Rate My Extracurriculars & Uni List (HS)
Hello friends,
I'm a grade 10 student from Canada looking into an IB internship before breaking into HF roles eventually. I want to tell you some activities I'm doing and going to before graduating high school. to be an insane applicant for top US and Canadian schools. I'm in a Canadian public school, and if I decided to go into an IB diploma school next year, I'd have to give up 4 and 6 as my ECs, and I have no idea about high-level courses.
Please give some other ideas, or reccomdations of any kind.
ECs:
-> Search Fund Internship (Summer before grade 12 or before Uni)
-> Launching a financial education non-profit.
-> Taking over an already-successful personal finance non-profit as President. (Partner of BoA)
-> Bringing a DECA Chapter or Investing Club to my school (Founder & President)
-> Student Council: Head of Comms (this year), Vice President (grade 11), President (grade 12),
-> 3+ years of volunteering at a family cinema, as a Sales Manager. 400+ hours of volunteering.
-> Raised over $75k for my local hospital through 3 years of being involved in a project towards my local hospital, as the Fundraising Coordinator
-> 2 Years of volunteering at a Queen's University Kid's camp as a "Counsellor In Training".
-> Will join multiple economics essay competitions, including competitions from John Locke Institute, and Harvard.
-> 2 Research Papers.
-> Jr. / Sr. Editor Role at an HS academic journal.
-> Muay Thai Trainer at a local academy ????
Only Schools I will apply to (no safety):
Canada: Queen's, McGill, Western, UofT, maybe UBC,
US: Duke, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, NYU, UCLA, UCB, maybe IU Bloomington.
Also, if anyone comes across, please give some advice for an international applicant to top US programs!
Relax and go have some fun. Become a more interesting person. It will help with schools and jobs. The sweaty try-hard types don't do nearly as well as one might think.
Sincerely,
Someone who has been in finance for a long time and made hundreds of hires.
Thanks for taking the time and responding to me.
I think that I'm genuinely an interesting person, in fact, I'm reading the Fountainhead right now. I have multiple fitness related activities I could list, but I don't see the relevance on an university application. Having passion for Economics, Finance, and Mathemtics could come off as being a "tryhard" or a "nerd", but I enjoy them, and I would like to pursue them further.
I thought while applying to top business/finance programs, it could help me to have some background in research, leadership, and non-profits, since they show initative. As I said' I didn't list my personal hobbies, as I didn't find them to be as high of level as some other ECs.
If you think that I should put them like so, please let me know.
But, nevertheless, thanks for the advice, and sorry for coming off as a try-hard.
Jesus bro reading the fountainhead doesn’t make you interesting at all. From someone who has read it front to back 4 times (one of my fav books)
Most of this stuff seems like filler, only the DECA pres. has any tangible value to college admissions. I would focus on depth in that versus just doing a bunch of random stuff. The non-profit stuff reads as college admissions fodder and they will see right through it. Get a job, join a sport (you don’t have to be good, just show you branch out), and focus on just one or two things where you actually excel. Also, if IB is anything like AP then you have need to worry about course-load because they overhype it to scare off the truly dumb kids so stick with the DECA.
Thanks for the objective view.
I really tried to show initative towards my impactful non-profit, but I don't understand how it will be less helpful compared to a regular student who played on the soccer team. I think that I'm genuinely making impact through these projects, and I'm showing great leadership, team management and iniatior skills. Could you elaborate on how I could word it better, or how I can have a "more unique" or "in depth" impact?
Also, I'm a Muay Thai trainer, so do you think I should replace that with one of the academic ECs?
Thanks again for your valuable time.
The issue is that every kid applying to top colleges founds a “non-profit”, but most have little to no impact on anything. If your non-profit passes legislation or has some highly impressive impact then it would be a golden ticket. The Muay Thai trainer adds depth, but only if you have won something or have done real work with the community. Basically, the thesis of my original post was that colleges care more about unique and, most importantly, demonstrable impact in one or two organizations as opposed to trying to do everything and either having no impact or having and impact be “lost in the noise” of 9 other filler ECs. This is evidenced by the recent Harvard lawsuit where it was revealed that success in one EC/organization was about equal to having many more ECs, or even having many successful ones. So, yes, it may demonstrate leadership, but every kid applying has leadership, what they want is statistics (e.g. raised 10,000 or recruited 20 kids) that prove those skills and show you did work. Any kid can “found” two non-profits that help next-to-no-one, but only quality applicants can demonstrate the impact they had on a large group of people such as a club, sport/activity, or other group.
