I imagine that the quality of time put into the EC greatly matters (which is why after-school jobs can count so much). My dancer is on a level where a significant number of her friends are either in a boarding situation or homeschooled so they have time to dance. Little Tutu is at the studio anywhere from 4 to 5 hours a day, six days a week. And that doesn’t include the time spent for performances and such. Summers are spent at weeks-long intensives dancing all day, every day. But, she wants a traditional high school experience. Dancers (and other high-level athletes, musicians, employees, etc.) not only have the experience of accomplishment in their activity, but they learn a great deal about time management and self-sufficiency. They tend to have perfectionist qualities and care a great deal about their schoolwork as well. A lot are honors students. Little Tutu and a couple of her classmates managed to complete an entire history day project together backstage during a Nutcracker tech week one year. When colleges are deciding between one student who spends 20-30 hours a week in an activity and maintains an A average and another student whose ECs are lunchtime clubs with an A average, they know that the first student might bring more to the college, but they also will have a statistically better chance of being prepared for the rigor.
@tutumom2001 My D is also a dancer at a pre-professional school, although she does not always meet their requirements. She danced 30 hrs/week in middle school but cut back to 20-25 in high school (outside of Nutcracker season when it’s something like 127 hrs/wk LOL). When she was hurt and could not dance for a year, she dove headlong into theater at school. She did very well in her applications to top-40 LACs and got some nice merit offers, with solid but not high stats (3.8 UW, 30 ACT). The little cover notes on her acceptance letters suggest that her commitment to dance was well noted in the process.
This is exactly what the LACs tend to say on their admissions sites – depth, commitment and focus are valued, joining 10 clubs does not help you.
@tutumom2001 @pauler80020 Our D21 is a ballerina as well. 30-plus hours each week not including rehearsals for Nutcracker/spring shows/festivals. Some of her fellow dancers are homeschooled but not all. It will obviously be her main EC. Ending school at 3:00 and dancing from 5:30-9:30 every weekday with Saturday ballet for eight hours will make it essential that she’s highly organized. Will take almost all honors classes as a freshman next year. That’s where she tested into and, since we have experience with our S19, we understand the homework load. She is very lucky that she’s good on less sleep than S19 so I think she’s got a shot at being ok. We will be keeping a close eye on her, though, for stress. Her studio doesn’t really allow time off or the chance to bow out of class and productions. You’re either in or out.
She’s already trying to find ways she can be involved with other things she likes - mainly writing. Lucky for her, those types of ECs (newspaper/yearbook/writing contests, etc) do not have mandatory after-school meetings. She loves animals, too, so will probably continue donating any extra time to our humane society. And that will be it. Well, maybe some babysitting…
Speaking of dancing, my D is in a different kind of situation. She goes to a performing arts school and her major is dance which means she is required to dance 4 periods a day (approx 3 hrs a day) built into the regular school day. Her days are long: starts at 8am and ends at 4:10 with no breaks except for lunch. Since she gets out so late there are many ECs that she would like to do, but she can’t, because she wouldn’t make it there on time. According to her, the clubs at her school are a joke. So… she does volunteer work one evening a week and does an EC she loves on Saturdays. I’m just hoping colleges see her 3 hrs of dancing a day as an EC, but I’m not certain of it. I am so amazed and in awe when I hear about kids doing ECs for 20 plus hrs per week and getting A’s. My D has to get up at 6:30 every morning. I can’t imagine her staying up late getting HW done.
@citymama9, the ECs on college applications are self-reported, you can pretty much list anything you want. So there’s no reason she couldn’t just fill in “dance” and the number of hours a week she does it, even though I suppose it’s technically not extra-curricular for her (in the sense that it is part of her curriculum).
The other thing about EC’s being overlooked is time management, heavy involvement plus great stats show that you can manage your time with an EC or multiple EC’ and still do well in academics. Still much better to have just one EC that your really involved with than multiple EC’s that your marginally involved with. As far as the ND kid goes he was offered “full financial aid”’ which would indicate he came from a low income situation which is in itself a hook.
@citymama9 If such things as athletics, band, Model UN, and debate can be considered ECs when they have designated class periods, I don’t see why dance can’t count as well.
Mine also wanted to join a couple of after-school activities but couldn’t because of dance. She is a member of two or three “lunchtime clubs” but really isn’t involved much with them.
I’ll just echo what others have said, since it’s also my experience: EC’s make a difference in differentiating you from other top stats students, they add fodder for essays, and can help with some scholarships. For the latter, service projects/hours seem to matter a lot in some cases.
D’s high school is large and very competitive and she doesn’t make the cut for top 5% (close, but no cigar). Yet, she’s the one that got in to her two reaches, and we’re convinved it’s because she’s unique and interesting and it’s reflected in her ECs. There are several kids that are 4.0 students who didn’t get in to their top choice schools, including one with perfect ACT and SAT score.
On the flip side, my S19 has a very strong set of ECs and is actually gunning to qualify for a national competition in one of them by his senior year. (He made regionals this year as a sophomore). But I don’t think there’s any way they’ll be enough to overcome his underachiever GPA to get him in to a top school.
