I’m a freshman who attends a very small high school with little local opportunities, and I don’t really know how I can turn my interests into extracurriculars! I like writing, debating, and learning new things. Since my school does not have a newspaper, debate team or any clubs related to that, I was thinking of starting them. Eventually I may intern at a newspaper or office if I have the chance. But these activities aren’t that shocking or have the wow factor…
I also am playing sports all 3 seasons an planning to study abroad one summer.
Colleges have seen every possible activity people can do. They look at thousands and thousands of applications every single year and no matter what you do, the activities you do probably are not going to be original.
What you can do is be original. And the best way to be original is to be yourself. Do things that you like, are curious about, and have fun with. Since you like writing, debating, and learning new things, then write, debate and learn new things! Do anything where you get to do that and do as much of as you want and can. Know that you are not limited to what your school offers. You can do really anything. Some off-the-top ideas are writing for a local newspaper, ask local businesses or non profits or museums if they want help writing promotional materials, writing a book (which you can self-publish), and even shadow jobs that you've never even considered to learn new things. Do things that you are interested in. The combination of the things you pursue along with who you are is original. Be yourself and look for ways to do things you like and colleges will find that quite remarkable. So just do that. Good luck!
Starting a newspaper or debate team would look great on college apps since it demonstrates leadership. For your sports, try moving up a level (ie; ft to jv, jv to varsity) or becoming a manager for your team (again, leadership). Being an intern is a pretty good idea, you could also (potentially, I'm not positive about how this works) get letters of recommendation from that. Since you're a freshman, you have a lot of time to get a well-rounded profile. In junior and senior year, maybe think about pursuing, AP, IB, or local community college courses. Lastly, volunteer work is always a great addition. Your profile right now is relatively strong, try expanding on what you are already doing, and adding in a couple of new opportunities and you'll be in good shape. Best of luck!
you may also want to try trying out for a basketball, football, badminton or any other sports team. you can try taking some online coding lessons. maybe even try learning to play an instrument or join the school choir. or you can enter into an art contest. you don't have to win first, second or third place, even a participation certificate would be fine. basically just expand the number and types of extra-curricular activities you add onto your list.
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