<p>Okay, this isn't a chance me thread because it should be obvious to everyone that those don't work. However, I'm curious as to how extracurriculars fit into Harvard's (and other top school's) admissions process. </p>
<p>I have good objective stats (2400 SAT, 2 perfect subject tests, salutatorian, 4.0 UW GPA, 10 APs and a research class which is a lot for my school, etc etc), and I'm sure my essays will at least be decent, but I'm kind of worried about my ECs. I have a few that I'm quite passionate about alongside some other ones that are fun, but aren't really a major part of my life. </p>
<p>My ECs are: </p>
<p>Boy Scouts since I was in second grade. I have a ton of leadership positions (Patrol leader x6, Senior Patrol Leader x1, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader x2, Philmont Crew Leader x1) and Order of the Arrow membership, but I'm sure many many people have things like this or similar. I have also been to all three of scouting's high adventure camps and I plan to write several of my essays on my experiences there. </p>
<p>I am also a member of the Marching Band and the Drumline (4 and 3 years respectively). I love doing both of these activities and Drumline is active year-round, playing almost weekly for sporting events, charities, memorial services, etc etc. I also plan on expanding on my experiences here in a few essays. </p>
<p>Lastly, I am Vice President of the Latin Club, something I have been involved in for 4 years and I work very closely with the President (a very good friend of mine) to make sure we are always the most successful of our school's four language clubs. </p>
<p>After that, I am a member of NHS, National Junior Classical League (Latin Honor Society), Athlete 2 Athlete (service org. for helping special education kids), Academic Team, and a Commended NMS student. </p>
<p>When I went to a Princeton college visit, the admissions director for our area told us that "it was not our job to prioritize your lives" and that someone who worked at Starbucks got the same consideration as a 5 letter athlete. Does this hold true for other upper tier schools? As long as you show a great deal of interest in something, will it please admissions officers?</p>
<p>Also, I will not be completing my eagle scout until sometime in the spring, probably around February or March. Will this hurt me in the admissions process? Is it worth sending an update upon my completion of eagle? I'm worried about having no national level recognition or anything like that. </p>
<p>If you took the time to read this and respond, you have my utmost appreciation and my sincere gratitude.</p>