For the top 10-15 schools, the ECs that matter are those which the applicant has received some national awards, recognitions. For the next layer, say 16-30, the ECs that matter are those fit into the culture of the schools, hopefully with some awards status. Beyond that, ECs are an excellent way to show the personal side, and dedication, let alone time management. JMHO
I could start a whole new thread about dance as an EC that eliminates all other options… in life, LOL.
D17 has been thoroughly shamed for cutting back her dance schedule, and spent her last Nutcracker waving her arms in the back of the corps de ballet while 15-year-olds performed as Snow Queen and Dew Drop Fairy. Many of the other girls her age have simply quit.
But she stuck with it anyway, and at least some schools seem recognize that it is a very intense sport. The Smith, Mt. Holyoke and Sarah Lawrence acceptances, with merit scholarships, have made her feel quite a bit better about her future overall 
@pauler80020 that’s good news!!! Great acceptances. Congrats!
@citymama9, I don’t know how colleges handle applications from students at performing arts schools, but I would think that they would understand that of course things that would be EC’s at a more typical high school will be in-school classes for your D.
I started this thread because I wanted to give hope to other parents of kids who just aren’t interested in EC’s. I don’t like seeing students stressing out year after year about whether their EC’s are good enough. Your EC’s should be the thing that gives you joy, that gives you a break from your academic stuff – not another obligation that you have to fulfill.
My D17 simply refused to do anything other than that one dance class and that one club. She didn’t even want to submit any of her artworks to competitions, so she had no prizes to boast about. She dislikes organized group activities (except dance) and she hates playing sports. She is not at all the type of student to do “leadership” activities either.
So I feel like the fact that she swept the board with her UC applications kind of proves that you can be an introverted and antisocial person and still get admitted to top schools. Granted, she did have very good stats, but so do lots of other students. I really think it was the essays that made the difference for her, because they showed that she’s an interesting person and an original thinker.
I’m not trying to say that EC’s are useless or that students shouldn’t do them. But some students take it to extreme lengths and stress themselves out with worrying about it. I think those students would do better to ask themselves “what do I really WANT to do?” If nothing else, that will help them learn more about who they are as people – which is something that colleges want to know as well. You can’t communicate who you are as a person in your essays if you really have no idea who you are, because you’ve been so busy trying to be the person everyone else wanted you to be.
@dustypig I just think lots of high school aged kids don’t know who they are. They are young! And many times their interests change from age 14 to age 18. So, sticking out an EC for four years because it looks good doesn’t show who the student “is”. It might show dedication but to what? I know so many kids who stuck out their sport until senior year and then said they would NEVER play it again after that.
We’ve made a point as parents to get our kids involved in many different things early so they could discover what they like but not everyone has the ability to do that. Our S19 played baseball, basketball, tennis, and soccer. Took art lessons. Played in the band for three years of middle school. Took karate. Took creative writing classes. What stuck? Art. And he now runs XC after all of those years of competitive sports (some of which were four-five times a week). I still cannot believe he’s not playing tennis. That was his biggest goal from third through eighth grade- to be on our state championship high school team (they seem to win every year). After eighth grade, he put his racquet down and told us he was done. Wasn’t fun anymore. Kids evolve. I’m pretty sure I know other parents who would have said too bad. You’re sticking with it.
I’m guessing many kids would not do any ECs if the main reason was “do they want to”. Many high school kids just want to do their homework, hang out with their friends, maybe work a little to make some money. Not all of those kids have a particularly interesting side to them yet and I think that’s normal! All of my nieces and nephews fall into this category. Decent students, great kids, lots of friends…just not a lot of dedication to an EC. I think it’s terrific that your bright daughter was able to shine through in her essays. Not all kids without ECs are “original thinkers”. My guess is that you are correct - with her stats and her essays she stood out in her own way and that’s perfect! There’s more than one way to get into a great school.
I truly think that many teens are burnt out from the pressures of school that when they have free time they would rather binge on Netflix or hang with friends. When I was in HS I don’t remember the pressure to take so many APs. Many feel the pressure to do meaningful ECs even when they don’t feel like it. Everyone says don’t do it for the colleges, do it for yourself, but I know so many kids who are doing things just for the colleges and because their parents are making them do certain activities. I think that if there was less pressure all around then kids would have the energy to pursue what interests them. Some kids do, but there’s a lot who don’t. I like what the two posts above had to say. Very insigtful.
The former principal at my kids’ high school once said that she thought colleges ought to institute a rule that you can only mention 2 EC’s on your application, in order to limit exactly this problem.
It’s too bad that playing videogames doesn’t count as an EC. My middle schooler shows exceptional dedication. (and no, I haven’t thus far been able to interest him in coding as a more “academically acceptable” means of being involved)
And I wish snapchatting counted as an EC!
And the art of selfies. D21 has that one in the bag.
You are describing my 5th grader son.
For which college could you list watching period Victorian dramas on Netflix, illustrating class notes in watercolor, and generally spacing out? Hampshire, maybe? If those were real ECs then D17 should have applied to Harvard.