<p>Hi Guys, I’m going to be a junior in the fall of 2013, and I am currently in a state of panic as to what I should do for my ECs. Before discovering this marvellous site, I haven’t been doing much in school- outside activities wise. In freshman year, I was too scared to join anything and ended up doing only this one intense outdoor exploration course where we do 4 trips a year hiking in different places and doing projects on our trips. The only highlight of that course was that I hiked the 47km Juan de Fuca trail on Vancouver Island with my team and I was pretty proud of that I guess. The only other thing that seems remotely outstanding was that I ran the 10 Sun Run in Vancouver the second time. I couldn’t do anything during the summer because I left the country to visit my mom for two months.</p>
<p>When I found this site in my Sophomore year, I realized that I wasn’t really active in my school, and strived to get as many ECs as possible, meaning I joined the school newspaper, the math club, the enviromental club and model UN. I overloaded myself in the beginning of the year with the intention of filling my future college application with all these fancy stuff. However after half a year, I began to loose interest in everything, except for the school newspaper. I loved writing for it, and I stayed with it throughout the whole year. Right now, it is summer and I decided to go to China for the first time, and immerse myself in my Chinese culture for a month. Next month I’m headed to dubai for an intensive french course. I’m hoping these two activities will make my ECs appear more ‘full’ but I am afraid that what I have cannot be compared to everyone else here. One thing I am very passionate about, though, is cooking, and I will be in my school’s culinary arts program for the next 2 years, so throughout high school. (Can it be counted as an EC?) I have been awarded for my work in the program in grade 9, and I really want to be a chef, but my parents would not allow it and are ‘encouraging’ (forcing) me to choose a profession i.e. lawyer or accounting. </p>
<p>Sorry for writing so much, but I do hope someone here will read it and give me some words of wisdom as to what to do for ECs? I’m really panicking because one school I really really really want to go to is Stanford, but with my lack of ECs, I’m afraid this dream cannot come true.</p>
<p>94% of people will see their desire of Stanford turned away. </p>
<p>Your sudden turn on of ECs likely won’t turn any heads in your favor, to be blunt. For the most selective colleges, they are ususally good at finding the students who really are excellent at influencing their peers and their communities. You seem to be intent on filling your resume with what you view might interesting things but they don’t really affect others. I doubt Stanford will see it any differently.</p>
<p>Depends on your grades. Stanford is a no but I would say an achievable reach school would be Cornell maybe. You could go to schools where you could take good cooking classes along with the profession your parents force you into. Because the language immersion doesn’t relate to your major I’m not sure how well it will help, but communication is certainly valuable in every job I spose. Because you’re so wealthy you’re expected to do more than the poor students, so you’re at a disadvantage. You’ll get into good schools though, if you have good academics.</p>
<p>Relax. It is far too early to know what your chances are for Stanford. </p>
<p>It sounds to me like you have a nice selection of EC’s. If you like cooking perhaps you could volunteer at a soup kitchen or make dinners for a Ronald McDonald House. </p>
<p>Schools want to see initiative and commitment, not a laundry list of impressive programs. Don’t spend the next two years doing what you think and adcom might like. Do what you like.</p>
<p>Relax. You’re doing fine. Colleges do NOT want to see a hodgepodge list of ECs. They want to see that the applicant has passions and interests - usually seen by the ECs. Two or three ECs, with leadership positions in one or two, are enough. </p>
<p>It looks like you have three main interests: travel and foreign languages, journalism and cooking. Build on those three areas and you’ll be okay. qialah’s right - volunteer using the skills you have. That’s one way of showing initiative.</p>
<p>Colleges want to see passions and interests… and impact, if I can add slightly to SMMD.</p>
<p>You will be better off not having an enormous list of clubs if you can point to ways that you have made your school, community, and world better places.</p>
<p>Tiger Woods was admitted to Stanford and he only had one EC - the golf thing worked out pretty well for him.</p>
<p>There are other schools out there besides Stanford…
Stop freaking out about college and what ECs are expected of you, and just do them. The less you think about what you should do, the easier it’ll be for you to pursue your interests.</p>
<p>It’s okay that you tried out a bunch of things. That way you got to identify what you liked and that was newspaper. I suggest you continue working on that through school.</p>
<p>Just as there is “nothing, literally nothing, that in and of itself will get you into MIT,” “there is nothing, literally nothing, that in and of itself will get you into Stanford.”</p>
<p>So just relax. They don’t admit kids who build nuclear reactors, but they admit MANY kids who didn’t build nuclear reactors. You have no way of predicting how you’ll be viewed by the Stanford admission committee whether you have 1,000 ECs or 0. </p>
<p>For the record, I had a friend who had one or two ECs, both of which he joined sophomore year and in which he had minimal involvement. Up until decision day, I thought his Stanford application was a waste of time and money. But he was admitted…because the committee loved one of his essays.</p>
<p>what do you mean by “because you are so wealthy…” I hope I don’t come off as rude but how did you infer I was wealthy…?</p>
<p>anyways, thanks for all the replies guys, but I don’t think y’all understand the cooking thing? the home ec im in is not your typical home ec of baking cupcakes and sewing aprons. My instructor is a chef who has worked in numerous vancouver restaurants and is a red seal certified chef. we start with the basics in grade nine, like knife skills and basic baking, and go up a level in grade ten to hot food, and next year, we will be doing complex french and italian dishes. an example of stuff we have done in grade 10 includes learning how to make hollandaise sauce, risotto, paellas, basically stuff you can serve in restaurants. anyways, my point is, in grade 12, we have the opportunity to create our own menus and portfolios, and I was wondering if Stanford recognizes such abilities? like I decided to do culinary arts because I have a true passion for it, and it is something special and unique? I’m just scared universities will see it as another baking 123 class; its actually very intense.</p>
<p>anyways, as I was saying, I want to apply to stanford because it seems like a nice school and has a nice environment? I really love all the replies and I hope more people can comment :)</p>
<p>OP. If you truly love the culinary arts and that is the direction you want to ultimately go…as a profession…then, as alea has pointed out one need not attend a rigorous research university like Stanford…but, rather, maybe a reputable culinary institute in the States or France…</p>
<p>…on the other hand, if you are just doing this “extracurricular activity” to be “different” since many of your peers who you know and those on CC seem to have already CORNERED the market in the “fields” that you believe you are WEAK in such as music, art, athletics, science/math, community service, etc…don’t…</p>
<p>…now, if you truly LOVE the culinary arts/cooking AND you want a great liberal arts education at a school that emphasizes entrepreneurship and thinking outside the “box”…then, that’s a different story…then, I could see you applying to Stanford in the future…</p>
<p>…if you really want to show this is the one extracurricular activity that brightens your day…then it must be pursued with CONVICTION and PASSION to the FULLEST and HIGHEST levels…did you challenge yourself by competing in food competitions at the local, regional, state, national, international level…did you win any awards or accolades…</p>
<p>…DO WHAT YOU LOVE…not what you think others would find “interesting”…especially the admissions committee…THEN YOU WILL BE HAPPY…AND FIND SUCCESS…</p>
<p>Stanford may not be your school with your interest in the culinary arts. Perhaps you should look into the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) located in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. It is one of the foremost culinary institutes in the world, and its graduates are world renowned. You will be trained as a top flight chef, learn how to run a restaurant/business, and earn a four year degree - all in a campus setting. Follow what makes you passionate and happiness will follow.</p>