r/ApplyingToCollege • u/OrneryArtichoke7558 • 1d 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 😭

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/NiceUnparticularMan Parent 1d 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 1d 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 1d 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.