<p>My mom wanted me to fill in the U of Illinois-Champaign application because that's where my sister goes. Well anyway, I skipped the EC section because it asked for phone numbers, and I didn't have access to some of them. Long story short, I was admitted nonetheless. </p>
<p>I guess that means that a lot of people worrying about EC's to get into a good state university have been wasting their time. Do what you enjoy, not to impress anyone else. It will work out.</p>
<p>And before you accuse me of feeling as if I am "too good" for U of I, keep in mind that my final two choices are Louisiana State and Drake.</p>
<p>people should still worry about EC's regardless because a lot of state university's offer many scholarship opportunities. if you have no ec's you may be left out. something to keep in mind before making a hasty conclusion</p>
<p>Your case is not the norm but an exception. You can rest assured that for the top colleges, such as MIT, Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA, and Harvard, you need EC's. If not EC's, then some major hooks.</p>
<p>The fact is, at many (most?) state schools, if you have the right grades and test scores, they will admit you without ever even reading your essay or looking at your list of ECs.</p>
<p>My friend got into UC Irvine with a Regent's Scholarship; she has no ECs outside of the journalism class in which she was editor-in-chief. She has a really strong GPA and ACT score.</p>