Most universities offer a multitude of extracurricular Activities. Some colleges offer more than 300 clubs. If they don’t have one you like, you can start one.
Students are always asking how colleges look at extracurricular activities.
My professional opinion is that it is much better to concentrate on several key activities that you are truly passion about. Again, we’re going back to the big three – the three things colleges are most interested in – outside of your academics: passion, persistence, and leadership.
Participate in a few key activities over a number of years; assume leadership positions in them. Don’t merely be a participant in the organizations.
I know many students who joined every high school club they possibly could. They had a long list of activities, and they still were not accepted to their top-choice colleges. It is very difficult to add value to such a long laundry list of clubs and organizations.
When you know how colleges look at extracurricular activities, you can structure your high school activities so that they form a consistent picture of who you say you are and what’s important to you.
When you are truly passionate about an area of interest, you develop as much proficiency and expertise in the area as possible. This frequently means that you might exhaust the offerings at your high school. In these cases, you must reach beyond what you school has to offer and pursue your interests in depth.
So if you love foreign languages, take as much as you can at your local high school, and perhaps study abroad during the summer or the academic year. Go to foreign language camps. Tutor students who need remediation in your chosen language. Assume a leadership role in the foreign language club at school.
Better yet, start a foreign language club if your school doesn’t have one. If you are interested in medicine, you should have some activities that relate to that goal – perhaps research and/or hospital related EC.
If you are an elite athlete, compete on the varsity teams that your school offers. Perhaps you can become a team captain. Maybe you might further develop your skills by joining an outside team or neighborhood club. This passion, persistence, and leadership shows that you are truly committed to excellence and willing to do what you need to do to develop your skills to the fullest.
If you want the guidance of a college admissions consultant to help you develop the perfect college application strategy, then schedule an appointment for one of my free consultations.
You can also sign up for my College Admissions 411 Home Study Course. It will help you get accepted to your dream college.
If you are an excellent student – probably yes. There are many reasons for this
Reasons to apply early
Caution
Early decision is a legally binding contract. You cannot apply elsewhere Early decision, and you must withdraw all other applications if accepted.
You may change your mind – many do.
You won’t be able to compare fin aid offers. Some people want to get the best possible deal. For others a good deal is good enough. Let’s put it another way: How do you feel when you buy an outfit which is a good bargain at $100 and you find out later you could have purchased the item for $20? If that doesn’t bother you, okay, maybe early decision is for you. But if you would be upset and stew about it for weeks, maybe you should reconsider applying to college early. Great variance in fin aid offers (I’ve seen spreads as large as $127,000 over 4 years.)
If you think your 1st or 2nd quarter grades might be outstanding and you can qualify for a more selective university, you might want to apply regular decision.
Can you get academic credit for previous coursework?
Generally, yes, but this will vary from college to college. Most colleges award AP credits, but they don’t help you reduce your time at a college or university – unless you receive college credit for at least 4 or more AP course.
You may be able to get an additional semester of advanced standing. You can utilize that time to study abroad or volunteer for some service learning programs.
You can also use the advanced placement credits to place into higher level courses. However, you will probably want o be careful in doing that because most AP course do not have the intellectual rigor of a college level course.
Now, if you are a pre-med student, let’s say you have taken APs in a number of subjects. You scored 5’s in chemistry and physics. The college you decide to enroll in awards you academic credit for introductory courses in chemistry and physics.
Now, to fulfill your pre-med requirements you have to take – among other things – 2 courses in chemistry with lab and 2 courses in physics with lab.
You will have to decide if you want to take courses in advanced physics (probably with physics majors) or if you want to take introductory physics and forego using your AP credits.
The introductory physics option will probably enable you to earn a higher GPA. So you need to employ some strategy when deciding which AP credits to accept and utilize.
You would probably only take the advanced physics courses if you plan to major in physics. So there are a lot of things to consider when deciding which AP credits to utilize.
You can also get academic credits if you have an IB or Fr. Bac diploma. Check with the colleges to which you apply to confirm.
Of course, you should take Advanced Placement, Honors, or Accelerated classes if you can do well in them.
Challenge yourself.
