Extracurriculars: Are these enough and what else can I do to improve them?Answered
Hey, I'm an incoming sophomore (currently on summer break) and while my academic profile is strong, I'm not to sure about my extracurriculars. My grades and GPA are nearly perfect and I am ranked 2nd in my class of 400 (granted the school is not ranked very high nor do students perform amazingly). I am a resident in California and hope to get accepted into UCLA, UC Irvine, or UC Berkeley.
Extracurriculars that I have done/plan to do and stick with:
- Rocketry club (advanced to national competition in DC but got placed very (very) low, will (most likely) be a team captain for the upcoming year, aiming to be President or Vice by senior year
- Founding and will be co-president of Key Club sophomore year (already know at least 10 members to want to join)
- Founding and will be vice president of art club sophomore year
- General member of CSF (California Scholarship Federation), aiming to earn a spot on council by senior year
- only 17 service hours this year at various places including 7 hours for Interact Club (dropping out of), 8 hours at a local canned food place, and 2 hours at my old elementary school
- Badminton JV 2, aiming for varsity next year
- Out of school art lessons
During this summer, I am not doing any programs or working a job, but I am self studying AP Physics and Pre-Calc to get ahead of the course and prepare myself as I will be taking both next year. I am also doing art lessons for a total of 40 hours, rocketry builds and preparation for next year, aiming for at least 20 more community service hours, and taking drivers ed.
What is lacking in my profile that could affect my chances of my dream schools? Thanks.
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2 answers
100% take AP or college duel enrollment courses in addition to bolstering your service hours. You can never have enough of those two things. Your resume is looking really good right now and I am confident if grades stay up and the extracurriculars are continued then you should be able to get in wherever you want to go. Also, since you are only a sophomore a job is probably not needed this year and can be a lot on your plate but junior year definitely I would get a summer job at least, it proves responsibility and work ethic. Good luck! I would appreciate it if you could accept this answer too, it helps me a lot! Thanks!
I'd say that your extracurricular profile is quite competitive for the UCs so far! You are involved with a lot more activities than rising sophomores. I would say that you should think about your target major and do a few activities to hone in on it. Your rocketry activities would make you a good fit for STEM majors and they will certainly make you stand out! Hope this helps!
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