EC Passion, Padding, and Questions Galore :)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>Hello, everyone! With all the hype surrounding the importance of having at least semi-focused extracurriculars, i have begun worrying about mine. could you please glance over my list, and see if it appears that i have been "padding" my resume?</p>

<ol>
<li>mayor's youth council</li>
<li>class treasurer</li>
<li>Habitat for Humanity President</li>
<li>German Club Board Member</li>
<li>International Relations Club Board Member</li>
<li>German Exchange Program organizer (with sister school in Germany)</li>
<li>Academic Team 2-year Captain</li>
<li>NHS Officer</li>
<li>Tutor at my school and downtown</li>
<li>Captain of Baseball team (not good enough to be recruited :/</li>
<li>Captain of Cross Country team</li>
<li>Work at DQ in summer</li>
</ol>

<p>I joined the clubs that interested me, and in no conscious way tried to pad my resume. I'm just worried I'll come off as just another crazy-busy high schooler to the big schools. My three biggest passions are German, government, and community service....is that clear? Should I delete NHS and Tutoring? Thanks for your time!</p>

2

<p>Passionfruit, you could delete a couple of things, but I don’t think that is very important. More essential is to make sure your essays highlight your strongest interests in a coherent way, and that you discuss how you would continue to pursue these interests as a member of the Stanford community (ideally in ways that would reciprocally benefit both you and Stanford). The goal is to help the people reading your application visualize you as a unique and valuable contributing member of the Stanford community. This advice applies to all highly-selective colleges, all of whom are trying to assemble the “best class” they can from a vast sea of applications. Good luck!</p>