Does it look bad if you don't fill up all(or close to) of the 10 slots for activities?

Applying to College
1

Hi guys! I’m an uprising senior and I’m pretty worried because I feel like my extracurriculars are fairly weak. I only have about 5 activities, however I spend quite a lot of time on each of them. I realize that depth of time spent on each one is more important than having a laundry list of activities with little dedication, but as I read these chance threads I can’t help but notice how so many other students have like 10+ activities they do at once.

Does it look bad if I only list like 5 activities?

Anyways, I’m applying to fairly competitive schools in the fall, so will this hurt me? I have a 3.97 UW GPA and 33 ACT. Thanks so much for reading this-- any advice is appreciated.

2

Does it look bad if I only list like 5 activities?
no

3

Quality, not quantity.

20 fluff ECs are nothing compared to 2 super passionate ones.

4

If you’re a recruited athlete, you only need to fill in one box. For everyone else, quality > quantity.

5

If you have 5 activities where you barely show up and are minimally involved it won’t be good for top schools, but if you have 5 activities where you have a depth of involvement in at least some of them, you are totally fine. My S had about 5 ECs that he listed but two of them had a very big long-standing commitments and he did just fine in terms of college admissions.

6

Also if you did, say , Band: that could be Marching Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band and All State which you could put as 1 or 4 ECs.

7

Okay all of this advice made me feel a lot better :slight_smile: Thanks so much!

8

Sorry that I’m bumping this thread again, but does it also look bad if you did activities for a only portion of your high school years? For most of my activities, I did not participate in all four years. For example, I only did(and still doing) my main/favorite activity for my Junior/Senior years. Does this signal a lack of dedication? Sorry if I come off as stingy but I’m just really stressed about college haha

9

Most colleges admit you based on GPA/ACT/SAT.

If you have gone in depth on that activity or shown leadership then you are fine.
And even if you haven’t…you are still fine.

10

It depends on which colleges you are applying to. But, almost every single college will say quality > quantity…to a point. They want people who will get involved and show commitment to SOMETHING, it can literally be anything. I would definitely say if you are worried about ECs find something related to what you might want to major in and join- you could even try applying for an internship over the summer!