How to develop extracurricular (Jr year)

Applying to College
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I am in my junior year and I have a decent academic portfolio, but my extracurriculars lack. Just for context, my GPA is a 3.87, can be 3.9 if I work hard this (jr) year. My SAT is a 1580 and I basically take the hardest classes I can. I got a 4 on WHAP and I know I should have gotten a 5 but I just could care less about WHAP. With that aside, I wanted to know how I could build my extracurriculars. The only extracurriculars I have is a 4 figure side hustle reselling sneakers. I can probably make it 5 because I am close and so it looks better on college apps lol so yea I guess 5. I got fired my first month at a job so that doesn’t count. I am trying really hard for varsity golf, but it is not looking well (will still try regardless). I play the clarinet, but I don’t play for anything like a band, just win some “international” competitions but it seems like everyone gets 1st place. I am in no clubs because all of them seem cheesy at my school (clubs that seem to just be made just for the sake of college and not the sake of entertaining or informing if anyone could understand) and I don’t have the courage to make a club because frankly I’m a loser and no one will join. I did have a sneaker reselling club I had in mind but I have no teacher who would want to host it for me so yea. Actually a priest/teacher at my school loved sneakers and loved me and I was going to ask him this year if he could host my club but he just had to leave :(. I just wish I was more in the zone during freshman year cause 3 years in its so much harder to do these stuff. I play video games, specifically Valorant and hit radiant but I heard thats useless so that’s probably a last resort (prob will be used because I am a basic loser.) I post these clips on YouTube and do these “what i am thinking during these clips” videos (basically educational valorant clips) but no one be watching them but I’m still going to try. Be as blunt as you want as long as its constructive criticism not just tryna bring me down. I am really trying to get into an ivy league, but I know at this rate I won’t so I hope it isn’t too late to dial back in. Thanks in advanced, I read every comment cause there is nothing better for me to do.

TLDR: How to build extracurriculars junior year (where to get inspirations, any ideas, etc.)

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Wow, you are tough on yourself!

I think you’ve got some interesting EC’s with your sneaker business, music and golf. Not everyone needs to be in a million clubs and cure cancer to get into college, but, your chances for an Ivy are just about as slim as anyone else’s. Sounds like you’ve done the things that interest you, and that counts for something. Chasing new EC’s for the sake of an elite school is kind of approaching the process from the wrong perspective.

It would help to know a few things like:

a. What do you want to study in college?
b. How much tuition can you afford?
c. What would your ideal college experience be like?

There are plenty of great colleges that would be happy to have you just the way you are.

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You’re right about the chasing EC’s for the sake of a prestige school I haven’t thought about that.

  1. Business
  2. My parents will ONLY pay for a top tier college (think USC and better) so if I don’t get in its just my scholarships and loans
  3. Tough question honestly but prestige college is what I want to be honest I would be lying if I said anything else
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You don’t have to do anything exotic. Playing the clarinet in your high school band for all of high school is just fine. Having your own resale business is fine. Can you play JV golf?

Please don’t just think about Ivy League colleges. There are many many fine colleges where you can get a very fine education. That should be your goal…finding a college you will like that is affordable…and where you have a good chance of acceptance. Look for a couple of those first.

Re: your ECs. I’m a big fan of doing what you like. Please read your other thread about ECs. You got some good advice there. You don’t need a ton of ECs.

I will say…you might want to figure out why you got fired from your job…and maybe try to find another and don’t get fired. Working a job is viewed favorably by most colleges.

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Its too late for my band, and I probably can’t make JV. You say don’t think about ivies but honestly its impossible because my parents will NOT pay for schools that are not on that level. Not sure if this normal among asian parents but it really really sucks. I got fire because I was coming in to work after 5 AP classes, and honestly I can’t really handle the job cause of my academic rigor at the moment so I need to find something to get back up on the stool. I will definetly research on ECs though.

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A few words of advice from a parent…

I agree you are being too tough on yourself. You seem to have good activities that interest you. Pursue your passion and excel in whatever you do.

Stop calling yourself a loser. You are not a loser, just because you might have different interests and hobbies from those around you! And you need to develop a healthy and positive view about yourself.

Read this blog:

Understand that getting into an Ivy or other elite school involves many factors, many of which are not in your control. Be the best you can be at everything you do (academics + ECs), and present your strongest application. But understand that there are no guarantees and these schools are a super reach for almost all applicants. There is simply not enough space to fit every excellent applicant.

