I am so wondering… that If one gets 2400 on SAT and 4.0 on GPA (unweighted) but does not get any extracurricular activities, what college one can be admitted?
does anyone have good opinion?
College adcoms are REALLY focused on extra curriculars. They are looking to build a class of multi-dimensional and multi-talented people, not one of students who are only able to churn out impressive test scores and study-study-study.
That being said, however, I do not know what situation you are in-- what grade are you in, what type of school, types of classes (challenging/easy, # of APs, college courses), economic situation, etc and therefore cannot draw any firm conclusions.
Your objective stats are really impressive (I’m assuming that you are talking about yourself, correct me if I’m wrong), but I think that your chances of getting into top schools (if that’s what you are aiming for) are quite slim if you don’t have interesting extracurriculars that show who you are outside of the classroom.
I hope this post didn’t sound like I was trying to beat you down— not my intention at all, this advice is just from my experience in general and from my pokes around college confidential threads.
:>
Thank you for reply t3rryd4ctyl
Who I wrote about it is not me (I hope it would be me HaHa…)
However, I am so confused that even state colleges would focus on extra curricular…
No problem!
I don’t believe state colleges would focus as much on extra curriculars.
I think you would still be able to do decently in the admissions process (although probably not a top 20 uni) if you had good letters of recommendation and essays showing what you want to pursue in college. That could help show that you aren’t a mindless drone.
Hello McDoctor! Thank for reply
How about state colleges such as UCLA, UC-Berkeley, and Michigan?
It’s a catch-22. Those stats are overkill for a state college, but lower stats with tons of ECs just put you in a unknown bunch where some get into top colleges, some don’t.
Thank you for your comment, albert69. Then it is possible to get in state colleges such as UCLA, UC-Berkeley, and Michigan?
Look up the Common Data Sets for each school (section C7) and see what they use for admission. The three schools you list all consider ECs. The top schools tend to since they use holistic admissions.
If you’re instate it might be enough… Sorry I’m not very familiar with any of those schools and your question is kind of vague. I’m only a high school senior, so anything I say is mostly speculation.
Hypotheticals aren’t really worth considering.
However, is there a subject that you really love? If so, consider looking in to English unis (Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial, etc.). They don’t care about non-subject-related EC’s. They are looking for scholars in a subject area (and only care about you getting 5’s on AP’s). If you go, however, it would not be a well-rounded education; you will be studying your subject area for 3 years.
The top schools do not care about “extracurriculars”, they care that you passionately pursue your interests, can contribute to the “community,” and will benefit from what they have to offer. If one does not work, does not volunteer, does nothing worthwhile with his/her spare time, they will not want him/her. If s/he is in the basement inventing a new operating language and using an ant colony to model behavior changes based on some weird theory, they may want him/her. The question will be, what did s/he do with all that available time? If there are two candidates: one mobilized his community to restore a wetland and catalogue wildlife, as well as playing first chair violin in the community orchestra, while getting a 2400 and straight A’s, and the other got a 2400 and straight A’s and did nothing else; who would they select?
I don’t think you understand what colleges mean by ECs. If you have interests you pursue those are ECs.
Do you really have NO ECs? Not even a few random clubs? What do you do in your free time? Do you have family commitments that prevent you from participating in ECs?
If you really just go home and study all day or play video games or watch TV, then you probably don’t have a shot at tippy top schools. The only exception may be WashU, which is known for loving super high test scores. Probably worth an app.
State schools will be your friend. Many of them practice more stats-based admission, and you may be able to rack up some big scholarships there with your GPA and test scores. Not sure about UCB, UCLA, UMich and UVa, they are very competitive even for kids who have great scores and great ECs.
Also, congrats on the 2400. That’s not an easy feat.
What do you expect? You’d have to do something pretty horrendous to be rejected at those schools with a 4.00 UW and 2400 SAT. The grades and test scores indicate the odds of you being able to write half-cogent essays and present yourself adequately.
Now, add a layer in selectivity, and your odds (without meaningful ECs) drop like an anchor. Again, what do you expect?
I think having extracurricular activities help these admission officers get to “know” you better.
thank you for information guys!
What kinds of extracurricular activities is really important?
I’m wondering about this too because I’m pretty good at testing and stuff but I’m bad at extracurriculars because they require you to be social.
Actually, you don’t have to be social for extracurriculars, just for group ones. You could paint or compose music at home, those count as extracurriculars. Or you could create an app/video game or be a research assistant. Extracurriculars aren’t limited to joining clubs or sports teams
@needinfo98 - I would disagree with those that say UCLA, UC Berkeley and Michigan would accept on only grades and test scores. Michigan is a common app school which means they do a holistic review of students, and in addition they require additional essays which get at your involvement on campus. UCLA receives well over 80k applications, Berkeley more than 70k applications. Given their reputation within CA and nationally, they have the ability to select students that have great stats AND demonstrate passion/leadership/etc. As with most selective schools, what you are involved in outside of school is not important. They want to know you will get engaged in their campus life - whether it is sports, music, student government, publications, etc - and all of these campuses have a ton of opportunities for students to get involved.