<p>I have seen so many people telling others that their ECs are "generic" or "not special", but at the same time, I have never seen anybody agreeing on what actually is the "good ECs" that people are looking for. Sure, people have said that being some sort of top ranker in an activity will boost one's chances, and while that may somewhat be true, someone else who might have had the ability to do it simply might not have had the means to do it. </p>
<p>Example: My friend works in his parents' restaurant after school everyday. He does not have time for many ECs, but he still does whatever he can. I asked him a few times to come join me for some conferences for my club, but he simply could not go because he has a commitment to working there every single day. On the other hand, I do not have that commitment, so it looks like I have better ECs on paper, but in reality, we are just about equal. He just could not do it because of his commitment to his parents' restaurant. </p>
<p>Why did I say this? I have seen so many people on here, and in real life talking about how they had very insignificant ECs compared to others, but that is really not the case. Take my friend for example. He shows maturity and responsibility by balancing his commitment to his family restaurant, school, and other ECs. There are so many people not only on College Confidential, but also on other sites and in real life, who would dismiss my friend's job as an insignificant EC, when in reality, he has probably spent more time and effort on that than others who did all those "cool" ECs, all put together. </p>
<p>People have told me my ECs are great, and others have told me that it is average. To be honest, they are not my judges. Heck, I'm not even going to let the college admissions counselors dictate what activities are good or bad, because in the end, I do these activities for myself, not for some group of people who look at it for a few minutes. Stop obsessing over doing ECs to impress or even reach a benchmark. Do things that you want to do, and love to do. Don't let others tell you what is good or bad. </p>
<p>Be genuine. Colleges are going to accept you for who you are as a unique, individual, even if your ECs are "generic". Who cares if you have what most others have, too?! You are doing it because you like to do it! Be true to yourself though! Don't lie to yourself and pretend that you have everything going fine if you genuinely don't feel that way. </p>