Is it ok to start new activities as a junior?
Currently a sophomore, and up until now, I had no idea what I was interested in. I did no clubs freshman year and this year I tried out AASA and Photo but quickly realized they are not for me. But I recently realized I might be interested in political science and related fields to study in college. I found three clubs that could help me with that: Model UN, Young political party, and Real Talk (basically a "woke club" that discusses world issues and stuff lol). I think I would enjoy these, but I feel like I wasted an entire two years doing meaningless extracurriculars. Is it too late to start getting myself involved in new activities as a junior? I am also doing Beta and plan on doing it till senior year, I will also be in NHS starting junior year. I thought I might want to be a Beta officer or something to improve my leadership roles, but I'm afraid I'm going to collapse if I add so many new things at once on top of the junior year schoolwork load. I'm also worried colleges are going to think I added on a ton of activities junior year just to impress admissions, but I think I actually am interested in them. What should I do to make sure I spend my time meaningfully from now on, and should I be worried about my lack of involvement earlier?
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3 answers
I think it's really most important to do things you enjoy! Colleges want to see that you're being true to yourself. Your application builds a story, and if you enjoy the activities you are participating in, colleges will see that.
It's definitely not too late! A lot of people change their minds about what they want to do in the middle of high school (when I was in HS I started being interested in gov and political science but ended up doing creative writing instead). Even if you start things junior year, a year is still enough time to get some leadership or even just some responsibilities in the clubs themselves. If you base your application around political science, like if you list it as what you intend to study and write a couple of essays about your experiences, it definitely won't come off as fake.
Definitely be aware of your workload though—it sounds like you're being smart about not overextending yourself, which is good. Maybe try these new clubs out bit by bit to make sure you have the time for all of them? Going from only a couple of clubs to a bunch + leadership can be a lot, so definitely pace yourself.
never too late to try new things. in my underclassmen years, I only did like a couple of clubs and a dance team but I eventually had to quit. But since I'm a junior now I joined a new club and I'm also an officer for it, I definitely plan on doing more, and college love to see you dedicated to a club or multiple so just try to find a fit, and if you can't try to start your own club.
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