Would it be too late? Am I doing too little?Answered
Hi! I am currently a 10th grader and participating in multiple extra curriculars. However, I am mainly just a member for my clubs I am in. I have worked my way up to two leadership positions within my church community. But in school, however, I do not have any leadership roles. I am in about 3 clubs currently and doing no sports of any kind. 2/3 of my clubs' board elections have already passed so I am unable to attain leadership positions unless I can become apart of the last club's board. I do plan on joining more clubs and doing more activities for my junior year; however, but the amount I do does not seem to add up to the effort put into these clubs. I was wondering if it would be too late for me to have leadership positions (in my school ecs) for my senior year and get into a competitive school, such as UCLA or John Hopkins. In addition to this, the COVID-19 outbreak is preventing me from being able to do summer programs, such as junior volunteering. I did not do any summer activities during summer of 2019. I am quite worried I am doing too little. Please input your thoughts on whether or not if it would be too late for me to get leadership roles and if I'm not doing enough. (Be as honest as you can please!) Thank you! ^-^
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3 answers
you're definitely not too late, and I agree with everything @lapoozle said except the thing about not focusing on ECs in 12th grade. Grades in junior year are equally important to grades in senior year (and since only half of senior year actually matters, since the spring happens after you submit all your applications, there's more work done junior year that colleges will look at), and ECs are pretty important in both too. A lot of people will only get leadership once they're seniors and that's fine—it's a pretty normal situation to be in, honestly.
Hello!
I think because you are in the 10th Grade, you do have a little bit of time to really up your extra-curricular game in the 11th Grade. I would suggest not focusing primarily on EC's in the 12th Grade because this is the year to make sure you achieve your absolute best possible grades that you can get.
However, next year, you should be able to get new leadership roles because teachers like delegating leadership positions to elder kids and ones you have been in school for a while, which would be you.
If you aren't able to get any leadership positions, it is okay but the one thing i suggest is don't join too many clubs and try out very many things, instead, choose one club you really are passionate about (like Environmental Club or Debate or Volunteer) and build on that very much. Because colleges and universities don't want you to have so many different things you have tried out, but rather one that you have really tried to build on and have been passionate about for a long time.
Colleges also do understand that summer break is meant for literally taking a break from school and extra curricular activities and getting time to catch up on sleep and stuff. So don't get too worried about missing out on doing things during the summer because it is not an absolute must. However, if you really do want to do something, you can always do something digital (because of quarantine) such as creating a YouTube channel to raise awareness about something you are passionate about or starting a blog for something like that. You don't necessarily have to volunteer to show you care, instead you can do so much just from your bed while laying in your pajamas in bed.
I hope this answered your question and gave you some clarity about worries you had!!
To answer your question about COVID-19, colleges are understanding of this situation and will not hold you to such high standards. It is definitely not too late for leadership positions, most clubs (or at least the ones in my school) are typically biased toward upperclassmen when it comes to leadership positions. You will likely gain more positions when you become a junior.
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Thank you everyone for your responses !! <3