How can I incorporate computer science into my extracurriculars?
I’m currently a sophomore in highschool and plan to double major in computer science and graphic design. I live in a small town so there aren’t really any opportunities in computer science and currently no clubs exist for it. I’ll take AP computer principles and A in my junior and senior year but I feel really stuck on finding things to do around computer science. Right now my extracurriculars are very design centered:
- Latin Honor Society / VP
- Latin club / VP
- Leo Club / Secretary
these three I do all the graphic design related things like making posters for events etc
- Yearbook / Editor
- National Art Honor Society / Secretary
- National Honor Society
- Library Volunteer / Graphic Designer
- A chapter of a stem organization my friends run which I started in my own town that teaches kids stem every week in partnership with a local influential organization
- Some other random things that don’t really fit in with anything and I do for fun
- Service hours : 112 (average in my school because you need 75 to even graduate so everyone volunteers)
I’ve coded some websites in my free time with CSS and HTML but I highly doubt I’ll be good enough to get an internship this summer at a local tech company. (Do high school tech interns actually code or just do whatever task needs to be done? I assume it’s the latter probably but I’m not quite sure.) I’m also planning on learning JavaScript this summer and actually be able to make more interactive websites.
What can I do to find more opportunities in computer science?
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2 answers
Hi @Vanle!
You have a pretty strong extracurricular list already, which will go a long way in showing admissions officers that you're a committed and engaged student. A CS internship would help, but it won't be the make-or-break as to whether you get into most schools.
That being said, I would start by looking at your past activities and thinking how you could sell them as extracurricular activities. You mentioned coding websites, for example, which isn't part of an official club — but it is an activity you took the initiative in, has a final product you can show off, and is an experience you can write about. For a small-town high school, these are the kinds of things you'll need to do in order to get credit for an extracurricular that's not officially offered.
If you're looking for something more official, though, I wouldn't pin your hopes on a private-sector tech internship. They don't really recruit high schoolers, so you should instead look for something more educational (like the American Computer Science League competition). Taking the AP courses will also be a good signal to colleges and, if nothing else, you could try starting your own club that focuses on computer science.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions.
Make your own! Start a club, an after-school club anything. It shows leadership to make your own clubs. 1-3 super great activities are better than the average 8 activities. You want your admissions reader to remember you by something i.e the kid who made the first coding club at their school or started an initiative to teach girls to code in their small town etc. Apply for internships, and learn to code on CourseEra or Harvard (it's free).
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