Bec Posted December 7, 2014 Report Share Posted December 7, 2014 I am currently a pre-IB student (year 10) heading into my first year of IB in January 2015 and after reading through the forums I realised that my chances are very low of getting into top unis in America.. Especially after reading lot's of people's ECs, I realise I am pretty much screwed. Can someone please give me some ideas of what to do? Or could anyone show me what they are doing for a reference? Currently now I am doing: - Member of the MUN (no position so pretty much useless..) - I play the flute but only grade 5 - I do art classes but I haven't entered in competitions - I've won quite a few science awards in the state but that's pretty much it - Tutoring for mandarin in the school - Just started tennis - Been to 1 IB conference None of these are extremely impressive and this concerns me a lot PLEASE HELP Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingStar16 Posted December 7, 2014 Report Share Posted December 7, 2014 Umm I don't think they look at the KIND of EC's. It all depends on what you got out of it. Depth>Breadth. Get involved in stuff you're passionate about instead of what you think they want because then, you can really reflect on it when you apply to universities. It's also a lot more enjoyable if you're passionate about it, but don't be afraid to try something new! Another thing unis like to see is commitment and it's easier to commit to something if you genuinely enjoy it. If you're interested, maybe get involved in more volunteering? In full IB, you do CAS and it involves volunteering to an extent. Does your school keep you updated on current volunteer opportunities? Another thing could be to try and apply for a part time job? 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingStar16 Posted December 7, 2014 Report Share Posted December 7, 2014 Universities like leadership stuff as well and tutoring counts as leadership. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink97 Posted December 7, 2014 Report Share Posted December 7, 2014 Your extracurricular should demonstrate your passion(s) by getting involved a lot, getting national/international awards etc - anything that shows you're passionate about whatever it is that you're interested and as shootingstar16 said competitive universities look for depth and not breath, a long laundry list will not do! Try getting involved in thinks that are more unique that interest you as you'll need to differentiate your self from all the other applicants to get accepted. And leadership is critical if you want to get into the Ivy's and whatnot - as in become the president of clubs, secretary/treasurer etc, captain of sports team, run your own charity events etc. Doing some volunteer work will also help beef up your application! 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted December 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Your extracurricular should demonstrate your passion(s) by getting involved a lot, getting national/international awards etc - anything that shows you're passionate about whatever it is that you're interested and as shootingstar16 said competitive universities look for depth and not breath, a long laundry list will not do! Try getting involved in thinks that are more unique that interest you as you'll need to differentiate your self from all the other applicants to get accepted. And leadership is critical if you want to get into the Ivy's and whatnot - as in become the president of clubs, secretary/treasurer etc, captain of sports team, run your own charity events etc. Doing some volunteer work will also help beef up your application! So leadership is definietly important? I've been thinking of going for house vice captain in my school next year, but it's mainly based on popularity and I am 99% sure I won't get it. Our school has pretty much no leadership postiitons due to the fact that they say "everyone is equally good". New CAS groups are hard to start as students in our school do not give much a damn and are pretty much never really committed.. Thanks anyway for your advice I'll try as much as I can Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted December 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Umm I don't think they look at the KIND of EC's. It all depends on what you got out of it. Depth>Breadth. Get involved in stuff you're passionate about instead of what you think they want because then, you can really reflect on it when you apply to universities. It's also a lot more enjoyable if you're passionate about it, but don't be afraid to try something new! Another thing unis like to see is commitment and it's easier to commit to something if you genuinely enjoy it. If you're interested, maybe get involved in more volunteering? In full IB, you do CAS and it involves volunteering to an extent. Does your school keep you updated on current volunteer opportunities? Another thing could be to try and apply for a part time job? Thanks for the reply So I should be concentrated on a serie of EC that are similar? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink97 Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Your extracurricular should demonstrate your passion(s) by getting involved a lot, getting national/international awards etc - anything that shows you're passionate about whatever it is that you're interested and as shootingstar16 said competitive universities look for depth and not breath, a long laundry list will not do! Try getting involved in thinks that are more unique that interest you as you'll need to differentiate your self from all the other applicants to get accepted. And leadership is critical if you want to get into the Ivy's and whatnot - as in become the president of clubs, secretary/treasurer etc, captain of sports team, run your own charity events etc. Doing some volunteer work will also help beef up your application!So leadership is definietly important? I've been thinking of going for house vice captain in my school next year, but it's mainly based on popularity and I am 99% sure I won't get it. Our school has pretty much no leadership postiitons due to the fact that they say "everyone is equally good". New CAS groups are hard to start as students in our school do not give much a damn and are pretty much never really committed.. Thanks anyway for your advice I'll try as much as I can Yah they really are important! Just try anyway, you never know! Try talking several of your friends into starting a club? That will give you a leadership position. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingStar16 Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Umm I don't think they look at the KIND of EC's. It all depends on what you got out of it. Depth>Breadth. Get involved in stuff you're passionate about instead of what you think they want because then, you can really reflect on it when you apply to universities. It's also a lot more enjoyable if you're passionate about it, but don't be afraid to try something new! Another thing unis like to see is commitment and it's easier to commit to something if you genuinely enjoy it. If you're interested, maybe get involved in more volunteering? In full IB, you do CAS and it involves volunteering to an extent. Does your school keep you updated on current volunteer opportunities? Another thing could be to try and apply for a part time job? Thanks for the reply So I should be concentrated on a serie of EC that are similar? Not necessarily.. There are so many things you could get involved in and it's nice to be involved in a wide variety of things. You can end up developing new interests by trying something new. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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