Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

So I have done a lot of activism, which I personally think is great.....but I don't want to rub an adcom the wrong way.

For example

Congressional Internship
NYC Olympic Campaign (intern, events coordinator)
Kerry Campaign (intern, youth outreach)
Lazio Campaign (back in the day intern)
World Bank Bonds Boycott (organizer)
Campaign for Labor Rights (intern)


Are they going to think I am over the top in my political activism?

By Jenskate1 (Jenskate1) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 02:00 am: Edit

cool! you were an NYC2012 volunteer? Me too. I volunteered at 2 NYC triathlons and the world weightlifting championships. Way to go! I hope they win the bid (though it'll probably go to paris, i guess)

And in response to your question, i don't necessarily think they'd think you were over the top, it's good to stand up for what you believe in. However, if you were applying to a very conservative school where I was the adcom, I might be worried about how you'd fit in. On the other hand, perhaps they'd see you as bringing something new to the table.

By Ilcapo (Ilcapo) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 02:04 am: Edit

Hey I was at all 3 of those events! hah, we probably crossed paths!

But yeah...it's gonna go to Paris because Bloomberg is too busy courting the Country Music Awards.

By 3togo (3togo) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 09:58 am: Edit

> Are they going to think I am over the top in my political activism?

Not at all ... I would think it shows passion and commitment. I also think a school with a strong culture of liberal political activism would be more appealing to you. Anyone with suggestions?

By Soozievt (Soozievt) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 10:25 am: Edit

Ilcapo, I don't think the adcoms are going to frown upon your political activism AT ALL. They do not judge your activities or if they like them. What they want to see is that you are committed to SOMETHING, ANYTHING, and have done something significant in that area over a period of time. Your EC interest in political activism is clear and substantiated. They also like to know the level of involvement and any leadership positions or initiatives you have taken or recognition and so forth. With your activities listed above, you really should demonstrate what your involvement was in terms of time committments and what your responsibilities, roles, achievements were. That is not clear merely from the list.

So, no, they don't mind activism. That is not their role to judge. They want to see you involved. Show that in your descriptions on the resume. It is hard to tell on your list the depth of the involvement in each activity.

The only place I can think where the WHAT of your activity would take a second look is at a highly conservative religious institution but even then, I would like to think adcoms are not using a bias and want to have students of all types in their student body. They might question if you would fit into such a setting but otherwise for most any other schools, your activities will not be an issue at all.

Susan

By Ilcapo (Ilcapo) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 12:08 pm: Edit

Well how about the "End the Occupation" Campaign re: Palestine. Pro-Palestinian thought is generally squashed in this country as anti-semitic...can I include it on there or is there a risk I might offend a specific admissions officer.

By Searchingavalon (Searchingavalon) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 12:30 pm: Edit

Actually, I've heard it was the other way around--that the kids who are sympathetic to Israel are the ones who are having a hard time on some college campuses.

By Chinaman (Chinaman) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 01:09 pm: Edit

Iclapo:

I am no expert and I am going to speak on basis of what I see. Tell me why did yo dcided to capaign for Kerry as well Rick lazio. What was the tning which makes ou work for Republican and democrat campaign? Did you do it to fill your volunteer time or did you do it beacuse something you saw was wrong in other opponents and you chose to oppose them.

If you can show this passion in your essay, I bet you that you will be invited by the JFK school in Harvard to make speeches. I mean it as I have seen this frist hand. Do not write it down but show it what was the reason you did and prove it by showing that you have done newspaper writing, emails or writing to the editor coulms or in magazines. Good luck

By Jenskate1 (Jenskate1) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 05:31 pm: Edit

Oh man, the country music awards? haha, can't think of a less appropriate place. lol. I bet we HAVE met, small world.

By Ilcapo (Ilcapo) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 10:15 pm: Edit

Back in the days of good ole Rick Lazio, I was a lost soul, and sadly a Republican too! But to be fair, Rick Lazio was a VERY VERY VERY moderate Republican, so I don't feel too bad about it.


