<p>Hello all. I’m currently a freshman in high school. I would like to go to University of Michigan. I currently have a 3.75 GPA, but I know that is subjected to change. What concerns me is that I have no after school activities, nor will I ever be able to have any. My mother is single and works at a country club as a sue chief, in other words transportation is impossible. I do a little bit of community service with my old Algebra 1 teacher at my middle school, but my mom struggles with even picking me up from this. As a result I have done maybe 3 hours this year (health next semester will require 10). I don’t live in walking distance of anything nor is car pool an option. </p>
<p>I will most likely have more work experience since I will be required by my mother to work when I’m 16. My typical day involves me going to school, doing homework, and sleeping. Is there anything online I could do? Forgive me please if Ihave typos, typing on a tablet is a challenge. </p>
<p>How silly of me to forget to mention this. I am a science nerd, Biology is my favorite. I plan on going into medical. So any science club would be ideal. </p>
<p>Definitely. dosomething.org is a good website where you can do some community work at your home. Try talking to a club supervisor, and ask him/her if you can do your work (this would work for a club like math team or art club) at home and bring it in the next day. </p>
<p>A necessary work obligation, to support your family, is certainly a fine and respectable use of your time. However, if at all possible, perhaps you could combine your love of science and biology with a job when you become 16. Start laying the foundation now - approach your teachers about your desire to find work in a lab, local hospital, etc., and perhaps they will have ideas for you. Perhaps start a study group that meets at YOUR house to study for tests. If you have exceptional aptitude, take on tutoring students in your best subjects - who can come to your house. </p>
<p>My mom wants me to learn the value of money, that is why I will have to work next year when I will be 16. I love your suggestion prospect1 but my mom gets intimedated when I ask random friends for transportation. I’d be asking for trouble. So lab work may not be good, NHS handles the majority of the tutoring, so if I did tutor it would have to be a friend. </p>
<p>It is very good that you are looking ahead to what you will need to do when applying for colleges. </p>
<p>Remember, it’s not important WHAT you do or even WHERE you do it; what’s important is that it is something that you love, something that you want to do, and something that you feel compelled to do regardless of the circumstances. </p>
<p>At this point, I suggest discussing your situation with your school counselor. He/she will know your location/situation/school/community better than anyone on this board, and might have some good suggestions about how you can find a way to fulfill your passions AND fulfill your family obligations. If need be, the counselor could arrange for a meeting with you and your mother to discuss options. Even sous chefs can find a little bit of time in the day for a meeting with the school counselor! </p>
<p>Working is considered an EC, especially for lower income kids. </p>
<p>I wd still make an effort to engage in some traditional ECs. Can u arrange a shared-ride w another student? Can u & yr mom move closer to your school, or to where u wd have access to public transport? </p>
<p>Yes, you will still get into a university if you maintain good grades and achieve strong test scores. Maybe not the Ivy League, but you will be able to attend college.</p>
<p>Working is a great EC, and the colleges to which you apply will consider your personal situation. Still, an EC in the field of your interst would be really helpful. Try to do something within your time constraints. For example, you could maybe start a Science lunch table one day per week, and invite guests to come in for lunch, such as a doctor, a vet, a college science teacher or a research scientist. Colleges really like it when you have started a successful program!</p>
<p>I agree that a work obligation will count as a replacement for an EC. Perhaps you will be able to get a job in your area of interest. </p>
<p>Also I’d look to see if there are some activities that interest you which meet right after school – perhaps then you can get a ride home or there might be a late bus for students doing clubs. Some other clubs (perhaps a Habitat build if your HS has that) have limited obligations but offer great experiences.</p>
<p>Also, and IDK if this will work out for you considering that your family probably only has one car, but if you started working to get your Driver’s License ASAP, then on weekends or times when your mom doesn’t need the car you could do something. Also, better to put your mother’s fears to rest than avoid using friends’ transportation when/if it’s available…</p>
I cannot do ANYTHING after school happy1, but thank you for the suggestion. There is no later bus. GMTplus7, I tried that once, it only made her a lot more angry, and moving is not an option. I am a school of choice kid so she already drives me to the bus stop in the morning and I walk home in the afternoon, but my hs is in an extremely wealthy area. We are not poor, but her income wouldn’t allow us to live near school. Thank you for your suggestion.
I have completed segmemt 1 of drivers ed, which was 3 weeks of hell, worrying about rides, not getting home until 9pm on some days, very limited study time, but I got through it. I have to get my permit from the secutary (?) Of state, which I cannot get a ride to get it, but I would still be limited to only driving with her until I am 16. My driving skills are horrible though.
My school would shut down the science table thing, (they would say just join the club) but thank you for the suggestion.
You’re a freshman. ECs before high school don’t really count for much unless it’s something you’ve done your whole life and you turn it into an essay. My best advice is get involved where you can in things that interest you. If you need to take care of your family, do what you need to do first. Don’t choose your ECs because of what you think looks good. Family comes first, for one, and your interests matter more than what a college admissions officer thinks of you in the fifteen minutes they look over your application in four years. That being said, just don’t do nothing.
Okay, we get that your time after school wont be accessible, but you don’t seem to understand that working is you EC. The universities like students who work because a job shows performance, working with others, following directions, punctuality, time management, etc. Also, you’re saving to help pay for your education: a big PLUS.
Additionally, I would suggest that you spend some time at home increasing your vocabulary knowledge; your spelling is really weak such that your SAT will reflect your unfamiliarity with the more difficult terminology: “sue” sous chef, “intimedated” intimidated, “secutary” secretary. It does not bode well for you if you like biology but can’t spell the scientific terminology.
Does your school have anything like newspaper or yearbook that is a class instead of an after school activity? My school did it that way. Yearbook might be something you could do junior or senior year, as a class, that would be something to put on your app as an EC but wouldn’t keep you after school.
Have you expressed your concerns to your mom? It sounds like she’s stressed (understandably) and strict–I get it: my single mom HATED my doing after school activities, and it was a struggle all through high school. I wasn’t allowed to get into cars with teenage drivers so rides weren’t possible–I had to do my club, then wait at school an extra two hours until she could pick me up after 6 p.m. (I used that time to do homework) I was limited to just a few clubs, so I chose to do just the ones I really loved. Your situation sounds more extreme than mine was, but it still might be fruitful, perhaps before sophomore year, to share you concerns with her. Now, I do think that having a job will be sufficient for your college application–you can explain to the school why you worked instead of doing clubs–but you may also find that if you explain the current college admissions landscape to your mom, that you may be able to work out some accommodation for later–maybe she’d let you do ONE club junior or senior year, one day a week, whether that means you are allowed to get a ride home from one trusted individual, or by that point you are able to drive yourself (and have access to a car). Don’t stress too hard now–you have three more years.
What is your mom’s weekend schedule like? Would you be able to find some kind of activity you could do on the weekends, closer to home? Even if you find something you can do semi-consistently–once a week, or once a month–that would certainly help. Personally, I was part of a non-school chorus, but for you it could be something related to biology.