<p>So on the new common app there are 12 spots for extracurriculars. Now I know that top colleges like to see ECs that you were passionate about, that you made an impact in, that were meaningful to you, etc. They essentially don't care about the club you were in for a year that you really didn't do much in. </p>
<p>I have a few major ECs that I will list- however, not nearly enough to fill all 12 spots. Should I simply leave the other spots blank? Or should I "fill them in" with my minor activities?</p>
<p>For example, I will have been in the chess club for 2 years. No, I didn't win any tournaments. No, I did not raise any money to donate to cancer research. I wasn't even an officer. I simply played some chess after school because I liked to play chess. </p>
<p>Another thing would be that I volunteered at my library for around 50 hrs. I can't say it was my passion to shelf books... it was just a volunteer activity I did. </p>
<p>Should I put these things down? I don't want to look like I'm resume padding, but on the other hand, I did devote time to these things and although I did not change the world through these activities, they were still a part of my life.</p>
<p>I think you should definitely fill all the spots in. CommonApp instructs you to list based on priority (most passionate ECs first and so on) so you can put the important things in the first few lines and fill up the rest with minor ECs.</p>
<p>By the way, another thing I’ve been wondering: how much information can colleges really derive from the extracurriculars section? There’s literally <em>a line</em> to simply state what you did. If I were an admissions officer, I’d need at least a short paragraph describing each activity, if only just to understand what the student did. </p>
<p>Considering the amount of emphasis that is placed on extracurriculars, I’m surprised at how little room there is to actually describe them. I know people say “attach an additional info sheet”, but colleges can’t penalize you for not doing so right? What do they do when an applicant doesn’t elaborate on his activities? </p>
<p>It seems to me that the best they can do for extracurriculars is quickly glance over them (and the mini essay) to roughly gauge the amount of involvement a student has put forth.</p>
<p>EC’s are not a major requirement for any universities. They want you to participate in ECs to check your creativity and contributions to your society.</p>
<p>@dd1993. You can definitely attach a resume if you want but I think Common App only gives you one area (the short answer question) to describe one of your ECs in detail. On that “line” that you mentioned, you should probably briefly list your awards/achievements and leadership positions in each EC.</p>
<p>I am apply for an internship but the results will be available in early of 2011.Should I put it as planned or not at all?
And if they accept me…can i send them a note about it?</p>