<p>I was wondering how many extracurriculars colleges want you to have, i dont have that many
Chem-Car
Destination Imagination
Debate
i play guitar and piano
ive been working this year (10th grade) and i plan on keeping working
and im self studying American Sign Language</p>
<p>What people always says is that it's not about having a laundry list, but having a small number in which you dedicate a lot of time and effort to.</p>
<p>Join clubs that ur intrested in and stick with those activites throughout high school. Colleges like to see that ur devoted to something.</p>
<p>Here is a post by Xiggi a while back:</p>
<p>Do EC matter? </p>
<hr>
<p>I think that the following guidelines represent a must-read for students and parents evaluating their final tally of EC. While the subjective analysis of the UC might be different from other selective schools, it is important to realize that the vast majority of the activities commonly reported by students will -and should- NOT earn any brownie points. Notice how you need THREE items to earn any leadership points and how most activities are excluded. It is amazing how many of the activities that matter little to nothing represent the bulk of the activities listed by students on CC. In my opinion, this is yet another example of the dysfunctional relation between high school counselors and colleges adcom. The chasm between what colleges expect to see from high schoolers and what high schools routinely advise is growing at alarming rates. Most high schools' GC are still listening to ABBA and the Beatles! </p>
<p>UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - EC SCORING GUIDELINES</p>
<p>LEADERSHIP PROMISE: </p>
<p>Leadership promise is measured by an applicant's involvement in extracurricular activities at their school, community or home. Three or more are required.
Points: Three or more leadership roles that demonstrate one's capacity to direct or influence the course of an activity/organization or the action of others -- in activities at school, in the community or at home. Must show consistent participation (i.e., A school year or sport season) or some indication of achievement. Examples:
- Chief or section editor of school newspaper or yearbook
- Team captain
- Section leader in the school band, drum major, conductor
- Director, stage manager or choreographer of a school play
- Student body or class officer
- President or vice president of team/club or volunteer organization
- Representative to the school board, city council or area representative for a community organization
- Mock trial officer or delegate to a regional or larger conference
- Girls/boys state or national delegate
- Model UN head delegate or junior statesman delegate to regional or higher level conference; undersecretary or general secretary
- Leadership role in Girl/Boys Scouts, Sea Scout, Quarter Master
- Life Scout/Silver Award, Eagle Scout/Gold Award (received or in progress)
- 4-H Diamond Star or All-star; 4-H Teen Leader, national conference team member; state ambassador
- Link crew team leader
- Peer trainer or mediator
- Lead person in a major activity, such as a fund-raising drive, cultural activity or tutoring program
- Youth educator in community activities such as Sunday school teacher or coach
- Participation in highly selective leadership program
- Parental role at home as primary care giver or major wage earner
No points
- Member of club, organization or sport team
- Lower officer of non-selective club
- Volunteer for community organization
- Tutor
- Junior Statesman participant
- Future Business Leaders of America
- Model UN participant
- Teaching assistant
- Habitat for Humanity volunteer
- School Accreditation Review Team
- Link Crew member
- Mexicali Missions project volunteer
- 4-H star ranks bronze-gold
- Umpire, referee or lifeguard (unless description in personal statement satisfies leadership definition)</p>
<p>SPECIAL TALENTS AND SKILLS:
A special talent or skill involves substantial participation or exceptional performance in the arts, sciences, languages, athletics, etc. that demonstrates hard work and accomplishment.
Points: Persistent involvement in two activities for 3 years each, resulting in distinguished recognition at the school or higher level or representing outstanding effort and dedication in the community; or long-term involvement in one activity resulting in recognition at the state level or the right to compete at the national level. Examples:
- Debate tournament winner
- Speech or essay contest winner (Forensic awards)
- Dance/music award winner
- Lead in school play
- 1st chair in school band/orchestra or beyond
- Sports -- All league 1st team, athlete of the year, league MVP; state or national
- State or national level championship team
- Academic Decathlon winner
- National Merit semifinalist or finalist
- 4-H Emerald Star; Presentation Day winner in regional or state competition
- FFA champion or reserve champion award
- FFA regional, state or national proficiency awards
- Model UN best delegate
- Mock trial individual award at regional level; team award at state level
- Participation in a highly selective program such as the National Science Foundation Young Scholar's Program, COSMOS, etc.
- Extended involvement or experience in another culture or one's own culture, representing outstanding effort and enabling the student to contribute knowledge to the educational experience. Examples: Proficiency in a language other than English that is used to serve the community or study in non-English speaking communities or countries where the student plans to work. Proficiency in traditional cultural skills and talents.
