University application

Hi guys, I m currently going to college in the uk and would like to apply to Universities in the US such as MIT, I know that you need to have lots of extra curriculars and I wanted to ask if the things I’m doing/will do, is enough?

These are the things I will be doing; astronomy club, business club, photography club and will be part of a robotic computer science competition. I regularly go mountain bike riding too. I’ve also been thinking about learning to play an instrument such as piano, and play table tennis at college.

Will this be enough or will I have to pick an instrument, a sport and many more?

I'm a student who finished high school in the U.S. but now study in the UK. I've done the US college application so I know a few tips for this.

I personally did like 10 clubs, but anything I did is because I either had a friend doing it or I found it fun. I honestly found that more is not better. What really matters is commitment because that is what colleges look for. As opposed to playing 7 instruments they prefer it if you have been playing 1 instrument for 7 years. In the end, what really matters is how you spin your stories in your essays. College admissions see a bunch of kids all with the same grades, so the essays are what set you apart. You should be looking for stories and takeaways that you can write about. If you love mountain bike riding and write a whole essay about that and somehow tie it to how its given you a sense of organization or stress relief or whatever they will love that way more than laundry listing every club.

Also if you love all the clubs you're in I advise sticking with them but don't do too many that you burn out because that's the mistake I made junior year and it wasn't fun. Also colleges really like leadership positions and competition awards in these clubs so those could be good to shoot for (but you still gotta spin it well in your essays).

Hope that helps

which major are you looking at applying for? (if you don’t have a specific one in mind that’s okay ). Going deeper into activities around that might be a good idea, and also being more involved in your school clubs (e.g. leading them, organising events, or founding a new club). Don’t start anything you’re not passionate about just for your application, instead work on strengthening the stuff you already have and doing things you enjoy . What kind of things are you passionate about? I applied last year so might be able to give some advice on EC ideas!

I was looking at applying for something to do with computer science and physics.

Maybe get involved with hackathons, physics competitions, etc. either online or in your local area if they have any. Also, are you interested in volunteering? You could always volunteer at care homes to teach computer skills, tutor physics to school kids or set up an organisation that works towards something you’re passionate about

Yeah I would like to get involved in competitions and I had a look but had trouble finding any competitions within physics and computer science. Do you know any? And also how will universities know that I actually took part in them as opposed to lying?

Well if the university finds out you lied in your application you would be kicked out of the school and wouldn’t be admitted to any other university, so they probably assume that no one would lie knowing the consequences. You could provide them with certificates but I’m sure they wouldn’t require them, they’d just trust that you’re being honest. I’m not sure of any competitions right know as they usually pop up throughout the year, but check out competitions like breakthrough junior challenge, dukes essay prize etc.