<p>If you don't have many ECs during grades 9 to 11 and you decide to do a lot more in your senior year, would this make you look bad on your application since it's like cramming a lot in at the last minute?</p>
<p>I'm curious about this too.. a lot of my ECs are checked for Sr year and say 1hr/wk 40 wks/yr.. would this be bad?</p>
<p>In most cases, yes. It looks like you're adding stuff for college apps. Unless if it's something like an honor society that's only available to seniors.</p>
<p>Couldn't you say that you did the certain club or whatever 10-12 grades instead of just 12th grade.</p>
<p>Are you asking whether you can lie?</p>
<p>i'm pretty sure lying is a bad idea, but I don't see how the colleges could possibly know what extracurriculars and community service you did or didn't do.</p>
<p>if they really cared they could check. Chances are, they don't. chances are, if your application is weak enough that you have to lie about your extracurriculars, you won't get in to the top tier schools anyway (no offense)</p>
<p>however, some applications end with a signature of sorts (not just the ED ones), and thus, to sign that it's all true after lying would be...lying under oath? kind of?</p>
<p>Most colleges do NOT factor ECs into admissions. You can check the colleges common data sets, which are posted at the top of one of the CC boards (I think it's on the first board). Most colleges accept the majority of students who apply, and those acceptances are based mainly on gpa and scores. ECs, if used at all, are used to help determine merit aid, and random ECs that you do senior year won't improve your merit aid chances.</p>
<p>The main colleges that use ECs for admission are places like Ivies because they have an overabundance of high stat applicants and also want to create diverse classes of students who'll participate in the hundreds of student-run campus clubs on their campuses. ECs that consist of membership and serving hours won't make you stand out in this pool. Fabricating ECs that will stand out in the pool would be easily discovered and could have your admission rescinded or your degree rescinded if you managed to gain acceptance.</p>
<p>Bottom line: If there are some ECs that you'd like to try out of your own interest, go for it. It's easier to try new things in h.s. than it will be in college or later in your life. However, if you're mainly doing this to impress colleges, don't bother. It's wasting your time, and you could get rejected for lying.</p>
<p>"Lying" includes doing things like saying you spent 1 hour a week for 4 yearson drama club when you really have spent only 1 hour a week for Sept. of senior year. Even one hour a week since freshman year isn't going to impress a college. The people who stand out have had lead roles or have been doing things like set construction for years, and have essays and recommendations that back this up. Your lying about ECs wouldn't be helping you, would waste your time and isn't going to make any difference in your admissions.</p>
<p>I would say do it, and not worry about if it looks bad. My most important and favorite EC took place during my senior year only, and I did alright in admissions I guess.</p>
<p>How should you specify if an EC is something that's only available to upperclassmen? For example, I participated in Physics Club my junior year and spent about 8 hours a week tutoring younger physics students, working on advanced physics problems, and doing labs afterschool but I was only eligible for the club last year. Is there a way to show this?</p>
<p>you could explain it in your essay, especially if your major is related to physics.</p>