How can I boost my high school resume as a virtual student?
I'm in 9th grade and I'm interested in the medical research and medical sciences field. I'm doing virtual school as of right now and I might have to for my 10th-grade year. My virtual program is very limited on classes. There are no honors courses, very few AP courses, and very few electives. I don't have access to extracurriculars at my zoned high school and my virtual program doesn't offer any. Could I get some ideas on how I can engage in some other EC's and how I can make up for the limited classes? Also, will having almost zero EC's and having an AP class here and there in my first two years of high school affect my chances of getting into an above-average college? Although I have high A's and a nice GPA, I'm still concerned.
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2 answers
A good way that you could enhance your resume would be to create your own ECs. Starting your own virtual or locally based company, club, publication, etc. would show that you are an ambitious and motivated self-learner. This CollegeVine article explains how you can do this in more detail.
I also want to mention that the limited class selection of your virtual school won't negatively impact your application as much as you would think. Colleges assess applicants on a holistic basis, meaning that they take context into account to determine their merit. What they care most about is that an applicant is utilizing their available resources to the fullest and doing the most rigorous course load they can. For example, if a school only offers a choice between standard and honors classes, and an applicant only takes honors classes, they will be viewed as favorably as a student who maxes out on AP classes because their school offers a wide range of them.
Hope this helps!
I am unsure about making up for the classes themselves but because you are doing virtual school, extra curriculars outside of school may help. For example, if you play sports, trying for a recreational team, or if you enjoy theatre, volunteering at a local theatre. For the medical field, if you could volunteer or intern at a local clinic may boost your knowledge, or if you have a community college near you, you could reach out and take AP/IB classes there I think.
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