To everyone with "outstanding" ECs...

[harpen0311]

To everyone with ECs that are considered normal for HYPSM…

How do you get a paid research internship in high school? Start a successful business? Travel to Africa and cure cancer?

Surely not everyone that gets into HYPSM has these kinds of ECs…but in the results threads, all of them have comparable ECs.

How does one with no transportation or money to fund these things, do things like that? How does one who lives in a rural area in the South, going to an overcrowded public high school achieve things beyond their scope?

[Brajia]

People I know that did some of these things simply spent time doing research online. I found my paid cancer research program at a nearby college by doing a simple google search and asking around. I literally just asked my dad’s doctor if I could intern at his office for the summer (only the second time I met him) and after sending papers in I got it. One of my friends that I know with amazing extracurriculars (teaching computer classes for adults at a nearby college, even saw her on a YouTube commercial while I was studying for my physics exam lmao for some girls who code program) simply said she just spends a lot of time researching and looking for these opportunities. You would be very surprised what you can find by searching the web and asking your friends and family. Most people don’t take advantage of it.

[lostaccount]

There are about 2400 4 year colleges or universities in the US. Many students are rejecting approximately 2300 of them. Many are focused on about 10 or 11 schools (Ivy Plus; some are focused on only 5 (HYPSM)). Why would students not expect that the top 10 schools our of 2400 would require students to have remarkable ECs that are almost impossible to achieve?

[Fossie]

Without knowing the specific circumstances, the best advice anyone can offer is simply to take initiative and to not be afraid to ask professionals (even if they don’t know you) to take you under their wing as an aspiring high-school student.

Also, the people who post on college confidential prove to be a skewed sample for everyone who gets into the colleges you mentioned, so don’t sweat what they say, although good ECs certainly do help.

[MaroonDaddy]

Great reply Brajia!

[CheddarcheeseMN]

You can get involved in your community. Students like to write about discovering poverty in Costa Rica, but needy people also live in the U.S.

[photogeek8]

I know that some students at my school are actively involved in Science Olympiad, Mu Alpha Theta, etc. Through their excellence in these programs/clubs, they develop close relationships with their teachers/club advisors who have connections they are more than happy to introduce to the students. Perhaps this scenario isn’t applicable to you, but the point is that if you are interested in an area, turn your interest into a passion and try to develop your skills in and knowledge of it. A suggestion I would give you is that if there’s something in current events or something you’ve read/seen on your own that really fascinates you and you believes that it’s worth sharing with a teacher, go for it! Maybe from that simple conversation starter, your teacher will see that you have a genuine interest in the area and will want to help you develop it.

[arwarw]

Here’s what Harvard’s Dean of Admissions told the New York Times:

The term “extracurricular activities” covers an enormous amount of ground. We are interested in whatever a student does: in addition to school extracurricular activities and athletics, students can tell us of significant community, employment, or family commitments. There are many who spend a great deal of time helping to run their household, preparing meals and caring for siblings or making money with a part-time job to help the household meet expenses.
Unfortunately many schools have had to curtail or eliminate extracurricular activities and athletics, or they charge fees for participation. In addition, many students cannot afford expensive musical instruments or athletic equipment — or have families without the resources to pay for lessons, summer programs and the transportation networks necessary to support such activities.
Admissions Committees keep these factors in mind as they review applications, and are concerned most of all to know how well students used the resources available to them. Extracurricular activities need not be exotic — most are not — and substance is far more important. A student who has made the most of opportunities day-to-day during secondary school is much more likely to do so during college and beyond. This applies to academic life as well as extracurricular activities.

One of the best (recommendation) letters we ever received over the years was written by the school’s custodian who supervised the student in the school’s work program under very difficult circumstances, when everyone was tired at the end of the school day. The letter supported the other positive information in the application about how the student always made everyone around him better — and it made up for sparse recommendations from the over-worked teachers and counselors at that school. The strong personal qualities and character noted by the custodian were confirmed by the remarkable difference the student made to others during his college career and the difference he continues to make today.

[mikemac]

How does one with no transportation or money to fund these things, do things like that? How does one who lives in a rural area in the South, going to an overcrowded public high school achieve things beyond their scope?

There is no need to do the kind of ECs you listed in order to get into a top school. Many activities that HS kids find impressive are not seen that way by the adcoms. Dig into the “paid research position” and don’t be surprised to find that a friend of mom or dad hired the kid as a favor. Not always, of course, but often enough.

To be honest, the opportunity you need is sitting right there in front of you, all you need to do is reach out and pick it up!! Here is what a top school (Stanford) says they look for

Students often assume our primary concern is the number of activities in which one participates. In fact, an exceptional depth of experience in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six clubs. We want to see the impact you have had on that club, in your school, or in the larger community, and we want to learn of the impact that experience has had on you.

So what problems could be solved or lessened at that “overcrowded public high school” of yours? Adcoms know that it takes initiative to get things rolling rather than just signing up for an activity already there. You’ll need to find a faculty sponsor, get school permission, recruit fellow students, and that’s just the start. By the time you get done you’ll meet the Stanford criteria and more. You’ll have a letter of rec from the faculty sponsor that money can’t buy.

Or, you say, the school is a no-go. Then look to your community.