Not Taking "Extracurricular" Activities

happymomof1
Fri, 20 Jun 2014 00:47:12 +0000

I expect that your vice principal thinks that you would be an asset in some of the clubs at your high school, and for that reason would like you to be more active there. But if you don’t want to, it really is OK. An extracurricular does not have to be a club at your school, or a project you do at your school. It can be something that interests you (like your independent language study) or something that you need to do (like hold down a part time job to help support your family). If you can write good essays about these interests and/or needs, and how they have helped you grow as a person, the institutions that care about what you do when you aren’t in class will be able to evaluate them along with the school-based ECs that some students enjoy.

Stop worrying about this.

Since money is a real issue for your family, ask them to help you run the Net Price Calculators at the websites of several of the colleges and universities currently on your list. Figure out if it is likely that some of them could be affordable. If none of them are, and none are an absolute slam-dunk for admissions based on your grades and test scores alone, go read through the threads on automatic merit-based aid in the Financial Aid Forum, and find someplace that will admit you with your grades and scores, and that will be affordable for you.