Touch grass
Congrats on virginity
bit of a tryhard I see
I'm an international (to the US T20) applicant from a non-AP/IB school, should I look like an average student?
You've got an internship in IB, you probably know better than me.
I like your passion and drive tbh. Yeah tbh you’re right no shame in trying super hard and you will get into a better school the harder you try. Apologies for the harsh message earlier and that was unnecessary, but you’ll be astonished to see how many people get into banking without much previous standout experience / extra curricular and get in by just being a nice person to talk to and a great networker.
Looking at your experience, there is a lot but I’d suggest you focus more narrowly on a select few and progress them dramatically over the next couple of years before college applications.
Bro relax, touch some grass, and get some bitches
I don't want to talk to 5/10 girls who are in my high-school. I'm not attracted by 99.9% of them,.
Therefore I'm leveling up my life by getting ready for Finance, and improving my fitness so that I can be with a 10/10 girl later on. University is long, opportunities are many.
Wait til they learn how to put on makeup and start going to the gym & dressing slutty in college.
I played league all day in grade 10 so kudos to you my friend
I go to hypw now and honestly the biggest piece of advice that I'd give someone like you at the moment is to get your grades up. You mention you want to do the IB program - it is a really tough program that makes you really spend some time and work on the classes that you take. Your main goal should be to make sure that you are not only taking the hardest classes that you can take (standardized academic rigor can treat intl students well) but also are getting the highest grades that you can (and expected IB grades since you won't have your official ones until it's too late).
Echoing some of the other comments as well, I would focus on depth over breadth. AO's are equally smart now and just throwing a bunch of surface level roles on your resume is oftentimes not helpful. My recommendation would be to take three or four of the things that you listed that you are passionate about and then go all in - try to really standout.
All of this will help you craft a strong story when applying to colleges - imo that's really it. The whole process is a crapshoot, but if you make a cohesive story, at least the AO has a chance to go to bat for you.
Good luck!
1m
Thanks for the advice.
I'm not in an IB program, and my point was that if I went into the program, I'd lose all of my network here, not be able to start a club / DECA, and lose some EC opportunuties. I didn't think it was necessary, so I'm going for highschool diploma, but I'm open for advice.
As you said, I'm trying to go in depth into some of these ECs, but I don't know how I can go in depth in some of these, without using little white lies. For example, saying 4 years of volunteering instead of the actual 3, or saying Assitant Manager, instead of Sales Manager. I don't even think they would detect anything, and pretty sure that I deserve to show the big impact I've had in these organizations.
There are only few things I can really go balls deep, which are indiviual research, publishing papers and a senior editor role at a journal, Student Council presidency, DECA awards, DECA prez, and a very succesful financial-education non profit. I will try to have as big of a impact as possible, if that's what you mean.
Do you think others aren't worth mentioning? Some of them might have to be "surface level" since I have to include 10 ECs.
Right, I mean you have to list ten, so the latter half should be surface level achievements that are just there for the resume. I think that you are taking this whole thread a bit too deep. When people are suggesting you should "get a life", there is some merit to those comments. AO's aren't just looking for a stacked resume of a kid who isn't a good fit for the school - its why leadership roles are so important. If people are your school elect you to be the president of the class, or the president of a big club, it means that you have some personality beyond just school.
By no means am I saying that you don't have a personality, but think of it from someone who doesn't know you. How are you going to convince them that you are the right fit, not only academically, but socially for their college. These colleges are looking for someone who is well-rounded and motivated, who can do both school and social life because that is what is required to succeed in college for the most part.
On a slightly separate note, why would you not be able to do IB? Is it because you'd have to change schools? If not, I'd really suggest going for it, having standardized test results as an intl can really be a leg up especially since AO's will likely not be familiar with your school's rigor and grading.
m
How do I come off as an unreal person? I genuinely try to (and do) have an impact on my community, as I listed, most of my ECs aren't even academic. In fact, I only listed 3 academic ECs, and I think I will list them in the awards section anyways. I did (and doing) independent research, essay competitions, and editorials because people said that it's very valuable for admissions, and I'd learn much from it. If you check my ECs, you will see that I tried to list the highest achievements I've done (and doing), but if you think that I should "downgrade" my ECs to look like a real person like:
"3 years of weightlifting", or "hanging out with friends". Please let me know. I'm genuinely curious about what to go deep into, or how to word it.
