<p>If one is deeply involved in a EC for four years and can't begin to fit everything in one of the ten activity spots, is it better to:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Break the activity up by year and use 3-4 of the activity spots, knowing you will have only 6-7 spots for additional activities.</p></li>
<li><p>Use only one spot...highlight a few major accomplishments and attach a detailed explanation of the EC in the additional information section?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Some say that option #1 is a no-no</p>
<p>Others say that the additional information section is often not read.</p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Use only one spot … list the activity and the highest accomplishment you have achieved. Don’t try to explode the activity into multiple activities because that could make you appear to be stretching your activity farther than what it is worth. For example, if you played soccer for 4 years and 2 of those were JV, you don’t also list JV separately. If you played a leadership role (captain) then list that. If you participate in music, list the highest level ensemble that you received awards, like Grammy Band or All-State Chorus; you may also list private lessons separately if they are outside your school and you spent significant time on solo material; in this case you would also list any solo awards or recognition you received, if any. If your activity is related to your future major, you can also elaborate more on that in the section on the common app where they ask you to talk about your activity (1000 words or less), which is separate from your essay.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. Would you suggest using the additional information section to expand on the activity…a mini resume that doesn’t repeat the common app. or just try to cover it in the 1000 activity elaboration?</p>