How can I navigate finding high school extracurriculars based on my situation? Answered
Hi! I鈥檓 a rising sophomore, and I鈥檓 wondering how I can gain more extracurriculars. I have done one 2 week coding program, and I'm an active member in one school club (that I鈥檓 pretty sure won鈥檛 be a club next year unfortunately). I also did 2 varsity sports, which is the reason why I couldn't do more clubs, (although I'm not good at those sports and haven鈥檛 don鈥檛 anything extravagant while playing them).
Since I鈥檓 so busy with sports during most of school year, the only time I can implement internships and programs is in the summer and maybe spring.
So the question(s) I have is do good internships and programs even exist during the spring? I know they definitely exist during summer time, but spring is a little different bc it鈥檚 like closer to the end of the school year. Also, if those opportunities do exist, how can I get those opportunities even though I don鈥檛 have that many experiences or extracurriculars showing what I鈥檓 passionate in (aerospace and software engineering) because of how much I focused on sports? Should I be cold emailing people to get internships or research opportunities in the spring and summer? What are the best ways to get outstanding extracurriculars despite that I鈥檓 busy with sports during the fall and winter?
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1 answer
You have an excellent start to your journey! Great ECs so far. To answer your questions:
1.) Most internship programs will look for your ingenuity and passion in the areas you want to study through your short essays. Show you want to enter the program and are committed to doing well in it! Most internship programs for high schoolers explicitly mention there is "no prior experience needed", so don't feel so pressured to be an expert when you're there to learn and they're there to teach!
2.) Yes! If you miss a program deadline or just can't find any that coincide with your schedule, contacting (by email) universities and professors will be super helpful in doing research and even possibly getting it published!
3.) I would say, don't put too much on your plate. You have excellent ECs and are going to have plenty more on your plate BUT if you really want to strive then gain leadership positions in the clubs you're in or start making a passion project during the fall/winter! Colleges really like both of those.
Keep up the great work.
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