Importance of extracurriculars on application
So I will be applying to college in the fall. After using college vines, chancing profile, my extracurricular profile is the weakest. For many selective schools like the ivies, college vine says that my ECs are in the 0-25 percentile for many of the schools and 25-50 percentile for others. Will my lack of strong extracurriculars and a spike factor in my application prevent me from getting into top schools? My test scores and grades are all in the 50-100 percentile for these schools, but I'm afraid that my ECs will drag me down. Is there anything I can still do to strengthen my EC profile? Can my essays save my application from my ECs?
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2 answers
ECs are a very important part of application but the amount they matter depends on the schools you are applying to. If you are considering applying to most ivies your ECs need to be extremely well developed and should demonstrate your intended major/career interests where possible. Really if you are considering top-30 schools in general your ECs are incredibly important. That's not to say you won't be accepted if you don't have absolutely amazing ECs, it's just going to make something that was already difficult (even if you have great grades and test scores) a bit harder. If there is something you can find right now for an EC it might be worth checking out but because you'll have been doing it for only a few months at most by the time you're applying for schools the impact of the EC might be less than you're hoping for unless you get a leadership position or are able to make a big impact in some way.
I found this article (https://blog.collegevine.com/how-much-do-extracurricular-activities-matter-in-college-admissions/) which I think does a good job of explaining the importance of ECs and how that importance can vary between schools and even between applicants. At the end of the day try not to stress about it too much. It's very much possible to get into schools without state or national level recognition. Strong grades, test scores, and essays can make up for ECs sometimes but again, it depends on the schools.
Hi Jomama! I don’t think it’ll necessarily ruin your chances, but a good way of finding ecs right now is just trying to find volunteer opportunities in your community. maybe try to lead a food drive with friends or just volunteer! Your essay should outweigh your resume, so try and write a really strong essay while adding some volunteer hours
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Yeah I'm actually doing a lot of volunteer over the summer. But also one of my main ECs during the school year is volunteering as a tutor. I feel like I don't have any spikes in my application though. Like I haven't had state or national level recognition for something or a lot of leadership opportunities. I'm just afraid that a lack of those will really hurt me. Thanks for the response.