<p>Hi,
I was wondering what the best route is when it comes to my incoming senior brother’s summer is:
<p>Never do anything based on College Admissions. If Engineering is their thing then 2 or if it’s politics or anything then 1 or 5. Depends on the person’s preferences.</p>
<p>I disagree. I believe people (except maybe a few outliers) do all extracurriculars these days for the sole purpose of admissions. Ask any premed if they really think taking phone calls at a nurse’s station is how they prefer to spend their time (better yet, if they think it will help them be better doctors). Ask the president of a club if they really enjoy having to motivate immature and lazy high-schoolers to help with any activity (it could be the simplest thing - people just don’t give a cr*p these days unless it will show up on their applications). It’s the sad reality and it’s something you have to learn fast and learn well early on or you’re not going to get into an elite college, especially if you’re asian (affirmative action etc. but that’s a whole different rant). But when you ask people these questions, stare them directly into their eyes and I bet you their eyes will stray to the side if they try to give you a politically correct response such as “yea, it really helps develop character.” And there you go, now you have a way to test how many high-schoolers actually like to do their extracurriculars.</p>
<p>And in response to the OP: pick whatever will impress the admissions person the most. Name brand is everything these days. There is an exponential decline in character and integrity in the US, and college has become a serious joke because of legacies and affirmative action. If you’re white or asian then I would pick Intel/Microsoft intern simply because of the name. If you’re an underrepresented minority then just relax at home and work on an essay that emphasizes how much more difficult it is for you to study.</p>
<p>it is unfortunate, but what theslowclap says is true.</p>
<p>Not everyone who gets into a good college is a resume-whore. I didn’t do any of my ec’s solely for college admissions; i would’ve done everything that i did even if i was applying to my state school as a first choice even though i would’ve been pretty sure i’d get in without any of them. </p>
<p>The trick is to FIND ec’s that you would be motivated to do and that you know will help you. I applied to the engineering school, so for my major ecs, I did a program where I built an electric car and an internship at NASA where I knew i would be doing real engineering stuff and not just busy work. Yes, that is how I would’ve preferred to spend my time and yes i think it will help me become a better engineer. </p>
<p>What you do doesn’t have to be fun per say, but it definitely needs to be beneficial to you beyond getting you into a college, for example it could give you experience for a job you might have later in life or you could do something that earns you some money (IMO, a better motivation than impressing colleges).</p>
<p>Yea so as milki said, you gotta consider what your brother’s “thing” is.</p>
<p>Better yet! Why not sit at home on your computer and whine to your little heart’s content while pretending to give advice on message boards! I know some people here who chose to spend whole summers OFFENDING PEOPLE and got into some great Ivy League schools!</p>
<p>also, maybe it is too late but I think he should work on yachts in France (I mean ***! that’s awesome)</p>