Extracurriculars that look good

Applying to College
1

<p>What are some extracurriculars that look good to take the place of sports. I am not the most athletic person but I do not want that to hurt me in the long-run </p>

2

<p>You don’t necessarily need to be good at athletics to have good EC’s. </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-are-weak-so-what-s-good-p1.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-are-weak-so-what-s-good-p1.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>Keep in mind that out of the 3,000 or so 4-year colleges in the US EC’s are important for admission at only a small fraction. Perhaps the most selective 100 or so. You can see what factors matter in admission at schools you are considering by looking at their Common Data Set filings. Most students worry needlessly about EC’s when they’ll play only a small factor or not even be considered!</p>

<p>When you say “take the place of sports” that implies to me that you think colleges prefer sports. This is one of those schoolyard rumors that a lot of kids believe. Another is “gotta have some community service.” Neither is true; the top colleges, should they be the ones you are considering, don’t care what you do. They care that you stand out while doing it.</p>

<p>The question about impressive EC’s comes up regularly on the forum. There is a thread with several posts by Northstarmom, a Ivy alum interviewer, about what constitutes impressive ECs from the point of view of the most selective colleges. The post is at <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>As you will see from that link, at the most selective colleges they are looking for depth more than just participation. Stanford, for example, says

</p>

<p>2 very interesting articles about ECs that stand out and how to get them (same author, different examples) are at [How</a> to Be Impressive](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-art-of-activity-innovation-how-to-be-impressive-without-an-impressive-amount-of-work/]How”>The Art of Activity Innovation: How to Be Impressive Without an Impressive Amount of Work - Cal Newport) and [Save</a> This Grind?](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/09/12/case-study-how-could-we-save-this-ridiculously-overloaded-grind/]Save”>Case Study: How Could We Save This Ridiculously Overloaded Grind? - Cal Newport) I don’t buy into his underlying explanation of why they are impressive, but take a look at these 2 articles and I think you’ll get some original ideas.</p>

4

<p>Make sure you do extracurriculars that you truly enjoy as well. If you find true enjoyment in them, success won’t be too far behind.</p>

5

<p>Unique things that make you stand out, that you really like. Stay away from too many Acronym Clubs, one or two is OK but they really don’t help you too much (everyone has them). </p>

<p>You could try motorsports/powersports. Become an amateur rally driver. THAT would be very cool and stand out.</p>

6

<p>Re: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html&lt;/a&gt; and Northstarmom’s comment</p>

<p>Basically, it comes down to needing a high level of achievement or recognition in an extracurricular in order for it to stand out when applying to super-selective schools.</p>