Last year with S23 I read repeatedly that AOs just want to understand how the student spends his time, and that anything you do can count as an EC. I’m wondering how this should actually play out for S24, a kid without any “impressive” ECs and without much (other than a happy disposition, good friendships, and a good amount of savings) to show for the ECs he does have.
S24 does have a job where he works 20+ hours/week (it is a little different because he works as a home health aide for his disabled brothers, but it is real and challenging work, and he does get paid well for it). That is his main EC.
He also does a bunch of stuff with church, which averages out to 5+ hours/week, but it is a combination of several small activities, some of which are weekly, some monthly, some one-time events over the year, and they are a variety of activity types–volunteering, leadership, group participation and personal growth stuff.
He has a group he plays games with weekly, usually D&D but sometimes other games. He also does a lot of research on games for his own interest and to share with his friends, and he does prep for D&D. That all probably averages more than 5 but less than 10 hours/week.
And he does a bunch of creative stuff, but nothing well enough to have anything to show for it like a portfolio. He makes edited Garfield comics, and memes, and he has been teaching himself some software programs to do video editing. He also plays (builds?) with Legos quite a bit. He just does it because he enjoys it, he keeps it to himself or shares it with his friends. That is probably another 5-10 hours/week.
I would. His job and church activities are great and meaningful ECs. I think including role playing games as an EC is just fine too. Same with the comics, memes and legos, although I might combine some of them.
D23 is artsy and she included her sketching as one of her ECs, even though she does it alone and it isn’t an official class or anything.
S25 is into a million different things and I’ve thought maybe he should include an EC of just a list of other things he’s into, call it creative pursuits or tech hobbies or something like that. If he has the space, why not?
I’m editing to add that your son sounds awesome, not everyone needs to be captain of every team or president of every club. There’s a lot to be said for other pursuits.
The health aide is certainly an EC, and the activities at the church. I don’t think you need to spell it all out that he spends 2 hours a month in the bible studies group and 5 hours delivering meals, but just that he’s involved in church activities ‘such as…’
IMO, the D&D would be better in an essay on what he’s involved in, how he interacts with peers, the research he does.
Honestly, I don’t the the AOs are looking for much more than ‘works 20 hours per week’ in the activities section, just like they know an athlete spends 20 hours per week or someone in the play spends 30 hours a week for 8 weeks, then may just hang out waiting for the next one to start.
Agree with the others, i think those activites are fantastic!
My oldest was a news junkie and would spend a couple of hours a day on various news sites. It was during wikileaks and he was completely fascinated/engaged. He wrote about his news obsession-- it was nothing organized, and wouldn’t show up on a resume. Worked for him!
I think this is a great collection of ECs. My D22 had very few school-related ECs - basically three years of school choir, one (painful) year in band, and one year of academic competitions with no awards. But she had several leadership roles at church, including one with significant responsibility that she was chosen for at age 14 and that became her No. 1 activity listed on Common App. She also had lots of random free-time things along the lines that you mention above - making and selling jewelry, creating elaborate Powerpoints to illustrate her fanfic theories about various book series, arranging choral music, collecting fancy writing implements, etc. - and most of those ended up as bullet-point items in the Additional Information section. I think all of this actually helped her, as these things stand out more than the typical school activities. She was accepted to Rice RD and UVa OOS, among others.
I have posted this before on CC - quote from Columbia University AO visiting our HS a few years ago when asked what makes them spend more time with an application:
“A JOB” - when a student lists a job and explains it well - I spend more time looking at their application" - they went on to say they are still surprised how few applicants have jobs in high school.
The AO also mentioned that they are a dog lover and dog references catch her eye too - this was her example about how it can be random by each AO of what draws them into an application.
I just put how to talk about D&D on my college app in Chat GPT - good ideas on how to speak about your involvement in an active way:
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a popular role-playing game that can showcase your creativity, teamwork, and leadership skills. These are all valuable qualities that colleges look for in applicants. Here are some tips on how to describe your involvement with D&D on your college application:
If you play D&D regularly with a group of friends or in a club, you can list it as an extracurricular activity or a hobby.
Highlight your skills. D&D can help you develop many skills that are relevant to college and beyond. For example, you can demonstrate your strategic thinking by explaining how you plan and execute your actions in the game. You can show your creativity by describing how you come up with new ideas and solutions for the game. You can display your teamwork by discussing how you cooperate and communicate with other players. You can exhibit your leadership by sharing how you guide and motivate your group as a Dungeon Master (DM) or a player.
Be specific and concrete. When describing your D&D experience, use specific examples and details to illustrate your skills and achievements. Avoid using vague or generic statements that could apply to anyone. For example, instead of saying “I play D&D every week with my friends”, say “I have been playing D&D for three years with a group of five friends. We meet every week for four hours and take turns being the DM. As a DM, I create original stories and challenges for my players based on their interests and preferences. As a player, I role-play as a half-elf bard who uses music and magic to support my team.”
Be honest and authentic. Don’t exaggerate or lie about your D&D involvement or skills. Colleges can easily spot inconsistencies or discrepancies in your application. Be truthful and genuine about your passion and interest in D&D. Don’t be afraid to show your personality and voice in your writing. Colleges want to get to know you as a person, not just as a list of grades and test scores.
My son has been playing with AI this summer. He wrote something to come up with names of characters based on their set of skills and vise versa. Let’s just say John Smith and Gareth were exactly who you’d imagine them to be
