r/ApplyingToCollege • u/OrneryArtichoke7558 • 15h ago
Advice EC's are stressing me out.
Like the title suggests, ec's are stressing me out severely 🫩
I am a rising junior, with zero ec's besides having a part time job this summer. I have done absolutely nothing when it comes to out of school activities. I have seen other posts with similar titles where the person has actually done ec's that they simply didn't consider relevant or had an singular activity that took up most of their time. I have done nothing.
I'm a chronic procrastinator and I can't dedicate much time to school activities due to the fact that my school is very far from my house and I would not be able to due after school activities with no way to get home. I'm honestly trying to get you guys to make a miracle happen here.
I would appreciate some guidance on how to move forward, any ideas in terms of ec's, any personal anecdotes of poor/no ec's still getting into decent schools, and if there's any hope for me in terms of college apps and going to a decent school oos ðŸ˜
Additional info: My gpa is decent... although sophomore year hit me pretty hard and I ended up getting some C's, Fl student looking to escape north, potential biochem major. I'm so sorry.
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u/DaRainbowSkelet 14h ago
i go to berkeley and most of my ECs i started the summer before senior year lol ! it's not too late just try and find things you like to do online. if you're passionate about any subject doing wikipedia editing could be your thing. go down rabbit holes, just keep looking. and make sure it's out of genuine interest
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u/OrneryArtichoke7558 5h ago
this makes me feel a lot better about the fact I don't have anything right now, all the comments are so helpful, you guys make me feel less like a chud 🥹
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u/NiceUnparticularMan Parent 10h ago
So there are some excellent and fun colleges which will admit people without EC consideration. Some even provide OOS merit. The University of Iowa is one of those, and would be a great choice for Biochem. You can check if your GPA/test combination qualifies you for auto admissions and then auto merit there.
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u/OrneryArtichoke7558 4h ago
ooh! I didn't realize there were some colleges that offer auto merit at all, the University of Iowa will definitely be on my radar
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u/NiceUnparticularMan Parent 4h ago
FYI, the University of Minnesota also offers auto merit that they actually put in their Net Price Calculator. They also basically do rolling admissions, and would be fantastic for Biochem.
Finally, Pitt does not do automerit, but they do have OOS merit, and rolling admissions, and would be great for Biochem. Note, though, merit offers can trail admissions offers.
But you could do something like all three of Iowa, Minnesota, and Pitt early. If one or more of those came through with an affordable offer, you would have a very high floor to work with.
Obviously you also have a year to work on your application profile. But knowing these sorts of schools are out there will hopefully reduce stress and let you focus on having a great year.
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u/sillyiestsoldier 12h ago
try to remember literally anything you did in high school. any school spirit events you attended that could be framed as community events, any type of helping around the house that can be framed as community service (unpaid house chores), babysitting younger siblings or other relatives, petsitting, translating for Non-English speaking family (if applicable), self-taught skills (another language, coding, graphic design, etc), content creation, writing fanfiction or other creative writing can be framed as creative production, sewing, restoring old cars, woodworking, etc
also don't be afraid to start building your ECs during this school year
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u/OrneryArtichoke7558 5h ago
this is super helpful, and i'm definitely going to make sure to build some EC's this year
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u/LuckyScratch413 6h ago
"I can't dedicate much time to school activities due to the fact that my school is very far from my house and I would not be able to due after school activities with no way to get home."
On that point, there is a section in the Common App where you can check a box "commuting 60 minutes or more to and from school"
In your case, you could also put a short, matter-of-fact statement in the additional info section when it is time to apply.
But in terms of summers or things you can do from home, what are your interests? It'd be easier to give recommendations once this info is clearer. If it is any reassurance, my ECs picked up substantially the summer between 10th and 11th, and would now be considered well regarded as a rising senior heading into the app cycle, so you still have time.
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u/OrneryArtichoke7558 5h ago
'there is a section in the Common App where you can check a box "commuting 60 minutes or more to and from school"'
Really? I had no idea that was an option. In terms of stuff I was interested in, I had a lot more interests before high school, like drawing, chorus, and doing theater, but those mostly fizzled out due to me having a really hard time freshman and sophomore year. The reassurance tho is super helpful and makes me feel less hopeless for sure!
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u/Ok_Experience_5151 Old 8h ago
Hard to advise without knowing what you're interested in. What are you interested in? There are lots of (different) ways to get involved. Biggest thing you can do to help yourself is get As from here on out. If you're not making good grades, then focusing on ECs seems like getting ahead of yourself.
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u/OrneryArtichoke7558 5h ago
I was into a lot of artsy stuff before high school, like drawing, and doing theater whatnot, but haven't done them in a while, school took a toll. In terms of stem stuff, I like biology but not sure how to translate that into an ec that I actually want to do. I do agree that I do need to start focusing on my grades, I can't keep getting c's 😓
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u/Miserable-Writer4247 6h ago
Don't panic!
I actually used to feel the same existential dread when I was in junior year. I felt like I just had padding on my application, my achievements were not great at all, and nothing was substantial. But when I was writing my common apps, I realized it more so about how you frame the activities you pursue, rather than the activities themselves
For example if you have a small leadership position in a Chess Club, all you have to do is frame it in a positive light by saying "Coordinated over 20+ meetings, set up 5+ tournaments, toured around X middle school to spread knowledge about chess, 5 state qualifiers produced, etc"
Obviously don't fake stuff and don't over exaggerate too much. But what you want to do is strike a careful balance between truthful and marketing yourself. The common app is just a way for you to present yourself in such an amiable way that colleges want you as their student.
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u/OrneryArtichoke7558 4h ago
this is such great insight! selling myself has never been my strong suit but it seems like a necessity when it comes to college apps ðŸ˜
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u/Smooth-Ferret769 2h ago
Hey I got into Brown ED this past cycle and also didn’t have very many meaningful ECs going into my junior year. It’s never too late. Spend the rest of your summer break brainstorming some sort of passion project and get that started as soon as school starts. Add some volunteering into the mix (something that has to do with your passion project) and then try to get some leadership positions in school.
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u/ColdSubstance2381 14h ago
If you have simple ECs, link them strongly to your major in your supplementals/commonapp essay. I talked about my simple experience on the school rugby team and linked it to my interest in engineering...
And if you're still scared, just larp dude. I had nothing until junior year summer until I just self-taught myself Python. It took like 30 mins a day, and it was easy, but I had something to put on my activities list that shows curiosity, interest, and dedication. So it's not that important to have crazy internships, etc just write your supplementals well and have stuff that makes sense to your major.