- Year-round employment or volunteer work of 12+ hours per week where work is skilled and demonstrates responsibility such as writing articles for newspaper, computer programming, Web design, etc.</p>
<p>No points: Continuous involvement in activities but no distinguished recognition is received.
- Continuous long-term music lessons
- Awards for Golden State Academic Exams
- Who's Who
- CSF
- Presidential award for academic and physical fitness
- National Merit commended or scholar
- Model UN commended performance
- Honorable mention awards
- Participation in non-selective summer programs
- Academic decathlon participant
- Recognition for good performance
- Honor roll
- School most valuable player
- Most improved player
- Coach's award
- Varsity letter(s)
- Congressional award
- Member of a championship team unless at state or higher level
- Pages for state or national senate or assembly</p>
<p>PERSONAL DIFFICULTIES & PERSEVERANCE:
This is based on a reading of the personal statement for documentation of the applicant's ability to persist and overcome unusual, seemingly insurmountable difficulties or challenges which may have affected the applicant's ability to achieve full academic potential during middle or high school.
Points
We strongly consider factors over which the student has little or no control and which are inevitably linked to the student's academic achievement. Difficulties and challenges usually involve multiple factors, such as:
- A history of low income
- Adverse home environment
- Unusual family disruption
- Drug, physical and mental abuse
- Unusual medical/emotional problems
- Frequent change of schools (3 or more high schools)
- Lack of exposure to appropriate role models
- Adverse immigration experience within the past five years
- English as a second language
- Assumption of role as primary caretaker of the family
- Unusual disruption in school, residential or tribal community (e.g., long-term school strikes, widespread natural disasters, etc.)
- Active discouragement or severe lack of support from family or school personnel
No points
Isolated events of short duration that have little or no effect on the student's academic development, such as:
- Short-term illness such as a broken leg, flu
- Short-term adverse incidents (e.g., short-term closure of school due to inclement weather, short-term absences from school to care for a family member, etc.)
Situations or circumstances that the student is capable of changing but did not do so.
- Unfocused student
- Dislike of school and teachers
- Elective trips and vacations during the school year
- Elective employment
- Elective community, social, recreational and other extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>MARKED IMPROVEMENT:
Academic record from 9th to 11th grades shows marked improvement in grades or significant shift in academic rigor.
Points
- From having mostly C's or less to B's and A's
- From having mostly C's and B's to almost all A's
- A shift from non-college preparatory course work to college preparatory
- A shift from only college prep to almost all advanced courses such as advanced placement & transferable college courses with B's and A's
No Points
- No change in course work rigor, including shift from college prep to regular honors courses
- No improvement in grades received
- From having mostly C's and B's to almost all B's
- From having mostly A's and B's to almost all A's</p>
<p>there's something about the UC that seems somewhat fascist. and this is coming from a conservative. i really only did one EC for my entire time at high school, which was policy debate. i never won anything really huge, but i was definitely a good debater.</p>
<p>Wow, that was informative. I almost feel as if I should print a copy of that out and show the people at my school who thought I shouldn't have dropped CSF. The marked improvement thing kind of confuses me though: wouldn't it be better to have consistently good grades? But then again, I've heard that the UC system tends to skew the admissions procedure.</p>
<p>Anyway, I digress. Blondegurl2007, I'm kind of in the same situation you are: I dropped many of my clubs so I could focus on the few I actually like. I think the ECs you have are fine- just continue to show dedication to them, and perhaps try to obtain a leadership position in a couple of them.</p>
<p>I feel a little overloaded sometimes. My ECs are as follows:
Running Club
Key Club-Freshmen Rep
Science Club
Stuco
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Young Democrats Club-Freshmen Rep
Drill Team
Track
Powerlifting</p>
<p>go Xiggi! U ROCK! I liked that post..</p>
<p>clue me in here... what is csf?</p>
<p>It is California Scholarship Federation</p>
<p>that explains it, i live on the east coast.</p>
<p>HAha! I wish I could print that out too and show it to all my CSF friends.
Honestly, I don't really believe that strongly in CSF. I mean you are in it for a certain number of semesters and then the whole point of the club is to apply for a scholarship at the end of senior year. See, but when you apply, theres only a CHANCE of the scholarship..</p>
<p>Completely true, and yet... I keep joining. It's for a stupid chord at a graduation I probably won't attend.</p>
<p>The bigger joke, I think, is NHS.</p>
<p>at our school if you attend for seven semesters then you get a special stole thing that you wear around your neck. -_-. haha.</p>