You will not get admitted to an Ivy League-caliber institution, if you have not challenged yourself academically. Straight A’s are no substitute for academic curiosity. You need a degree of confidence and boldness to succeed in these Tier 1 institutions. No wimps need apply.
Accepted students at these institutions are very bright, inventive, mentally curious, and they are used to tackling complex problems. You won’t fit in with them if you stick to a safe and secure academic pathway.
No college is interested in a student who displays lack of intellectual curiosity or timidity.
Follow your passions, but don’t overreach.
The most important deadlines that you must adhere to are listed below.
Money disappears as time goes on. If you require financial aid, you must get your application in on time.
Now, let’s find out what other college application steps can help you get admitted to your top-choice college.
In fact, homeschooling is absolutely one of the best academic advantages parents can give their children.
Homeschooled families enjoy maximum flexibility, superior academic achievement, and the educational freedom to study whatever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want. Now that’s exciting and empowering.
I homeschooled my children starting in the mid-1970’s when virtually no one knew a thing about the subject.
It was a tremendous benefit to our family. Of course, improved academic achievement is not the only reason to homeschool, but it is a very compelling reason. Most homeschoolers test years ahead of their non-homeschooled cohort.
As a former teacher, I know how much time is eaten up in the traditional school environment. A great deal of time is spent in preparation for teaching. Getting in line, walking to class, waiting for the class to settle down, handling discipline problems, talking with parents and others who drop in unexpectedly all take time away from the instructional process. A homeschooler doesn’t have to deal with that.
As families are seeking every possible method of getting their children admitted to their top choice colleges, I think they should carefully consider the benefits of homeschooling.
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When I sought out Mrs. Arnold, my goal was to have my son achieve the highest possible score on the SAT. At the time, I knew that strong scores translated into scholarship money and acceptance to the schools of our choice. Mrs. Arnold came highly recommended by others who had used her. She did not disappoint.
For starters, she had my son take an SAT Prep Test, which she scored. This established a benchmark, gave us a sense of where he was, allowed us to identify weaknesses and set realistic goals for gains we hoped to see in the scores. My bottom line was increasing the scores and this was my barometer for measuring success. The first time around, my son scored almost exactly where the test administered by Mrs. Arnold showed he would. The second time around, after coaching by Mrs. Arnold, his scores jumped about 100 points in each area.
As a result, we received scholarship offers. More importantly, Mrs. Arnold’s efforts have had a visible impact on my son’s success at Morehouse College, where he is majoring in finance and has been nominated for and accepted into the National Honor Society.
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Now let’s look at how you might handle some issues you will deal with as a homeschooled applicant.:
For more information on homeschooling and the college admissions process, I invite you to purchase my ebook, College Admissions 411!: Your Guide to Getting Accepted. It has much more detail about homeschooling as it relates to academic achievement and college acceptance. I even have a section on how to homeschool on a shoestring budget and tips on how to pay for college.
Now, let’s find out what other “Getting Started” Steps we should consider during our college admissions research phase.
College Application Process
The College Application Process includes everything you do up to the point of submitting your applications to the colleges you have selected.
Happy Students Who Were Admitted to Their Dream Colleges
You should evaluate your academic achievement during this getting started phase.
This analysis should help you narrow your college search and focus on the colleges and universities that complement your interests and academic background.
When you evaluate your academic achievement,ask yourself these questions:
How well do you score on the SAT, ACT,or other college admissions tests?
Have you taken Advanced Placement (AP) Classes if your school offers them?
Do you expect to receive Advanced Placement (AP) credits for your coursework?
What are the college admissions requirements for your top-choice colleges?
Should you take a gap year or defer college year to strengthen your academics?
Will applying Early Decision increase your chances of getting accepted?
How does your Grade Point Average (GPA) compare with that of admitted students at the colleges you are interested in? Do you have a low GPA? If so,what can you do about it?
If you go to an academically rigorous or tough school and your grades have suffered because of that,how do you indicate that to the college admissions officers without appearing to explain away a perceived weakness?
How have you fared on my College Admissions Testing? Do you test well or will you have to mitigate low standardized test scores?
