Extracurriculars

Ok, thank you for the info. Your issue is that right now you look like someone who's life consists of work and home. The reason schools like to see ECs is because it gives them an indication of how active you'll be on campus. You can't just say, "I'm gonna be involved in this club and that club," when you show no evidence of community involvement now. Schools are keenly aware of people trying to glom on to some EC a few months before apps are due to try to pad their profile.

In order to prevent this perception you should find activities that are in the same vein of what you did in college, that way it will look like a long term interest. There are many smaller organizations that can use your skillset. Just google mentoring/tutoring NYC and you should find a bunch of options. Call or write to them and say you'd love to help in any way possible. And don't focus so hard on finding a leadership position out the gate. Often you can be an informal leader in simply by implementing new ideas. Also, you can get involved at work. If there's nothing for employees right now (mentoring networks, sports leagues, etc.) try to create one. Some companies are best in class in this area. Try to pilfer some ideas from them and then implement on a small scale at your company. Also remember, your ECs don't have to be focused on saving the world. You can get involved in organized activities that are centered around things you're simply interested in.

Here's an example of how I went about making this aspect of my app as strong as possible. From October 2009-October 2011, I had lived in 3 different states. Because I moved around so much it was difficult to show a sustained effort with one particular organization. I moved to Philly in November 2010. Once I was settled I focused on getting involved in community activities that aligned with what I had done in the past. I had been a Big Sister for several years immediately after undergrad, so I signed up to be a Big once again. I had planned a 5K for my neighborhood when I lived in Michigan and another one sponsored by my company when I lived in Minnesota. When I got to Philly I found a youth mentoring organization that focused on distance running. I got involved in their fundraising activities. Although I joined up with both organizations (BBBS and the mentoring org) just a few months before R1, I still included them on my apps because 1) they were a continuation of work I'd done before and 2) I was able to show tangible results there. Neither activity required tons of time. I was able to hang out with my Little Sister on the weekend (twice a month) and handled much of the fundraising duties for the mentoring non-profit via phone and email during my free time.

It's definitely doable to get involved now and have something substantial enough to use in your applications. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the great write up - again! I do like the idea of trying to carry through what I did from school through now. There's some small events that I helped with internally at work that may be able to fill that gap as well, assuming I can find something similar for the upcoming months.

Cheetarah's advice is great. She said exactly what I would have said, but much more eloquently! In general, start looking at the things you used to do and find extracurricular activities that are in the same vain. This will demonstrate that, not only is this a long-term interest and something you are clearly passionate about, but it is not something you picked up just to pad your resume/app.

Ok, so in the midst of your questions and Cheets fantastic response (tip of the hat), did I miss the part where you said that you were dinged BECAUSE of your ECs and and that no other factor contributed to it?

No I believe you misread. In fact, I said the complete opposite. I dont think my ECs were why I got dinged, but that I would like to improve upon them anyway

Ok..so that didn't come out quite clearly from the original post..Nevertheless, as Cheets said, it more or less has to be linked to what you have done in the past. You can't really start something new and demonstrate a passion for it..not happening..

I was a reapplicant (working crazy hours as well) myself this year and hence I can definitely relate to your situation. Rather than focusing on my extracurriculars which were average at best, I chose to focus, change and highlight other aspects of my candidacy. In the reapplicant essays, I mentioned that I had continued with my extracurricular pursuits from last year, but the real highlights were not from that area..

So in sum, what I'm trying to say is that if you don't have the time for ECs, as you'd mentioned in your original post, then try to focus, sharpen and highlight other aspects of your candidacy. I know this is not the best response to a post seeking extracurricular suggestions, but in my opinion it is better to improve what you already have than start something new given such time constraints..

Good luck mate!

Thanks! There are some great tips in here... esp 'cheetarah1980'