Can you get into college with no Extra curriculars?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People on here are crazy. Teenage summers do not need to be FILLED with activities. That is a new development within the last decade. My teens go to the pool (not a life guards), go on bike rides, spend time with their grandparents and cousins. They will all go to and get accepted into colleges.

It's not that people are crazy. The college admission process is absolutely crazy. Have you gone thru one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People on here are crazy. Teenage summers do not need to be FILLED with activities. That is a new development within the last decade. My teens go to the pool (not a life guards), go on bike rides, spend time with their grandparents and cousins. They will all go to and get accepted into colleges.

Not new. I graduated in 1984 in flyover country. Every kid I knew (public and private school) had a summer job, and a few volunteered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People on here are crazy. Teenage summers do not need to be FILLED with activities. That is a new development within the last decade. My teens go to the pool (not a life guards), go on bike rides, spend time with their grandparents and cousins. They will all go to and get accepted into colleges.

No, its not. Your style parenting is the new development where kids don't get their first jobs until they are in their mid-20's and never had a job or internship. When I grew up, it was expected you have a summer job or internship. We saved our summer money for college. Its not about the money but responsibility, work ethic, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OK, he'll get a summer job cooking french fries. But that doesn't make him particularly compelling to any competitive colleges, right?

He shows no drive or enthusiasm for anything besides gaming. We couldn't afford any good summer camps or activities for him that his friends did. We sent him to the cheap county or federally funded stuff in middle school and he hated it and refuses to go to anything that's free or cheap anymore. Honestly they are really poorly run, so I stopped forcing him to go for the experience.

He has this idea he'll get into some competitive/selective colleges because of his grades and test scores, but I'm thinking that's not likely, and especially not likely for merit scholarships. State school is most likely?

It's important to be realistic (not harsh, but realistic) with him about what it takes to get into a selective school-maybe on College Confidential you could find some profiles of students getting into the schools he thinks he's interested in. And, he can get a great education at a state school, even a non-top-tier state school, but he should realize now that he is making choices about his future. Does he get an allowance/everything provided by you? Maybe a job and providing for some of his own wants would be good for him.

I think the colleges--even competitive ones-- very much like to see students who have held a job, and have learned the responsibility, humility and money management that comes with that, even if it's a simple job like cooking fries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People on here are crazy. Teenage summers do not need to be FILLED with activities. That is a new development within the last decade. My teens go to the pool (not a life guards), go on bike rides, spend time with their grandparents and cousins. They will all go to and get accepted into colleges.

No, its not. Your style parenting is the new development where kids don't get their first jobs until they are in their mid-20's and never had a job or internship. When I grew up, it was expected you have a summer job or internship. We saved our summer money for college. Its not about the money but responsibility, work ethic, etc.

I had a summer job in high school. It was not on my college applications.

It is difficult to get a job in this area as a teen. That part has changed, and is affecting parenting styles (not the other way around). Montgomery County in particular has a whole process of getting a permit after accepting a position, many employers do not even understand the process and think that you need the permit before applying. It's a whole process. Plus many employers do not want to work around all of your kid's activities and extra curriculars.

So yes, in past high school kids held more jobs, but they had less activities. Also interning wasn't a thing for high schoolers. All of this made up shit to keep your kid busy and maybe look slightly better on a college application. Focus on good grades and test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People on here are crazy. Teenage summers do not need to be FILLED with activities. That is a new development within the last decade. My teens go to the pool (not a life guards), go on bike rides, spend time with their grandparents and cousins. They will all go to and get accepted into colleges.

Not new. I graduated in 1984 in flyover country. Every kid I knew (public and private school) had a summer job, and a few volunteered.

Same in an affluent LA suburb in the 80s. Spent my 15 yr old summer working as a 30 hr/wk babysitter, 16th in fast food, 17th at a law office.

My DS will be 15 this summer and is volunteering full-time at camp for the 3rd year in a row and plans to be paid staff next year when he's 16.

DD is 13 and had been planning to be a CIT at her favorite camp this summer but, after waiting several years for the opportunity, this year they pushed the CIT age back to 15 So, she'll have to wait a couple more years.

With all the camps out there it's doesn't seem that hard to get a staff job, although kids with CIT experience are likely to be the first hired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just lie on the applications.

How do they know he didn’t play sports outside of school or wasn’t part of some club or take lessons? They don’t.

My kid lied on his as he had zero interest in all that crap (much like yours, just liked video games) and guess what? He’s finishing his sophomore year at UVA as a biochem major. As long as you have the grades and test scores, that rest is fluff and filler that meant nothing 10-15 years ago.

And before someone is all ZOMG you raised a liar! Yep. I’d rather have a liar than a stressed out little robot that I read about on here a lot. Just lie. Simple as that.

You're dreadful and I feel sorry for your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OK, he'll get a summer job cooking french fries. But that doesn't make him particularly compelling to any competitive colleges, right?

He shows no drive or enthusiasm for anything besides gaming. We couldn't afford any good summer camps or activities for him that his friends did. We sent him to the cheap county or federally funded stuff in middle school and he hated it and refuses to go to anything that's free or cheap anymore. Honestly they are really poorly run, so I stopped forcing him to go for the experience.

