<p>Do admissions officers consider a new EC starting at 12th grade sort of as a bad thing?</p>
<p>Like if I dont have much EC's before 12th grade, then I just start doing another EC to help my resume.</p>
<p>I plan on being a Big Brother for the Big Bro/Big Sis program and is something I am looking foward to and I am very passionate about kids, so will that help if I show that I am passionate about my new EC?</p>
<p>Starting an EC senior year by itself isn’t a bad thing. What would hurt is if you haven’t taken any ECs before, and then cram a whole bunch into your senior year, since that would show that you’re just trying to fluff your app. Your specific EC would help your app as long as you show your passion. Maybe mention it in an essay?</p>
<p>I agree with caltech, I started 2 ECs my senior year, both of which emphasized my interests. So it’s definitely alright to start ECs IMO but as long as you’ve been doing SOMETHING throughout high school.</p>
<p>Ya, many ECs, such as research, a person might not start it until 12th grade because earlier, he or she might not have learned enough or had enough maturity to do individual research.</p>
<p>It’s fine to start ECs your senior year. After all, people start new hobbies and other activities throughout your life. If, though, you start the new ECs to impress admissions officers after doing next to nothing during the rest of high school, you’re unlikely to attain your goal. The admissions officers at the relatively few colleges that factor ECs into admission (and those tend to be top college like HPYS that have so many high stat applicants that the colleges can use ECs to select from that outstanding pool those who’ll most contribute to an active, diverse campus) aren’t likely to be impressed by a student who has no outside activities until senior year.</p>