3 ECs vs 10 ECs

Applying to College
1

<p>By now, I've realized having not too many, say 3, extracurriculars that you're very passionate about or that you show leadership in, is better than having 10 extracurriculars, say participation in 10 different clubs, that you have some but not full passion/leadership in.</p>

<p>So my question is, what would be the 3 ideal ECs a competitive applicant should have? (I'm not talking about best international under-18 basketball player or a 14 year old that regularly submits articles into Scientific American)</p>

<p>Should it be:
Varsity Volleyball Captain?
President of Student Government?
President of Key Club? Mock Trial?
Would it be more ideal to deal with one sport, one of the arts (like a special position in Marching Band), and one community and service club?
Or...one sport, one subject-related club (like Science Olypiad), and one personal on-going project (like researching at a community college/creating a website)?</p>

2

<p>The "ideal" EC is whatever you're interested in, talented at, and passionate about.</p>

3

<p>But then..being a volleyball captain and being very interested in, talented at, and passionate about volleyball won't be much of a hook at one of the Ivy Leagues unless you're top. =(</p>

4

<p>President of Key Club won't be a hook either...</p>

5

<p>Not even a special position in marching band is going to separate you from everyone else. We're talking about awards that few or even one person get a year. Remember, if your school has that special position in marching band, it's likely other schools have it as well, and that the distinction you get at school is less impressive b/c many other applicants can do it too.</p>

6

<p>You don't necessariy need to "hook" them if you demonstrate passion. Unless you have something truly unique, like you're the national jump rope champion or something they have seen every EC, every position, every award many times before. You have a number of good options, so just pick the ones you like. Having at least one sport, and one activity that looks like it could translate to the classroom is good.</p>

7

<p>EC are overrated by many people on this forum. It's bad to have no EC, and having international awards certainly could push you in. However, most applicants fall inbetween those two extremes (how many publish articles in scientific journals? or cure cancer?). EC are supposed to be fun, not a chore and mandatory part of applying to college. If you treat EC as a chore for getting into college, it's better to use the time to study for the SATs or more AP exams instead.</p>

<p>I invested 2000 hours over High School in one of my extracurriculars. At minimum wage in my state, that's about 15000 lost in wages that I could have used say, help AIDS orphans in Africa. But the activity was certainly worth it because I had so much fun doing so.</p>

<p>No, there is no ideal EC. Do something that is fun and it will be ideal for you.</p>

8

<p>true that.</p>

9

<p>^^ - ** NO ONE ** here is advocating that applicants should do ECs they don't enjoy. The best is to find ECs you love, ECs you're good at, and ECs that can reward you. They exist - applicants just have to find their own. </p>

<p>It may appear that ECs are overrated on this forum b/c of the large number of applicants looking to get into top schools. Like it or not, a lack of ECs is going to make it very hard to get into the ivies. One's time would ** not ** be better spent studying for SATs & taking APs because that won't get even close to making an applicant very competitive.</p>

10

<p>Try to look at these things from an admissions rep point of view. They see hundreds of applications. What will stand out to them? </p>

<p>It won't look good if you don't have any ECs (leaving the rep to ask themselves, "why not?")</p>

<p>It won't look all that impressive to have a laundry list of ECs either ("ho, hum, boring...I've seen it all before....")</p>

<p>It looks much better to have a list of related ECs ("ok, this kid has a definate interest in X and appears to be focused and driven...perhaps they would be focused and driven here at this school and contribute to the student body.")</p>

<p>And it's ideal to have something that stands out and is considered special ("wow, not only is this kid focused, but look, they have completed independent research/are published/won a national competition/ect....")<br>
But not everyone can accomplish that goal in high school - hense, why it's "special".</p>

11

<p>I don't agree with that. I am heavily involved with 9 ECs, and I hold positions in 6 of them. I am VP of one, and president of three. Not all of these are school clubs. Actually, only about 4 are.</p>

<p>I am very passionate about all of them, and it is a huge time commitment, but I have managed. </p>

<p>I don't think 3 > 10. I think it is what you're interested in that matters.</p>

12

<p>more ec wont hurt. but i dont think EC does as much as people think they do. the majority is still grades/sat. even the essay doesn't do that much in my opinion. i know people with like 2 ec and gets into ivys and people with just as good grades/sat with like 10 ec deferred</p>

13

<p>My EC list is similar to Optimization's. How do I show that I'm passionate in everything I do? Gahhh</p>

14

<p>Some other posters have already touched on the best responses, but I'd like to just rephrase some of this in a few different directions:</p>

<p>(1) The reason that your question is backwards, is that you will most excel in activities that you most enjoy & are most talented or capable in. So to start from an arbritrary standard or something external to you, makes no sense. </p>

<p>(2) Your question is really: is it better to have breadth or depth, and if the latter, which few areas should I concentrate on?<br>
Answer:
it's better to have depth, usually. However, there are probably colleges that still are just as happy with the "well-rounded" student, e.c.-wise, as the student who "specializes." But those colleges will probably not be The Elites if your role in the activities is merely "participation"/member.</p>