He has this idea he'll get into some competitive/selective colleges because of his grades and test scores, but I'm thinking that's not likely, and especially not likely for merit scholarships. State school is most likely?

It's important to be realistic (not harsh, but realistic) with him about what it takes to get into a selective school-maybe on College Confidential you could find some profiles of students getting into the schools he thinks he's interested in. And, he can get a great education at a state school, even a non-top-tier state school, but he should realize now that he is making choices about his future. Does he get an allowance/everything provided by you? Maybe a job and providing for some of his own wants would be good for him.

I think the colleges--even competitive ones-- very much like to see students who have held a job, and have learned the responsibility, humility and money management that comes with that, even if it's a simple job like cooking fries.

Many admissions directors have clearly stated that place far more value on a child holding down a job than on some manufactured charity mission to Nicaragua.

[Anonymous]

One of my students got into MIT this year, and he had no extracurricular activities (except for teaching himself coding from his bedroom: hilarious app essay there).

[Anonymous]

When I read this title, I thought... what kind of person doesn't have any ecs? Someone who has to work to support her family? Someone like Mark Zuckerberg, who taught himself how to program?

Oh, a gamer.

Working and having driving passions are both time-sucks that take away from EC time but look good to colleges. Gaming is a time-suck that does not, and I'd definitely worry.

He'll get in somewhere, but I'd really try to encourage him to find something other than video gaming, not to get into college but to help him become a more well-rounded person. My brother was a big gamer, and got really into learning Japanese -- he ended up taking classes at our local university (not expensive) and ultimately majored in east Asian languages. It doesn't need to be all "stressed out robot" for you to help him become a person with marketable interests.

[Anonymous]

Just from a life perspective, he needs to do something else except play video games. Make him function in the real world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People on here are crazy. Teenage summers do not need to be FILLED with activities. That is a new development within the last decade. My teens go to the pool (not a life guards), go on bike rides, spend time with their grandparents and cousins. They will all go to and get accepted into colleges.

No, its not. Your style parenting is the new development where kids don't get their first jobs until they are in their mid-20's and never had a job or internship. When I grew up, it was expected you have a summer job or internship. We saved our summer money for college. Its not about the money but responsibility, work ethic, etc.

I had a summer job in high school. It was not on my college applications.

It is difficult to get a job in this area as a teen. That part has changed, and is affecting parenting styles (not the other way around). Montgomery County in particular has a whole process of getting a permit after accepting a position, many employers do not even understand the process and think that you need the permit before applying. It's a whole process. Plus many employers do not want to work around all of your kid's activities and extra curriculars.

So yes, in past high school kids held more jobs, but they had less activities. Also interning wasn't a thing for high schoolers. All of this made up shit to keep your kid busy and maybe look slightly better on a college application. Focus on good grades and test scores.

I grew up here and summer jobs and interning were a big thing here. There are so many places to get internships, some unpaid but that's fine if parents can afford it. Kids can get jobs, it just may not be a job they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just from a life perspective, he needs to do something else except play video games. Make him function in the real world.

This. Don't allow him to experience his first job, boss, coworkers when he graduates from college. My son worked as a camp counselor in the summer and really learned how to be an employee. He couldn't make excuses for being late, tired, etc. He had to learn to get along with other people including lazy ones who did nothing. He learned how much work it takes to earn a certain amount of money. Sometimes having a job shows you what you don't want to do. I worked in fast food one summer and I learned that I never wanted to do that ever again! Even volunteering is better than sitting around all summer playing video games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just from a life perspective, he needs to do something else except play video games. Make him function in the real world.

+1 My 14 yr old loves videogames too but we require that he do at minimum something in the arts (he takes guitar lessons), something active (he plays a sport at the rec level), and something for service (has been monthly service at our church but he recently started volunteering with Special Olympics around the sport he plays).

One service option that could appeal to a gamer is doing fundraising for Gamers Outreach: https://gamersoutreach.org/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People on here are crazy. Teenage summers do not need to be FILLED with activities. That is a new development within the last decade. My teens go to the pool (not a life guards), go on bike rides, spend time with their grandparents and cousins. They will all go to and get accepted into colleges.

No, its not. Your style parenting is the new development where kids don't get their first jobs until they are in their mid-20's and never had a job or internship. When I grew up, it was expected you have a summer job or internship. We saved our summer money for college. Its not about the money but responsibility, work ethic, etc.

I had a summer job in high school. It was not on my college applications.

It is difficult to get a job in this area as a teen. That part has changed, and is affecting parenting styles (not the other way around). Montgomery County in particular has a whole process of getting a permit after accepting a position, many employers do not even understand the process and think that you need the permit before applying. It's a whole process. Plus many employers do not want to work around all of your kid's activities and extra curriculars.

So yes, in past high school kids held more jobs, but they had less activities. Also interning wasn't a thing for high schoolers. All of this made up shit to keep your kid busy and maybe look slightly better on a college application. Focus on good grades and test scores.

I grew up here and summer jobs and interning were a big thing here. There are so many places to get internships, some unpaid but that's fine if parents can afford it. Kids can get jobs, it just may not be a job they want.

I also grew up in DC and had the same experience. I always had a job or internship in the summer during high school.