A major in biology is one of the most popular courses of study for college students in the United States, and for good reason. Biology can take you in so many awesome (and well-paying) directions. You can go into a multitude of scientific fields, from the lab to the field, medicine, research, are more. Many students who study biology in college choose to pursue a secondary degree — a Master’s, a Doctorate in Medicine, a PhD, or something else — and that means that when you start thinking about studying biology in college, you’re really thinking about making a 6+ year commitment to an academic and career path. We aren’t saying that to scare you, but rather to focus you in.
You’re a sophomore, and it is early to be thinking hard about specific colleges — but it isn’t too early to be strategizing. Starting now can truly make the difference between getting into a dream school or having to settle for a fall back. And grades and scores aren’t enough. You can be an outstanding student, and still not get into the school you were hoping for. Often, it’s not because your grades weren’t up to par, but because there wasn’t depth to your application beyond the success you found in the classroom. We work with our biology-minded students to build exactly the type of profile that leads to a dream acceptance, and the extracurricular activities they do play a crucial role in this.
In this post, we’ll give you a peek behind the curtain of building an exceptional roster of activities. Follow these steps, and you’ll be on your way to exciting news senior year that launches you towards an even more exciting future.
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If you are a sophomore interested in biology, there are a few activities you must be doing to set yourself up for impressive application outcomes. These aren’t extra add-ons just to fill your time. Rather, they are genuinely crucial things that you need to be doing if you have access to them. But what if you don’t have access to them? Well, then you get creative. For each of these activity ‘buckets’, there different approaches and angles based on your resources and the opportunities available to you. So, get creative. There are no dead ends, just curves. Now, let’s dig in.
SCIENCE OLYMPIAD/QUIZ BOWL
First, you must be a member of a Science Olympiad or Quiz Bowl team at your school. If you are already a member, awesome. If you aren’t already a member, join today. Seriously, today. The first goal is to be successful at competitions and have awards and recognitions that you can point to as evidence of that success. The ultimate goal, though, is leadership. You want to be working towards becoming a captain by senior year, but if you can get an intermediary leadership position in the meantime that would be stellar. For example, maybe you could become the Head of New Member Recruitment or Biology Captain. We just made those up, so start by talking to the current club leaders about what their dreams are for the group and how you can best support them in reaching their goals.
But what if your school doesn’t have a competitive trivia-type team with a science bend? Well, it is time to start one. Start by recruiting a faculty advisor and a few founding team members with a diversity of interests and potential areas of focus. Your school will have a structured system for starting clubs, so you’ll want to go to them with your idea, initial membership, and advisor for approval. This can take some time, so start immediately and plan for it to take 3-6 months to be an official school club. It’s a hassle, but it’s worth it. This is especially true because you get to be the leader from day one.
RESEARCH
A lot of sophomores don’t think about research as something that they should be doing right now, or even that they can be doing it. Not only can you be doing research, but we also argue that you have to be doing research to become a competitive biology applicant vying for a spot at an extremely selective school. We work with our students to assist on-going research and, our favorite, pursue projects of their own. Taking on independent research can feel overwhelming at first, but it’s actually an awesome opportunity to throw yourself into a specific subject within biology that you are excited about and take it as far as you can. All of the way, even, to regional and national science fairs and competitions. There are also many journals that publish high school research, and you should be aiming towards one as soon as possible for publication before you press submit senior year.
“But that’s so far away!” No. No it is not. Research takes time, and this isn’t something to be done as a rush job. We work with our students to start on research sophomore year so that they have time to do truly interesting work that stands out as scholarship beyond what most high schoolers take on.
IMMERSIVE SUMMER PROGRAMS
Sophomore year is the perfect time to consider an immersive biology summer program that gets you into the lab or the field alongside working biologists and graduate students. As you consider a summer program, the most important thing is the quality of work you will be taking part in. We do not care about how many firepits there are, or how nice the dorms are. Those are irrelevant to the usefulness of a summer program as a learning experience that works towards your collegiate goals. What we want to see our students picking are programs that are immersive, intensive, and that prioritize college-level learning over lunch options.
And, while it is important to go to a program that is fully-accredited and well-respected, don’t let the name of a dream school be the deciding factor. Doing a summer program at a dream school does not increase your chances of getting in. What makes a difference for admissions is picking a program that pushes you forward as a student and that underlines your passions.
INTERNSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT
Another crucial way of showing what you love, and why biology is one of them, is through internships and employment — yes, a job. Now, you’re not going to be working as a professional in a field related to biology as a high school sophomore. This is especially true if you want to go into a medical field. However, there is a lot that you can do for an internship or job that links to what you want to study while also emphasizing your leadership, teamwork, and collaboration skills.
We advise our sophomores interested in biology to look for a role at a local zoon, animal rescue, or conservation center. Contact local nature centers, science museums, STEM after-school program for elementary school students, or a STEM-related nonprofit. Do not, though, simply look at the website and rule something out because you don’t see information on internships or summer jobs. After identifying an option, you need to make it an opportunity. This means pulling together a resume, writing a cover letter, and proactively reaching out to inquire. It’s amazing how many students get internships from places that “don’t do internships,” simply because they present themselves well and ask nicely.
As a sophomore, there are things that you can do today (literally) that will make a massive impact on your college applications two years down the line. This is not the time to wait and dream, but rather it is the time to take action and turn your dreams into a reality. So, start now.
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