So is the Pro-Palestine thing a keeper?

By Matth (Matth) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 11:44 pm: Edit

Unless you had extensive amounts of time with these things, they shouldn't really be included. For instance, if you only volunteered for a single event, I wouldn't put it down. If you only spent a relatively small number of hours on any particular activity, forget it. Extra-curriculars which show REAL involvement and participation over long periods of time, e.g, years (or many months at a minimum) show the kind of passion and commitment that prove they were important and thus they are the ones that colleges want to see.

By Ilcapo (Ilcapo) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 11:57 pm: Edit

No no, they are serious campaigns - and it will be evident in essays and hours listed.

By Soozievt (Soozievt) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 12:10 am: Edit

Ilcapo, do not just list hours. These kinds of activities need an annotation that show what was involved or you risk what Matth said above. It is hard to tell what you did and how much was involved. Your essays are not going to address all these things so make sure the entries on the activity list explain the degree of involvement clearly. The nature of those entries could mean very different things in terms of the level of commitment.
Susan

By Ilcapo (Ilcapo) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 12:32 am: Edit

Congressional Internship 9-12 6/40
Intern
*Work specifically as a caseworker in attaining veteran’s benefits, low-income housing, and immigration documents.

NYC 2012 11-12 4/50
Student Volunteer
*Youth campaign chairperson for the selection of New York City as the site of the Summer Olympics in 2012. Organized several high-profile events, ensured the sponsorship of Sports Illustrated and other corporations, and successfully guaranteed the attendance of Derek Jeter, Serena Williams, and other athletic supporters of the campaign. My involvement in this campaign will likely continue through college as the Olympics approach and the selection process continues.

John Kerry Campaign 11-12 4/45
Youth Outreach Coordinator
*Youth Coordinator for the Tri-State Area. Volunteer work includes “Get out the Vote” campaign, weekend office work, and event coordinating from home.

Rick Lazio Campaign 9 5/50
Intern

World Bank Bonds Boycott 10-11 5/12
Local Organizer
*Intern for the Center for Economic Justice at the local level. Boycott of multinational bank bonds.

Campaign for Labor Rights 10-12 4/36 Director of Youth & Campus Activism
*Campaign waged against sweat shop/child labor policies in Latin America


something like that good?

By Matth (Matth) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 08:48 am: Edit

Explain your 6/40 etc.? What do those numbers signify?

By Tlaktan (Tlaktan) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 10:12 am: Edit

I have a question.. It goes to the OP's topic

What about Party Chairperson of the Young Republicans?

By Ilcapo (Ilcapo) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:33 am: Edit

sorry i meant to tell you what they meant

6/40 = 6 hours a week, 40 weeks a year

By Matth (Matth) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 12:05 pm: Edit

I think you may have a problem with them believing that you have 20-22 hours a week of volunteering. I'm not saying you didn't do it but it's just unlikely that most h/s kids would volunteer that number of hours unless they did absolutely nothing else during their h/s years. Most kids have p/t jobs, a few committed e/c's, and also do some community service/volunteering. Did you do anything other than this political stuff? I know a kid from my h/s who's been working for the Kerry campaign for over a year because he took this year off to do so. He's travelling with Edwards at the moment, and has always been interested in political activism. From what he's told me, most kids who volunteer are basically envelope-stuffers and such. They call themselves interns but they're really just clerical office workers. If you were lucky enough to really do something more than this (and I'm not denigrating the office workers here) then you should write about it in your essay or get a detailed reference from a superior to send in. Especially this year, colleges are going to get a lot of kids listing political involvement because of the election so it's not likely to be as impressive as it would be in other years. If you've done other types of e/c's, I'd include those, too, so that your resume doesn't look too lop-sided.

By Ilcapo (Ilcapo) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 02:31 pm: Edit

I wrote my essay specifically about the role I play as a Congressional intern. I am a veteran's advocate and work to increase benefits for veteran's with disabilities.