What do I do about extracirculars?Answered
My parents absolutely refuse to let me do anything outside of school. This includes not only clubs but also church and volunteer work. I have 1 extracurricular that I can go to only because it is in the morning. I am afraid this will look really bad to colleges despite the fact that I have a 3.8 GPA,9 AP classes, 8 honor classes, and 5 DE classes. I really want to get into LSU, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Texas A&M, or UNC Chapel Hill. It's not fair that my parents are holding me back but I can't fix that. So what do I do?
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4 answers
Hello @kalynnnelson, it is a bummer that your parents do not let you do anything (I have no idea why, maybe ask them?), thankfully, your classes and GPA is 100% good enough for those colleges, and just know that EC is not everything.
But some EC ideas are in here, it is from collegevine. DO not stress out too much, try also focusing on SAT or ACT, continue to do good in your high school grade, and see the blog from collegevine to fill your EC.
Good luck!
blog.collegevine.com/extracurriculars-you-can-do-at-home#:~:text=Form%20an%20online%20study%20group,Take%20an%20online%20course.
Hello, there are a lot of extracurriculars you can do online / virtually
I would try to reason with them. There is a good chance they feel if you do extra caricature activities, it might cause your grades to suffer. All that hard work and success may become lost. I would use the angle that you’re a responsible person and if my grades drop, I will not stop or lessen the extra curricular activities. Also, extra curricular activities allow me to relieve stress. I sure your parents are doing this out of love and what they think is best for you. I let my son play Lacrosse, basketball and track. he knows that if he does not perform well in school, all or some activities will be taken away. It’s not because I wanna be hard. It did take me sometime to allow him to play sports. Originally it was an absolute no. I was scared all of his library time that he was doing from 3 years old to 10 would be for nothing. I come to realize that regardless, it was not for nothing and how long can I have that much control over him. He just turned 15 and if I am too forceful and strict, it will drive him away from me. The same way it did to my father.
That's a hard situation, @kalynnnelson. Keep doing what you can. Your situation will require some creativity.
One thought: Hobbies can turn into ECs- is there something you are passionate about or really enjoy doing that your parents are ok with you exploring further? Eg, I love plants, so I began gardening. This has actually earned me horticulture/agriculture credits but it is also an EC + I took it further with mini classes, personal research and experimentation, and floral design. Think about what interests you and how you can pursue it further within the limits of what you are permitted to do.
I wouldn't overstress over the colleges not accepting you. ECs are meant to add fun to high school not anxiety. That's the reason I recommend you try to find a way to have some EC activities- to elevate stress. Doing things you enjoy helps you focus in school, be more productive, and overall be more balanced student.
Hope this helps and lmk if there is anything I can do for you!
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