<p>I often see people list many, many EC's on here and I just don't understand it. Here if you are on any sports team during the year, you practice every day from 3:00-5:00 or later. You can only miss twice or you are off the team. You can't go to a debate club meeting or model UN or be on student counsel or the math team...all those things meet after school and if you miss more than a few times...again out of the club FOR THE YEAR! So even if your sports have a short season, you are locked out of stuff. You might be able to fit in a morning meeting for one of the few clubs that meeting in the morning but you can't serve on the exec board...those meetings are after school. Can someone explain. Are most schools different?</p>
<p>Every high school is different. If you have a specific beef about being locked out of organizations that interest you because of your athletic practice, you need to take that issue up with the organization(s) that you would like to join. If this is a school-wide policy, you need to take it up with the school administration. At Happykid’s HS the student athletes still managed to participate in other activities that interested them.</p>
<p>My kids’ school has a lot of the activities before school hours for just this reason. So many are also in sports that it causes a conflict. But basically, don’t get hung up on EC’s as I think they are overrated in the college process. Focus on the things you really like rather than trying to pile up a bunch of EC’s.</p>
<p>With some schools, a few sports practice before school with games on the weekend. Clubs meet at lunch with big activities on weekends. Club sports are year-around. DD’s private choirs rehearse in the evening, but one starts before after school sports games are over. Performances, dress rehearsals, and weekend choir retreats tend to squeeze out other activities. As you noted, meaningful participation in more than a couple of activities is difficult, if not impossible. JMHO.</p>
<p>My S is on the HS swim team and in season he has nine practices per week, 3 in the AM (before school), 5 after school (M-F), and Saturday morning. It makes it tough to get involved in anything else during that time.</p>
<p>Most students from our school that were admitted to MIT, Brown, Stanford, Harvard, Cornell, etc… in the last few years have a few ECs, either excell in one sport, leadership in one club but not like most students on CC. So I’m not sure I can explain all the EC’s either.</p>
<p>Sure, every HS is different, and there is an anecdote to explain every perceived impossibility. But I have to agree with what is implied by the OP. There is a whole lotta exaggeration going on with regard to the claimed EC-stats of posters on CC. </p>
<p>Then again, there are a whole lotta BS clubs out there as well.</p>