Does it look bad if you don't have 10 activities on the CommonApp?

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm currently a senior in high school and looking to apply to colleges. When I was filling out the CommonApp, however, I found that I had only filled up 9 of the 10 "activity" slots. I could theoretically fill out the last slot with an activity that I did freshman year but didn't continue, but I don't feel like it would make much of a difference to my application.</p>

<p>My current activities include 3 leadership positions in clubs, 150+ community service hours, a varsity sport, a couple clubs without leadership positions but with awards, tutoring, and a job. </p>

<p>So, will top colleges (one top 10, multiple top 20s) look down at me for not completely filling up the activities section of the CommonApp or will they acknowledged that I focused on doing fewer activities that I enjoyed rather than spreading myself out over many clubs/organizations?</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>No worries. Activities beyond the first handful rarely make a difference. Honestly, the top 10 colleges don’t care if you have 5 or 15, but your top activities ought to rock them. Given that you are shooting slightly below that, I don’t think it would make a difference. Your test scores, GPA, and essays are going to matter most, your ECs are good once you get out of the top 10.</p>