Any extracurricular advice for the field of oceanography?

Answered

Hi ScholarSwimmer!

I'm a new adviser on CollegeVine (look me up as Carly Tribull on the 1:1 Advising page), and as someone with a PhD in a STEM-field (biology), I think I can help you!

To be honest, PhD applications rarely look at anything before college, so I wouldn't sweat too much about gaining extracurriculars that perfectly align with your PhD goals. Once you're in college, there's plenty of opportunities (my favorite being the National Science Foundation's REU program - which is a PAID summer internship with lots of perks).

For now, as a high school student, I'd recommend focusing on extracurriculars that will form a good "starting point" for your eventual journey to becoming a career biologist or chemist. Does your school have clubs focused in chemistry or biology? How would you feel about starting one? Science communication is also an incredibly vital skill for a future scientist to have - this spans from tutoring your fellow students to connecting with lower grade schools to organize "meet a scientist" days. Community volunteering that has a STEM-slant would also be great for you - recycling drives, composting drives, invasive plant management on hiking trails, etc., And in many cases, you won't have to reinvent the wheel - look for volunteer organizations in your local area that can show you the ropes.

If you'd like more advice on the PhD scientist route, book a consultation with me! I'm doing free ones for 20 minutes.