Extracurriculars on the Common App?

Applying to College Common and Coalition Application
1

<p>So this is probably going to sound like a huge rant against the Common App, but I LITERALLY HATE the way they set Activities up.
It's way too easy for colleges to just add them all up and say "wow, that's too many hours" or "wow that's too little".</p>

<p>I just checked over my application, and I did not exaggerate at all. And my hours when all added up are ridiculously high. But in reality, it's just because I don't do all the activities at the same time or for 52 weeks straight. There are some activities (violin, for one, that is 20 hours a week, all year round) and others that take up a lot of time (such as sports/Mock Trial) but only in one season or a few months or during the school year. </p>

<p>Do colleges take this into account or do they automatically assume you're just lying? Because I honestly don't spend 50+ hours a week on extra-curriculars but depending on how you add that up, it could look like that's what I'm trying to say..... I can reduce my hours but it seems silly to lie and lower my hours if I'm telling the truth.</p>

<p>Additionally, a lot of activities have huge variants in how much time I spend a week. It's so confusing to figure out.</p>

2

<p>You play violin 3 hours/day, 365 days a year? How could you possibly play a sport during a school season then?</p>

3

<p>If she takes music class at school, that could account for anywhere between 40-60 minutes of that violin practice. And the rest could be at home.</p>

4

<p>I play at school, 40 minutes, three times a week in addition to getting to school early to practice some more for an extra hour three times a week for quartet. I practice an hour a home every night, have lessons twice a week, teach once a week and then also play at an outside orchestra. Of course, I couldn’t really write all that bc there wasn’t enough space so it looked kind of like:</p>

<p>Violin: lessons, school orchestra and quartet, teaching and regional orchestra</p>