Finally, create a balanced list of schools and know that if you don’t get into an Ivy that’s not the end of the world.

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THIS!

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They should understand that these schools are very, very hard to get into even for the best applicants. Like I said above, a major reason for this is simply the lack of space to admit every excellent applicant. What would they prefer you do if you don’t get accepted by any of these schools despite your best efforts?

And no, it’s not normal. I live in an area with a high percentage of Asian American families and they understand the importance of creating balanced application lists. Is there an adult you are close with who might be able to talk to your parents about the reality of US college admissions? There are 3000+ 4-year colleges in America, so even if you look at the top 5%, that’s 150 colleges!

Apply to the Ivies - give them your best shot. But make sure you apply elsewhere too.

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Please read this thread…and perhaps you will understand the importance of having a balanced and varied list of college applications. The student in this thread was a NMF, class val with top grades, top SAT scores, excellent ECs, excellent LOR, and he wasn’t accepted anywhere as a HS senior. He really didn’t have a true sure thing for admission. He did land on his feet, but his senior year was not a happy time.

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Look, you are already an entrepreneur, so you need to approach your college admissions like one.

The Ivies are a reach for even the very top students - so while you can try your best this year and apply next year, you need to also be the practical business person that you are.

You understand supply and demand - if 2 people want to buy the same pair of sneakers you are selling, you can’t sell it to both. If 100,000 people apply for an ultra-limited number of Ivy seats, they can’t all get one.

So if your parents REALLY won’t pay for a non-elite school, and if you don’t make it into an Ivy, AND if you want to go to college at all, you’ll need to strategize, and maximize your investment… in yourself!

Start with your state university, and research schools that will give an academically strong candidate like yourself enough merit aid to make it work.

In the meantime, keep up your studies and doing the things that interest you, and expand your horizons beyond a handful of schools. Believe it or not, there are some AWESOME colleges and universities out there, and many of them aren’t even Ivies!

You can study business at hundreds of colleges, from #1 to #3000, but a degree is not a promise of success. You’ve already proven yourself to be motivated enough to start a business on your own, what will you achieve next?

Maybe this is not the answer you were hoping for, but it’s probably the one you need to hear. Work for Plan A but also Plan B - most of the time, Plan B ends up being amazing!

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I agree with other comments that you are being too hard on yourself.

Your sneaker business is interesting and relatively unique. The clarinet is a beautiful instrument. The ability to play an instrument well shows the ability to focus on a goal over a long period of time, which is one thing that universities are looking for. The ability to play golf well is another thing that requires focus and commitment over a period of time.

As a potential business major having a successful small business when you are still in high school is cool (and is certainly not something that I ever thought of doing).

Your ECs do not need to be through your high school.

I also agree with other answers that you do not need to attend a famous university to be a success in life. How you deal with your parents is another issue, although I do wonder if they will come around once your acceptances are in hand and you can see where you got in and what it is going to cost.

I did attend universities that even your parents would be impressed by (bachelor’s at MIT, master’s at Stanford). Since graduating I have worked with people who graduated from a huge range of universities and no one cares where any of us got our degrees. I still remember a difficult problem that stumped two MIT graduates (yes I was one of them) and that was then solved quickly and efficiently and very well by a U. Mass graduate. The U.Mass graduate is a great guy and a great engineer and a friend, and would be all of these regardless of where he had gotten his degree. As an undergraduate student I am also not sure whether MIT was really a good fit for me. As a graduate student Stanford was a good fit for me and I loved it. However, I did also notice that the various graduate students who I knew at Stanford had attended a very, very wide range of universities for their bachelor’s. It was hard to find two people who had attended the same undergraduate university, and the only exception was NOT a “top 50” university. You can attend a relatively average university for your bachelor’s degree and still get a master’s degree or other graduate degree from a highly ranked and famous university, or alternately from a university that has a strong program in your particular major (or both in some cases).

Another wild thought occurs to me. How would your parents feel about McGill or the University of Toronto? ECs are way less important for universities in Canada (one daughter was accepted to McGill and I do not think that they even asked about ECs). Your grades are probably sufficient for either, and your SAT is superb for pretty much any university in the world that cares about SAT scores.

And there are plenty of great colleges and universities here in the US that would be happy to have you.

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