A ONE Institute
Feb 17, 2024
Non-STEM Extracurricular
Today’s post is about EC activities suitable for Non-STEM students. It would be good to find activities that fit each student perfectly.
EC activities are slightly different for STEM/Non-STEM fields.
Let’s look at what activities are available for Non-STEM fields. Before we get into EC activities, let’s briefly look at the virtues and qualities that American universities want. In other words, it could be said that these are the ideal candidates that universities are looking for.
Havard University
Ideal Candidate Harvard University First, Harvard University says the following: • Personal Character How open are you to other people’s ideas? They are looking for candidates who interact well with others and demonstrate leadership within the community. • Contribution to the Harvard Community They are looking for students who will contribute to the Harvard community.
Princeton University
Princeton University says they are looking for students who will contribute to the Princeton community.
Columbia University
Columbia University also emphasizes “Contribute to Columbia classmates” and wants students who will contribute to the Columbia community.
Yale University
Yale University, on the other hand, emphasizes leadership in activities.
Common Ideal Candidate
The common ideal candidate that can be found in these prestigious universities is about:
• How much can you contribute to the community? • How much can you demonstrate leadership? However, the trap here is that all schools commonly have the basic qualities of a student: Intellectual Curiosity and Intellectual Curiosity. “Having intellectual curiosity = How well do you study?” Before focusing on EC activities, it is important to reach a certain level of grades. Don’t forget this!
Contribution to the Community is ultimately connected to influential Leadership. To exert influence, interaction with members is important, and ultimately, how well you communicate becomes important.
Community
Now, let’s take some time to focus on the Community. Community, we want to get a hint about what is considered important in a group. The extreme group life can be said to be a military academy.
There are US Military Academy US Naval Academy US Air Force Academy US Coast Guard Academy US Merchant Marine Academy There are five military academies like this. It’s not for students preparing for a military academy, but we want to get a hint from the Army Military Academy, which values the community. At the Army Military Academy, West Point University, some activities admitted students have done. Here, we want to see how contributing to the community is connected to what activities students do.
Boys/ Girls State
This activity is a difficult one to get into as it is conducted in a dormitory. Because it is an activity where you role-play and think about the issues dealt with by government departments, it is one of the activities that students who want to work in government-related jobs are interested in.
Boys/ Girls Scout
This is an activity of many students preparing for a military academy. It is suitable for demonstrating the ability to adapt to communal living and is a meaningful activity as it shows the ability to get along with others.
School Publication Staff/ Class President / Student Body President
The activity I will explain this time is mainly done in school. Doing activities such as discussing school policies, hosting school events, or making school newspapers as an editor while attending high school has a big impact on high school members. These activities are good activities that can naturally show leadership.
Varsity Athletics
If you have continuously played sports as a Varsity Captain or Team member in a school sports team, it is one of the positively evaluated activities as it can show the ability to get along well with students.
Debating
Today, I will discuss debating, an activity that Non-STEM students should pay attention to. Debating is an activity that effectively demonstrates communication skills. There is a prejudice that debating is only for students who were born in the United States and speak English as their mother tongue, which tends to make it difficult to approach. However, I recommend that you start debating without thinking it’s difficult. I confidently say that it will be a great help if you continue to participate in the debating club. Because to be good at debating, you have to write and refine your opinions in writing, so improve your writing skills! To make a claim, you have to present evidence and to know historical facts, you have to study related to Social Studies. Improvement of Social Studies-related knowledge! While making a speech, the presentation ability, which is being emphasized these days, is improved! So even if you don’t win an award, I recommend that you actively participate.
NSDA (National Speech & Debate Association)
If you are preparing for debating in the United States, you cannot leave out the NSDA (National Speech & Debate Association). If there is a debating club in the high school you are attending, it is registered with this organization. I will learn more about this organization and take a closer look at debating activities. NSDA, which operates on a membership basis and a point system within the club, is a system where points accumulate when you participate in various debating competitions. From local competitions to nationals, various competitions are held, and points are awarded each time you participate, and when you reach a certain score, you enter the Honor Society. It is reported that the probability of entering the top 10 universities in the United States is about 5 times higher if you enter the Honor Society of NSDA. Therefore, even if your skills are lacking, I recommend that you actively challenge and accumulate points.
NSDA Main Event
The main event that students participate in the most is the Public Forum Debate, where two school representatives debate. The high-level Lincoln-Douglas Debate is a debate competition where more skilled students compete because it is 1:1. Original Oratory is a format where you present alone for 10 minutes, and if you are not a student with brilliant language skills, Original Oratory may be better.
NSDA Supplemental Event
In addition to the Main Event, there is also a Supplemental Event. NSDA’s 100-year tradition is melted into the website, so detailed information is well explained, so I recommend you to take a look at least once.
MODEL UN & MODEL Congress
MODEL UN and MODEL Congress are competitions that move in a decentralized manner without a central management institution.
MODEL UN
MODEL UN is commonly found as a club within a high school or as a non-profit organization in a local community. It is an event taken from the UN organization, and each student is considered a representative of each country and simulates to discuss and vote. Each institution does not proceed with approval from the UN, but is decentralized, so each base holds a Conference. The size of the conference varies from about 3,000 people to a few people participating. Even with various sizes, it is conducted following the UN Rule. If there is already a MODEL UN club in the high school you are attending, I recommend you to participate, and if there is none in our school, I would say it is meaningful to create one. In the case of debate, it is a good activity that can reveal a lot of roles in the community and communication skills because it is about persuading the opponent by accumulating background knowledge, so I think Non-STEM students should definitely try it.
MODEL Congress
MODEL Congress is similar to MODEL UN, but it is conducted on the premise of Congress. It is very similar to MODEL UN, which role-plays political issues and social problems. Since there are not many schools in the United States that run this club, if there is none in the school you are attending, I recommend you create one as a Founder. MODEL Congress is operated not only in high schools but also in various universities. If there is no club in the high school you are attending, you may have the opportunity to participate in a nearby university, so I think it would be a good idea to register and participate as a member. Today, we looked at activities where Non-STEM students can reveal their abilities and qualities. The qualities that prestigious universities in the United States are looking for can be summarized as follows.
• Qualities about how well you contribute to the community and how well you form relationships within it • Leadership qualities • Communication qualities
We hope you will look at the activities we have introduced and succeed in American college admissions with EC activities that can show the personality and characteristics of students. I will conclude today’s posting.