interest (a language, history of x, russian lit), hiking, biking, working out, raising prize-winning guppies…The possibilities are endless.
Do whatever you enjoy. The idea is to develop new skills and expand your world beyond the classroom and your immediate community. Show some intellectual curiosity. Demonstrate an ability to self-teach and self-motivate. Try to connect with others who share your interest so you meet people you might not otherwise. You don’t have to be great at it - just committed to learning and ideally making some sort of impact.
One of my kids collected insects. She entered them in the county fair thru 4H ( she never went to 4H meetings, just did fair entries). It is a very solitary pursuit, although she had to talk to a judge at the fair about her collection.
It appears that you’re buying into the myth that ECs are somehow required to enter college. They aren’t. 80% of colleges in this hemisphere will gladly admit you solely on your transcript/test scores/ and check book.
ECs count for the student’s self enrichment, first and foremost. It’s not meant to be one of the Labors of Hercules. TONS of students dabble or do little yet find themselves perfectly ready for college applications.
Only in the tippy top schools, where there are multitudes of high grade/score applicants – do outside factors like ECs even come into evaluation. But if you truly don’t enjoy interacting w/lots of ppl or your grades/accomplishments don’t readily link you with those – perhaps you shouldn’t be targeting those schools anyway.
I’m not declaring that those schools solely welcome the super-gregarious, super organizer/cheerleader types. But you’re on a lifelong path of discovery. Do what’s fulfilling to you, and hopefully those around you. Continue to pursue your academics and come your Junior year, see what schools fit your profile.
By all means stretch yourself – chance joining clubs, activities, sports. Get an afterschool job (which is a FANTASTIC EC, by the way). Don’t do ECs solely b/c you hope to check off some requirement by “colleges”
ECs show how you interact with peers and the involved adults, how you meet the expectations-and yes, how willing you are to stretch. (I suspect you do more of this than you realize.) If you already like gardening, the suggestion to vol with a community garden can give you a chance to handle some responsibilities and do some good. You show up on time, have a few pleasant words for others, learn about your abilities and it’s low pressure.
In the long run, leadership isn’t about titles and fame as much as how you dig into what you do, how you try, and how people can count on you, in various ways. Just think about it.