The student who takes all the AP/honors classes and receives high grades but participates in no extracurricular activities? Or the student who takes a few AP/honors classes, does community service, joins sports, and is involved in clubs? This year I'm taking one AP class and three honor classes. I'm doing well but I find it's rather difficult to balance time for homework and practice. [I run cross country and track.] School and sports are both important to me but I'm not sure whether I should continue taking every possible AP/honor classes in the future. I want to but regarding time, I think it'll be physically impossible. I've joined four clubs at school. I do a lot of community service and I plan to apply for NHS in the future. Should I stick with the AP classes and drop the extracurricular activities to make time? Or should I continue at this rate with the AP classes and activites? Is it better to be really smart or well-rounded?
2006-11-30 17:56:01 · 10 answers · asked by cyn cyn 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
Demonstrate your passion for something. Show your dedication to an interest: this is much more important than joining a bunch of random clubs to pad your resume. And which qualifications matter the most really depend on the school you're applying to. Some love their essays, others look more closely at different things.
And relax. Don't forget to enjoy yourself too, because it is actually possible to do well and have fun.
2006-11-30 18:32:04 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on the type of school you hope to attend. Overall, best is the one who took all AP classes _and_ participated in lots of extracurriculars. But that would be an issue at the top schools.
Moving down the list of schools, if you are interested in an academically rigorous school then I recommend focusing on the Ap & honors courses. Plus keep one or two extracurriculars. Places do want to see that you're somewhat well-rounded, but that does not mean spreading yourself so thin that you can't do anything well.
I'd drop a few of the extracurriculars and pursue the ones that are truly your passion. And after you go through this whole experience, you can write your college application essay about how hard it was to make a decision about your extracurriculars, but you decided that you were really passionate about x and so chose to devote more energy to that instead of doing many things superficially.
2006-12-02 00:05:07 · answer #2 · answered by Ladida 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
DO NOT drop your extracurricular activities. This is what shows you to be a well rounded person, not just some egghead who knows how to study. Seriously. Think about it. If you were a boss, who would you hire? The college grad who made straight A's and knows the job inside and out but doesn't get along well with others and has no regard for the wellfare of the community at large or the guy who 'only' made B's, maybe a couple of C's, but has a great personality, can get along with anyone, is active in his community and generally does what he/she can to be an active participant in life. Kind of a no-brainer (no pun intended) isn't it?
Know this, too. When it comes promotion time in a company, it's not the guy who has the most technical know-how who gets the job. It's the guy who has the best people skills and gets involved with others.
I know I'm talking professional examples here, but the same principle applies to college. I just told someone earlier that colleges are really pushing volunteerism now. To get an idea, check out the book, 40 Colleges That Develop Character, or something like that. It lists the schools that do the most to develop the entire person, not just stuff their brain full of info.
I'm giving a shameless plug here to my alma mater, Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, VA which has made the list for like the last 4 or 5 years running. We are also a US News top tier school and have made the Princeton Review 2 years running now. Check it out. www.lynchburg.edu And good luck with the rest of high school.
2006-12-01 02:12:54 · answer #3 · answered by Blue 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From what I have read recently I would say that Universities are looking for well rounded applicants, and things like Community Service are worthwhile.
I would also be active in at least one club in high school.
I would take as many AP courses as my schedule would allow.
2006-12-01 02:23:21 · answer #4 · answered by Norton N 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You do cross country? [i like XC that's why :)] That's so cool. Anyways, many colleges now look at students who are more well-rounded b/c then it shows how involved you are. . . and how you're going to contribute to their college. It's good to have AP / honors class b/c it shows how you like to challenge yourself - which is good. I'm sure you'll be okay-just as long as you don't procrastinate. I know this girl who did xc & track [she was an excellent runner], was a student body officer, and did well in her honor/ ap classes. she was able to manage her time well-plus she got a schlorship to brown university...
don't worry you'll do fine. :)
2006-12-01 02:36:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This depends on WHAT you want to do in college. If your focus is on technical abilities, ex. engineering, chemistry, physics, then focus on GPA and SAT scores without a doubt. If english, art or photography for example, keep GPA up but do things that others can see as a part of your ability like extra-curriculars. You are basically building a resume so focus on the pertinent topics related to your field.
2006-12-01 02:09:58 · answer #6 · answered by Jared H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unless you will be playing track or sports in college or are planning to do it professionally, let it go..Learn as much in high school as you can...You will be glad you did in college. College is VERY tough..The more you learn in High Sc. the easier college will be...the better your grades will be...Make high grades in college, that's what matters..that will be what matters when you go to grad school or med school, or work etc...that's what they will look at...they will be more concerned with what you took and not your sports. You will be well rounded in college. You have to take pe in college to graduated and you can choose between sports, dancing, etc...so you will get in some of those things...They have plenty of activities in colleges that you can join and do in your own time based on your skills...it's your choice but College is EXTREMELY Hard and the more you learn, the happier you will be
2006-12-01 02:08:37 · answer #7 · answered by chilover 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Stick with the AP classes. Instead of cutting out the clubs -- just cut back on them. That way, you can still include them on your application.
2006-12-01 09:23:29 · answer #8 · answered by Ranto 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Simple: the student who scores highest on the SAT. Or who speaks English as a second language.
2006-12-01 02:04:14 · answer #9 · answered by elk312 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Drop everything that comes in between your studies
2006-12-01 02:24:33 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