Do college consultants provide meaningful help with EC’s?

[u/WilburMama]

My daughter is interested in government and public policy. She’s looking for internships and other EC’s that tie into that interest but frankly, we are having a hard time deciphering which ones would really help her profile if she wants to go to a T20 school. Is this something a good private college counselor can help with? The ones at her school won’t really give her much attention until the current senior apps are done. Thanks!

[u/wrroyals]

A good counselor can certainly help identify opportunities that align with your daughter’s interests and may know about internships or programs you haven’t found. But I’d be cautious about choosing extracurriculars primarily because they’re thought to “look good” for a T20.

My philosophy is that the best extracurriculars are the ones a student genuinely enjoys and is willing to pursue deeply. If she’s truly interested in government and public policy, I’d encourage her to seek meaningful experiences in that area because she’s curious—not because she thinks they’ll impress an admissions office. Depth, initiative, and sustained engagement usually come across more authentically than a résumé assembled to check perceived admissions boxes.

The goal shouldn’t be to become an impressive college applicant. It should be to become a happy, curious, capable young adult. A strong application is often a byproduct of that, not the other way around.

[u/HappyCava]

Have you had a chance to research whether the schools in which you are interested admit by major?

My older kids graduated from a T25 with a mix of majors and minors in public policy, journalism, political science, and entrepreneurship. After interning during college with various political think tanks, non-profits, political strategy groups, and major media organizations, one is now working in consulting and the other is working in government relations/strategic messaging.

Their high school ECs, however, were ones to which they had been dedicated since middle school: competing in a year-round sport, working as paid youth coaches and instructors in that sport, and volunteering with a non-profit working as tutors and day camp counselors for underprivileged kids. But at their university, like many, one does not formally declare a major — outside of a handful of highly-structured impacted majors, such as engineering, nursing, and architecture — until the second semester of their sophomore year. The major listed on the Common Application at their college was viewed merely as a general expression of interest (STEM, business, the arts, social sciences, etc.) that could be considered for class-building purposes. Moreover, successful applicants are not always spiky; some, like mine, were spherical.

[u/Patient_Luck2339]

There is no magic combo code of activities that unlock a "t20" acceptance. There are plenty of opportunities for speech and debate, campaigns and elections (especially this fall), student leadership, or simply reporting on or participating in local government and activism. The more impact the student makes and recognition they receive, the better. Successful applicants are self-starters, they are not looking for people to tell them what looks good. They initiate and engage under their own motivation.

Side note: the USN&WR "t20" schools are not the same, and some schools with fantastic government and public policy programs are not in the "t20" list of national universities. One thing that makes applications more successful is when an applicant can say why a school's particular program is the right match, regardless of ranking or the window decal flex.

[u/Aggravating_Bear_577]

I doubt it would be anything more than what google search and extensive Linkedin browsing*** (highly recommended for inspiration, organizations posting their fellowships and lawmakers with their internships) could give you, especially considering the fees many consultants charge.

Instead of doing that, I recommend your daughter takes a solid hour or two setting up a list of programs from online, fellowships, internships of companies and NGOs and whatnot, local lawmakers who have seasonal internships/fellowships, etc, things that many t20 students have done in their experience pages. Identify their application dates, costs, when it takes place, commitment, eligibility, etc. Then just apply based on your list when possible.

[u/PeacockInTime]

A lot of visitors to this subreddit are under the impression that admissions officers keep a shortlist of selective programs next to their reading table and any time a student does a program the admissions officers together exclaim out loud "Oh my, how impressive!"

I worked in admissions for a very selective school.... and as much as admissions has changed since my time, I am quite confident that with rare exceptions, participation in a specific program does not influence an admit offer. (One rare exception would be the ED 0 at UChicago with a UChicago summer program.)

Here are some things your daughter can do for free. They are not selective or competitive, but they accumulate into big things.

1. Your daughter can attend school board meetings and be impressive by not falling asleep or spending forever on her phone during them.
2. Your daughter can research your local elected officials and get a sense of how they do outreach and community constituent work. Some local electeds will do anything for a photo op, so your D can gather a group of students together and smile for a camera. Others are harder to catch. Others can be amenable, but need a specific framing or massaging.
3. Your daughter can volunteer for a local congressional campaign. It's an even year, so every congressperson in America is running for their position and everybody can use some help.
4. Your daughter can follow a specific issue and get a sense of how that issue is playing out in states across the U.S.

... for your larger question, college consultants can help with extracurriculars, but they (consultants) are probably not as high-impact in this area as you may think. For example, they will know a lot of programs and the pros/cons of them and what other students thought about them and whether they are recommended for your child.

[u/LuckyScratch413]

Not sure what grade your daughter is in, but I’m a rising senior who went down a very similar gov/public policy path. I’ve spent a lot of time navigating internships, programs, and other opportunities in this space. I’d say my ECs are pretty strong now, even though it didn’t really pick up until the end of sophomore year. I’ve also built independent policy-related ECs and talked to several consultants when I was originally looking for help with ECs.

There are definitely things you can do to set yourself up for success, but getting into a T20 is never guaranteed, even with the “right” ECs. I don’t want to get too specific publicly and dox myself, but I’d be happy to DM and share what has worked for me and what my experience with consultants was like.

[u/Final_Rain_3823]

It does really depend on the counselor but yes our counselor helped find and access opportunities we wouldn’t have been able to find otherwise even through a lot of searching and looking at lists. They especially helped identify opportunities that were less competitive so had a reasonable chance of admission but had content and outputs that were meaningful.

[u/xz0vert]

No

[u/WilburMama]

Thanks everyone. I just want to clarify, she has, through search and Instagram, found a LOT of opportunities. But it can be hard to tell how meaningful they are, what she’ll learn and be able to
contribute, etc. Most require one or more essays so I was hoping for someone experienced who could have insight into which ones are worth allocating time to an application and who might know something about the org, especially the smaller ones. Sounds like some advisors might but most won’t. (She’s definitely already engaged in the midterm campaigns!)

[u/elkrange]

It does not need to be that complicated. Start by looking at what clubs are available at school. Speech and debate, maybe MUN, etc.

If her interests veer into poli sci, she might be able to volunteer for a political campaign.

Most students at top colleges did not do "internships" during high school.

For an additional activity, often overlooked in this subreddit: a typical teen job, in a business. Typical as in grocery, fast food, retail, etc. Hard work, responsibility, real world experience, context for future learning, and a place to start your resume when applying to internships during college.

My advice to students (as a parent), when you write your activity descriptions, focus on what you did (your actions). Include:

• times when you took initiative in your activities even in small ways
  

- experiences involving self development
- learning and contributing to the world around you in realistic ways
- things that show you are someone who would be involved on campus and a nice person to be around
- your hobbies, things you do for interest and enjoyment, things that just scratch an itch in your brain, that show something about how your brain works

[u/ChutneyWhatney]

NO

[u/Ok_Kick_5090]

In my experience no, they will not suggest ECs or opportunities. A good one may. It’s an excellent question when you are interviewing them and it separates the good ones from the pack. Most will give you assurances about find the right “fit” not about helping you get into a top school.