<p>(3) none of the activities you listed is in the category of unusual or exceptional. Role, however, can make a difference depending on how you are able to use that role. So if in being team captain you also do other things by way of extending your influence, then that could be important in demonstrating leadership, initiative, & other traits. Ditto for student gov't. "Special project" could be potentially the best opportunity to set yourself apart, but again, unless something catches fire with you, chances are that won't set you apart, either.</p>

<p>(4) sometimes the greatest advantage (usually it's a lucky break, not planned) in choosing activities (one or several) is if/when another adult involved in the activity is impressed with your contributions, becomes your mentor, & this becomes a good opportunity later to get a supplemental recommendation which could reinforce or highlight special qualities about you not otherwise in your academic profile. But all the more reason, then, to choose activities based on personal preferences, because those will inevitably be the areas in which you'll shine.</p>

15

<p>I don't understand why you are posting this question...</p>

<p>Do what you love....its that simple</p>

16

<p>I re-read your thread, thinking to myself, is s/he trying to figure out which ones to join or which to shed/edit/drop? Your post #13 told me that you now have many. I know some great kids like you in our community; they seem to plug in "everywhere", have tons of energy, maintain and organize schedules that would put others under the table.
But since it's the conventional wisdom, and often written by admissions officers as well, to show some focus, here are 3 ideas:
- above all, maintain the ones you like the most( as Latoya said, "do whhat you love, it's that simple). But, perhaps you're maintaining a few of them just out of habit, but if you feel like you're just spinning your wheels there, that might tell you 2 or 3 that could drop. It would give you time to go deeper into the other...8 or so :)
- Analyze what's left on your list. Do they relate to each other, forming a group of interests? If so, you can write in your college essay by naming your extracurricular interest with a "group" word, and then list each one as an example, like this (but written better): I am passionate for social justice, so stay connected with several EC's which, together, strengnthen my community-building skills. These include mock trial, student government, key club and History club. I realize that the arts help unite communities, too, so I enjoy the marching band, choir and annual songfest. Finally, to keep healthy for my active life, I have several sports (and name them).</p>

<p>Does that sound more like you? </p>

<p>But..some of the apps ask you to say WHICH of your EC's you found most meaningful and write a short answer about what ONE of them meant to you. Then they want to hear about ONE thing. Or, they have you write them in order or priority or importance to you, and then ask, "Why did you put #1 at the top?" When you list your EC's, at least on the Common Applications or resume forms, they often have you write numbers after each one stating which years you did them, and (on average) how many weeks in the school year and hours each week each activity took. When you list all that, it kind of says all by itself, "S/he's someone who's somewhat active and stays with a club for many years, but not a leader anywhere." So your marching band leadership position would be noted. It's not irrelevant at all!<br>
So, it might be worth dropping a few if it means you can do ONE BIG THING with any one of your EC areas, either later this year or over the summer/early fall. Then you'll be able to write more in depth about it.
In your position, it'd be OKAY to drop something, because the pattern of all your activites would show, "hm, she did a lot of that in 9th and l0th grade, but then by 11th she made more time for X."
I wouldn't worry about it too much. Some people are just TIGERS who can keep a large schedule. If, however, you can search your soul a bit and say, now that I'm a jr., almost a sr., which are the EC's I want to really focus on now that I have some skills. Offhand, I'd lighten up on things like Key Club if it gives you more time for a serious competition in Mock Trial on a given weekend. On the other hand, if Mock Trial is kind of lame in your school and you see a chance to become the officer of one of your clubs, that might be a better choice. Just be sure that you have some EC's where you check off 9th,l0th,llth and 12th grade and it'll be OKAY if something was given up after during 11th grade to make time for one or two deeper involvements.</p>

17

<p>Quality over Quantity. </p>

<p>"random sports, president of x, member of y, leader of z, etc etc etc "
VS something like
"Own and maintain an online business" </p>

<p>or, </p>

<p>"Sport 1-1 month Sport 2-2 months Sport 3-1 month"
VS
"Sport X-4 years"</p>

<p>Who wins?</p>

18

<p>Just building from haru's post,</p>

<p>As with GPA, it's about <em>trend</em> as well as quality & specialization. Growing from the minor to the major, the small to the more impactful -- a business more productive, a wider application of your comm. svc. efforts -- , increasingly greater achievement in a sport: these show persistence and commitment, not just "passion."</p>

19

<p>thanks for the feedback, guys.
I think what answered my question overall was paying3tuitions's "ONE BIG THING" - the grouping of many related ECs. But anymore comments would be nice =)</p>

20

<p>Basically I think that there are just too many students who join numerous clubs and activities for the hope of getting into college and not because they want to pursue those activities. Schools (especially top ones) are starting to look more for uniqueness and the "impactful" quoting epiphany than the cliche overachiever.</p>