What are the college admissions requirements of the colleges you find most attractive?
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College Roadmaps
For very detailed college roadmaps of what you should do step-by-step at each grade level (grade eight through grade twelve),simply you might want to purchase our College Admissions 411 Home Study Course.
Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter and special reports for more details. Simply enter your name and email address in the optin form on this page. That’s all you have to do to start getting this valuable information.
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Joseph W., Real Estate:
Angela Arnold tutored my children in math for 3 years. She tutored my daughter during 8th thru 10th grades and my son during 5th thru 7th grades. They developed a much better command of the subject matter,improved their grades,and became more confident with the material.
I believe Ms. Arnold accomplished this because she not only understood the material very well,but was able to foster a comfortable relationship with the children that allowed them to be more open to creative suggestions and approaches. She was very patient and encouraging,yet expected and received a lot from my children.
She motivated them to believe they could achieve beyond their own expectations and this helped them tremendously. They also benefited from her extensive teaching experience,tutoring and counseling students as they prepared for high school and college.
We are very thankful for all of Mrs. Arnold’s help.
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Non-academic factors that you should also consider before filing an application are:
Should you go for a campus visit?
Should you request an on-campus interview or is an interview with a local alumnus sufficient?
How do you ace the college interview?
Will you consider attending a small liberal arts college?
If you are homeschooled, develop a strategy so that will work for you and not against you during the college admissions process.
Develop a “how to get accepted” plan to promote yourself to your top-choice colleges.
Formulate and adhere to a strategy to lower any college admissions stress you may be feeling.
Whew!
I know that’s a lot to think about,but we’re just getting started. If you are beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed by all of the components of the college admissions process.,don’t worry. Most students and their families feel that way,too.
To ease your mind,you may consider working with a college admissions consultant like myself. Just click the “Consulting” tab on the menu bar at the top of the page – to find out my about how I can help lighten your load and put you on track to getting accepted to the college that’s the right fit for you.
We recommend that all students have a college admissions consultant work on their behalf during the rigorous and time-consuming college application process.
With us as your college admissions consultant, we help you focus on:
As a college admissions consultant, I have helped students emphasize such unique and desirable qualities such as:
They wrote compelling college essays and created college applications that revealed who they truly were. You must remember that college admissions officers generally like people. Once they get to know a student who submits an engaging personal statement, they may find it just a bit harder to reject such an attractive person.
What unique qualities do you want to emphasize?
My mission is to increase the numbers of motivated, hard-working students attending colleges and universities in the United States.
I have previously concentrated my consulting efforts on helping underrepresented students reap the benefits of higher education. However, I do work with students of all races or ethnicities.
So, regardless of race/ethnicity, whether you’re a straight-A student or a high school dropout, if you’re serious about going to college, I can help you.
Hi, I’m Angela Arnold. Welcome to my website, College Admissions411.com. I’m a college consultant, retired teacher, author, advisor, mentor, and tutor to college-bound high school students and their families.
I’ve guided many students on their path towards college, and I can help you, too.
Getting accepted to college has never been more competitive and stressful than it is today. In fact, we are falling behind. The challenges are such that some of today’s students may become the first demographic of Americans since World War II who are less educated than their parents.
Today’s economy is tough on just about everyone, but the people who are struggling the most are those who have not graduated from college.
Those applicants who are able to effectively promote themselves – without bragging – to the college admissions officers will generally be successful.
That’s where a college admissions consultant, like myself, comes in. We make sure that you and your family are thoroughly informed about the college admissions process so that you can make the right decisions every step of the way.
I’ve included lots of information on this blog, and I will be updating it regularly … But of course, there’s so much more to know.
Right now, just sit back and relax as you go through my blog.
I’d love to answer any of your questions, and I welcome your comments. You can reply to my blog postings and be assured that I will read and respond to your most pressing issues.
If you’d like to schedule a free 15-minute consultation simply click the “Book Now” button on the right sidebar underneath the royal blue “Free College Admissions Advice” bar. Students and minor children under 18 years old must have your parents book this consultation for you.
So, again, welcome to my blog. I congratulate you on taking this step towards getting accepted to your dream college, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