Everyone on this thread is acting like I'm the biggest tryhard mf ever, but I'm not IRL. I'm doing these ECs because I'm Intl'l and I don't have a perfect 4.0, and can't take any AP/IB courses (even though I'm well qualified).
I don't know how I'd list great activities, should I just list "lest tryhard" activities I've done, like minor sport events? Because I have almost no achievements and depth in that field, only a Martial Arts background, which I did list above. I'm not doing indiviual research just to "have fun", but I'm doing it for uni acceptance as well. What should I even list?
I have a great life outside of academics and ECs, but I surely can't list that I love to read philiospohy, or I enjoy hanging out with friends.
Do you have suggestions to how I can package myself as a "more humane" person, even if I'm not?
Congrats on the acceptance btw.
Thing is unless you're gonna a nerdy quant, you need social skills in life. You get punished for not having social skills in finance. You'll learn that sooner or later but sooner is better.
I have great social skills, and I have a closed social circle. I'm respected in school, and people ask help from me when they need. I'm looking into Quant Trading, because I really like the working environment at those firms, and I like solving puzzles on Jane Street.
Just because I'm getting a stacked resume doesn't mean I don't have social skills. But open to any reccomdations about EC's.
If you are doing those things while having a normal social life, kudos to you my man. You're doing all the right things. If you are going to do IBDP and have to give up on couple ECs, saying the obvious but probably ones you're less interested in naturally. I'd say keep at least 1 interesting non finance one and something that'll benefit you IRL outside of career context.
Have you started studying technicals yet? Just curious given how far ahead you're planning.
I'm using IBvine whenever I have spare time on my computer, and I also read open source textbooks on Principles of Finance and Economics. But I'm more focused on getting into a top university, in US or Canada, which will give me a huge boost in life.
I think you might be misunderstanding the comments. As a Canadian senior high school student who spent a significant part of my grade 11 year hyper-fixating on business jobs, I can confidently tell you there’s an entire universe of opportunities out there that you probably haven’t experienced yet. Instead of locking yourself into one path or trying to decide your future right now, focus on exploring a wide range of areas—both within business and beyond. This period of your life is about discovery, not decisions, and keeping your options open will serve you better in the long run.
The people commenting about being a "try-hard" likely have more experience and are seeing how narrow the industry you’re focusing on truly is. They’re not necessarily criticizing your ambition but pointing out that you might be missing a critical part of personal growth: figuring out what truly excites and fulfills you. Right now, you might think you’ve found your passion, but interests can and often do change as you grow. That’s part of the journey!
For instance, one year ago, I was completely convinced I was going into MBB consulting. I spent hours researching target schools, obsessing over which office I wanted to work in, and trying to map out a plan. Looking back, I realize how limiting and, honestly, unrealistic that mindset was. While it’s great to have drive and ambition, I’ve since found myself exploring niche interests both within and outside the business world—and it’s been incredibly rewarding.
My advice? Don’t box yourself in too soon. Stay curious, experiment, and give yourself the freedom to evolve. The world is full of opportunities, and you might discover a passion that you hadn’t even considered before.
Thanks a lot for your response and advice.
I'm not necessarily locking myself to a path, but I know that I really like finance, and am genuinely curious. I don't what I will go into yet, but one of the options is IB.
What I do know, however, is the fact that I WANT to and WILL go into a top school in US or Canada. Whether I go get an engineering degree and go into Quant Finance, or pursue a PhD in Economics after enjoying an Economics degree, or go into IB after getting a specialization in Finance, I WILL go to a prestigious university.
I don't care about my path right now, but what I do care is to get into a top notch school. It's always been my dream, and I will make it true. The purpose of me going on this forum was not to prepare for IB, but to ask for advice about how to get into top schools. I was trying to some of my stress off, because I won't apply to any "safety" schools, only schools that I ACTUALLY am excited to go to.
As a Canadian high school senior, do you have any advice on Canadian (or US if you applied to) schools?
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