<p>For the short essay question, "Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences", would it be alright to talk about an activity that's not exactly an EC? Could I write about anything that I'm passionate about, even if that particular activity hasn't been involved in any of my ECs or work experiences in a traditional sense? I mean something unorthodox like baking or cooking (purely hypothetical examples) that I've been doing as a hobby. Anything that reveals more about my character, something that hasn't already been mentioned in the common app's activities section.</p>
<p>Please let me know what you think. I would feel more assured if a college rep could share his/her opinion.</p>
<p>I would think that you could if you have done something specific there. For example, one of my kids is into entomology (bug collecting) as a hobby. Although she won a couple of ribbons at the county fair doing it early in high school, mostly she does it because SHE likes it. I think it would have been fine if she had used that (she ended up picking something else, but that was a close second). I guess, though, that one reason I think it is fine is because it is unusual. “The Bug Girl” is not a bad thing to be called around the admissions decision table, IMHO, when they are trying to create a diverse class. If it is more mundane, then I would be careful. But if you have done something special with it - - say, you used your baking skills to hand out warm muffins to homeless people, or you started a small business with them, or used the skill to bring together warring neighbors. Then I think it could be really good.</p>
<p>Edited to say that an EC does NOT have to be a formal activity with a club, etc. If it is something you spend a lot of time on and you can make it sound interesting, go for it.</p>
<p>@intparent Thanks.
I haven’t done anything special with that skill, because I’ve never found a platform for it where I live. But I do put a lot of time and effort into that activity, right from making my own raw materials to the finished product. I wrote an essay about it, and I put a lot of passion into it, so I got positive responses from every proofreader.</p>
<p>Yet now I’m unsure, because I don’t have a story of warring neighbors or community service that runs through my essay. It is just about me and my passion. I put my heart and soul into it, yet I’m not sure if it would be called mundane by another person(my proofreaders didn’t). Will you read my essay, please? If you aren’t too busy and (pls excuse my paranoia) if any one of your kids isn’t applying this fall?)</p>
<p>Edit: And it’s nothing as cool as entomology, btw.</p>
<p>Hmm, if you make your own raw materials that shows real passion. I do have a kid applying this fall… so probably would rather not review yours. If nothing else, she has a lot of essays to go, and I wouldn’t want to be subconsiously plucking ideas from someone else’s to suggest to her! But it sounds like you have made it interesting, and it is interesting to YOU. If you can communicate that to your readers, then I think you will be find.</p>
<p>By the way, entomology is not always cool… it can be pretty squicky (as her friends call it). And I get tired of a freezer full of frozen bugs when she hasn’t mounted 'em yet (and she takes all my tupperware containers for it, too). :(</p>
Then I think it could be really good.</p>