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Do colleges care about your SAT/ACT scores and GPA more than your extracurricular activites?

I have a decent GPA but my PSAT scores need improving and I can't do extracurricular activities because I have to work 4 times a week but I am trying to apply to competitive colleges #help

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Robin F.’s Answer

Your work is your extracurricular activity! I was an admissions officer at an Ivy League university, and I can tell you that schools are very interested in students with solid work experience. Colleges understand that some students have to work so much that they don't have time for a lot of other things besides work and school. A serious committment to work will actually make you stand out from many other applicants. Just write your essay about something that you learned in your work environment, and make sure that you mention how many hours a week you work and indicate that this is a major investment of your time. You can learn just as much and grow just as much in a work environment as you can from all kinds of other extracurricular activities. Definitely don't feel bad about the fact that this is what you do with your extra time. Just help the admissions officers understand what a strong applicant it's made you. Make that an integral part of your story.
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Abby’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team

Hi Kim! I’m sorry no one’s answered your question yet. We're working hard to get it answered by Professionals with the best insights, but in the meantime I've included a link to a relevant Q&A here on CareerVillage.org that should be super helpful for you to read through.


Vera asked: Does the admissions office care more about GPA or extracurriculars?, and one of the Pros who answered it said:


Vera, it's a good question to consider here. Yes, college admissions counselors care deeply about both your GPA and your extra-curricular activities (clubs, organizations, sports, volunteering, etc.) However, there's a stronger emphasis on your GPA, simply because they want to see what you've done in your classes - both the classes you took and the final grades you earned - before they make a decision whether to offer you admission. The stronger your GPA, the better chance you'll have of gaining admission into some good schools. Once they see how successful you've been, it helps them determine how successful you could be at a college campus...


Click the question to read more of what this Pro and others had to say!


Good luck! 

Abby 

Community Management Intern at CareerVillage.org
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Gabriel’s Answer

Often times during my own application process I was told that your GPA and your test scores are often the first thing that cuts a student from the application pool. However, don't get too down on yourself. Work is an extracurricular and often times it's more interesting than something you'd do in school. You work a lot and that shows dedication and a professional work ethic that you wouldn't get elsewhere and that makes you stand out already. I also wrote my application essays about my own work experience so I can personally attest to the value of work experience and the stories I got from my job. Writing your essay about your job will definitely be something you want to do. Good luck on the process!
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