im in the 10th grade and i really wanna go to an ivy league, esp columbia since it’s in state. i have a 4.97 gpa on a scale of 5, i’m taking apwh (the only ap class my school offers for sophomores) i’m in honors, i was in NJHS and i’m in NHS now, i have an internship at a clinic, 30+ community service hours, i was apart of a reforestation project where we planted trees in costa rica, im on jv volleyball and i’m planning to be on varsity basketball and soccer next year, i’m in student council and have been for 3 years, apart of key club and french club too and i’ve been playing the piano for over 10 years and i won like two awards at some place i forgot in long island .. i’m also an editor as a hobby and have 12k+ followers on tiktok from edits
i rlly wanna go to columbia university and become a psychiatrist but i feel like i’m not doing enough or i don’t stand out from other applicants.. plz help ! what else should i do? any passion project ideas?
Hi! I was in the same position only two years ago so I might be able to help. You've done lots of extracurricular activities which is fantastic - many of which shows a variety of skills. Nowadays, AOs are more focused on people who can focus on a small handful of extracurriculars - so I'd say pick a few hobbies/extracurriculars that you are really passionate about and enjoy (doesn't have to be related to psychology at all) and build onto it. DO SOMETHING YOU ENJOY AND MAKE A UNIQUE TWIST TO IT!!! Since you've said you have TikTok, try and make more videos about maybe your piano skills. Or maybe start a YouTube channel or make videos on Piano Tutorials. I'd also say take the initiative to start your own clubs. Since you are interested in being a psychiatrist, start a club around that - find students across your class and your school community (of all ages as well!) and make a club. If it is too niche (not many people are looking down that route), try start a club/society on biology, STEM or something broader.
I've also recommended lots of people to complete MOOC courses online to gain insight into the things you will learn in college and insight into your desired career path. eDx, Springbod and TheForage has a variety of these MOOC courses on engineering, finance, business, healthcare and medicine. I'd also say attend lectures (online or in person) by people in your field. Here in the United Kingdom, we have an online lecture site called 'Gresham College' which you can check out - lots of useful lecture on biology, history, politics, and STEM as a whole. These lectures are free!
Finally, it's not just about ECs. You have academics (which looks very strong to me) and the essay to focus more on (in my personal opinion, it's the essays that are the most important part of your application. Everyone's essays are different in some form so this is your chance to stand out! Everyone can have stellar academics and ECs but not everyone can write a captivating essay).
Hopefully that was useful :)
I would really suggest you try joining any peer support groups and help there because it can give you an introduction to a psychiatrist's work. You can even be a peer support group leader. Try and do real counseling experience with the credentials you have. You won't have opportunities like college students and certified professionals, but there will be things you can do that show your passion for the counseling aspect of a psychiatrist. You can also choose to volunteer in organizations that allow you to directly help people in need and talk to them.
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