ECA in the Common App

Applying to College Common and Coalition Application
1

<p>I have done lot of ECAs but I don't have any document to prove some of them because i didn't do them at school. So what should I write in the CommonApp? Should I include them in the ECA section without any proof?</p>

<p>Someone suggested that I should include them in my essays. But how?</p>

<p>I was involved in the following:
Computer programming (did at home during free time)
Music (learned classical music from my neighbor and play guitar from time to time)
Soccer (didn't play in the school team but played regularly with friends)</p>

<p>Any suggestions?</p>

2

<p>Since you didn’t participate in those activities with the name of an official group, you could list them as “hobbies.” Make sure to describe the scope and depth of your activities though, if they were significant. “Made a computer from scratch and learned C++ through MIT OCW” is very different from “Playing video games on the computer.” However, do not be compelled to exaggerate any activities. Involvement and passion is hard to fake in interviews and teacher recs.</p>