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Extracurriculars are by and large a scam. I became vice president of a few clubs, started a UNICEF chapter at my school, etc. But I made almost 0 impact on th
by costco 3y ago
Extracurriculars are by and large a scam. I became vice president of a few clubs, started a UNICEF chapter at my school, etc. But I made almost 0 impact on the world because we only raised like $200, most of which was from me and my family. The proof that most people don't actually care about these things is that they quit them the day they start college. Maybe participation in something like ISEF is a better signal. But not National Honor Society membership (which I of course had, because that's what you do).
No one can verify the accuracy of letters of recommendation and teachers routinely break the rules by showing them to students. In some cases I have heard of teachers asking students to write them (!).
- laidoffamazon 3y agoYeah, that kind of extracurricular isn't enough for top schools unless you have some other kind of hook. Winning ISEF/placing high (not 100% how it works) already is a pretty good hook, I'm sure most of the MIT entering class won some equivalent national prize like this. > In some cases I have heard of teachers asking students to write them This is very common in college, most professors don't have the time to write letters of rec for all of the students they do research with etc. They may edit it and sign off after.
- costco 3y agoI got into University of Michigan which I think is T25. I would not have gotten into an Ivy. But I'm just saying that based on my experience for a large number of people, their high school extracurriculars are "fake" in that they have little actual interest in them and that they are an overweighted admissions signal.