<p>But since there's really no way to know whether or not someone is "faking" a passion, I'm not sure where you got the "overwhelming consensus"</p>
<p>Ah, but even if colleges do say that ECs are optional, nobody's actually going to believe them.</p>
<p>Determind15, lighten up! Your attitude will add undue stress in your life. There are many many chances to do well in life. </p>
<p>I went to No Name State University that happened to have a nationally ranked program in my major. While I was pursuing that career (for less than 2 years), people in my field were impressed with where I went to school. Then I switched careers-got into a decent law school based on good undergrad grades at No Name State and an okay LSAT score. Did well in law school, got a great job, am doing very well....although no one is EVER impressed with where I got my undergrad-and it doesn't matter a bit!</p>
<p>colleges want commitment not long lists of acitivites. and lying about acitivites seems to be very common so i hope schools put little weight on the long lists. some commments here are naive. kids need to try activities in order to find what they enjoy. d tried arts camps and found that she loved art but did not like the teaching aspect....spoiled kids with parents that don't pick up their kids. s tried track and realized that it is a much harder activity than he thougth. other s tried different sports and after many injuries, we limited it to what do you like best.</p>
<p>I only hope that colleges are looking at apps and giving kids a fair shake that don't exaggerate their activites and don't join everything for the app. i don't even think you should be able to list an activity unless you have participated in it for 2 or more years. you can do soccer for a week, drop it and claim you did soccer this year. it is all so misleading. but you have to take classes with the understanding that it matters for college. we have many friends that their kids did not do this and they settled for the college that admits everyone. and oddly enough, those colleges are good and fun schools but not the great schools. but the kids that worked hard, took tough courses and studied lots sometimes end up at the same school. depressing.</p>
<p>"colleges want commitment not long lists of acitivites."</p>
<p>Exactly. They want you deeply involved in a couple of activities. But then what happens when halfway through junior year you realize that what you used to love doing you no longer enjoy? Then you start expirementing to see what else you enjoy, and then your stuck because you have a long laundry list, and no "deep" involvement because you weren't sure if you enjoyed it enough.</p>
<p>but the 2-3 years you did it show a commitment. deciding you no longer like an activity is not the same as spending a little time on 20 things. i see kids post on this site and list many many acitivites like that makes them look amazing. if i were in admissions and saw that i would assume either the kid joined everything just to look busy or the kid had not idea what he/she wanted to do. either is not a good indication of commitment to a college or the maturity to finish anything.</p>
<p>"But since there's really no way to know whether or not someone is "faking" a passion, I'm not sure where you got the "overwhelming consensus"</p>
<p>Read around on these boards. As I have already said it is simple. It is through accomplishment NOT just participation. There is a big difference. Adcoms can easily see a laundry list vs. a recounting of genuine accomplishments in an area or two of deep interest. </p>
<p>Yep I said it, you can pursue only ONE area of deep interest and that is far better (even down right encouraged) than a huge list of EC's. You can't fake real passion, it is obvious to spot. As others have said there is nothing wrong with trying new things in an effort to develop your interests, but ideally any failed attempts won't even show up on your resume by the time you are applying to college. </p>
<p>If you are Ivy material you will have already found your interests and accomplished enough to leave the extras out. Your real accomplishments will shine. You won't be making lists, you'll be recounting a detailed story of what makes you tick. Your story will be unique and original enough that adcoms will know you aren't just doing for the sake of doing. You will stand out as being someone special with genuine interests born of true intellectual curiosity.</p>
<p>Collegemom, your last phrase rings wonderfully true. It is absolutely "genuine interests born of true intellectual curiosity" that these schools are looking for. </p>
<p>But I'm voting that parents steer clear of the phrase "Ivy material" as a catchall for something like top, or elite college prospect. Not all of the brightest-and-best are exclusively interested in the Ivies. Not by a long shot, nor should they be. </p>
<p>For that alone, I wouldn't have posted - it's probably what you meant anyway. What made me want to post was the notion that every elite college prospect will have already found his or her interests. </p>
<p>That's just not necessarily the case, and fortunately, admissions officers know this. Yes, possibly the majority of kids at this level have certainly found one or more subjects ** and ** outside pursuits that they care about. But more than a handful have managed to shine at a number of things (and yes, I know the level we're talking about, and by shine I do mean earn significant regional, national, and/or international awards) without by any means finding their TRUE passion or life goal. And others, on the other hand, have NOT won ISEF Grands or Scholastic Golds or any such thing, but have found other ways to demonstrate a real intellectual curiosity plus an ability to bloom where they're planted. </p>
<p>I know it wasn't precisely your point, but too many kids - seriously high-achieving ones - are stressing out because they don't know what they want to major in, let alone what they want to pursue at the graduate level (if at all) or after their formal education is done. They don't need to know that now, and many, many kids are admitted to elite schools without the sort of crystal-clear story you're talking about.</p>
<p>I don't mean to be nit-picky and I basically agree with you, and I agree 100% that demonstrating real passions trumps a laundry-list of here-and-there clubs. I just want to make sure that kids don't take your point to extremes and assume that they're not getting into top schools unless they've got it all figured out.</p>
<p>Not to be nit picky either, but I said interests NOT life goals. Those can change drastically and you can have way more than one. Interests tend to remain and accomplishments are born of true interests. As for, "Ivy material," I was using the term loosely to reference top students, and I see your point. Students who possess true intellectual curiositiy will never stop developing and pursuing interests (things to be passionate about). That's why the top schools seek them out. Personally I believe one should never stop developing their interests, setting goals, and accomplishing....it's what makes life worth living.</p>
<p>I do think we agree with each other 100%. It's just hard to put into words. Hey kids develop intellectual curiosity and all the rest will follow. Some of them just aren't mature enough for that to resonate without a bit more of an example.</p>
<p>I don't have room to "lighten up" unlike the majority on this board I cant afford to "bounce back". I have to do this, one time and one time only. I cant lean on mommy and daddy's check book. I'm going to work my ass off with the little I have to work with.</p>
<p>There is no room for failure.</p>
<p>^ are you international?</p>