We know you’re busy. Or maybe you’re not, and this article is perfect for you because you should be busy. Really busy. Sometimes we just need a little bit of creative inspiration (or a strong reminder) that colleges not only care about, but look carefully at how you spend your time outside of the classroom. So, if you need that reminder to fill your time with activities and projects that are productive, consider this that reminder. And if you’re busy with extracurriculars, this is a good reminder to think about quality vs. quantity. Just because you’re doing a lot, doesn’t mean you’re showing your diversity of skills and interests in the best way possible.
We think that the most competitive students and applicants are those who lead, those who plan, and those who choose to spearhead unique projects that act as value-adds to one of their many communities. And no, that doesn’t necessarily mean community service. (We have a lot of opinions on community service but you can read about that elsewhere.) When we say “act as value-adds” we mean something that doesn’t just look good, but something that has actual use and meaning, that are relevant to your area(s) of interests.
The reason why it’s so important to evaluate your extracurriculars from the perspective of independent contribution and leadership is that those are aspects and qualities that colleges look for in students. They want students who a) are eager and effective contributors to their academic and school communities, and b) contribute in such ways that showcase their commitment, motivation, and creativity, not to mention their work ethic and leadership skills.
We’ve put together a few ideas for in-school independent project ideas that we encourage students to pursue to help them stand out. We know that you’re unique. We do. We just want to help make sure that you are maximizing your interests and capabilities and we think that independent projects are great ways to do that. We think that doing something at or related to your school is a great place to begin because: a) it’s where you already spend a lot of your time, and b) your school likely has resources that you can use to help get your project off the ground.
Create a community partnership
Think about it: there are lots of local organizations that are low (and reliant) on volunteers to accomplish their goals. There are also lots of willing and able students who attend your school. What better use of your time than to find a local organization that could benefit from a surge of young enthusiasm and labor and facilitate a partnership through an event or series of events. Lots of students don’t have the energy or willingness to seek out independent volunteer work (it can be scary to cold-call or cold-visit a non-profit), but surely would be willing to sign up to volunteer if it were as easy as showing up somewhere at a designated time. Do your research and find an organization that you’d be excited to partner with and one that aligns with your interests. For example, you could help coordinate a local blood drive, promote literacy by bringing students in to read to young kiddos, or improve geriatric mental health by coordinating a group of students to spend time with older folks at a community center or YMCA.
Offer to TA a course
Take advantage of the subjects in which you’re excelling and schedule a meeting with your teacher to offer your time and energy. Many classes could benefit from having a student who is familiar with the material and who could ease the burden of office hours. We’ve had students fill a “TA” (teaching assistant)-type role for lower-level courses the year after they’ve completed and mastered the course material. The teacher might give you some extra work over the summer to prepare, but we think that it’s a great way to show academic leadership. It could also be a great use of your free periods.
Create a Makerspace
Makerspaces often get branded as “only for engineers” when in reality, a Makerspace can be any sort of creative/productive/out-put driven workspace that you want it to be. It does not have to have a focus on electrical engineering, but with just a few supplies (for which you can fundraise to purchase), you can put together a community hub for anyone who is interested in getting involved in creating with their hands and brains. UT Austin has a seriously impressive makerspace called Texas Inventionworks that we’d suggest taking a look at for inspiration. Concordia University-Portland and USC each created resource-filled guides for putting together Makerspaces at your school.
Bottom line: look for what is missing
Take stock of all of the available clubs and teams at your school and evaluate from a selfish perspective--is there enough for you, based on your highly-specific interests? If there’s something that stands out as missing, that you’d be thrilled to join if it were to exist....then get to work, because you’re going to make it happen.
Let us know if you need help thinking of something to kick-start at your school. These are just a few ideas, and every school is different. Call or email us with your specifications and interests and we’d be thrilled to do some brainstorming with you.