Getting into Top LACs with "Weak" ECs

[student197]

<p>As the title may have suggested, is it difficult to get into top LACs if your ECs aren't as strong? I noticed that LACs seem to place a lot more emphasis on character and ECs than other schools. </p>

<p>My scores and GPA are quite strong, but I don't think my ECs are too great (especially when I see everyone else's here). I kind of have my mind set on going to a LAC though so.. </p>

[gibby]

<p>Provided you have NOT spent your time sitting on the couch during high school, there is no such thing as a weak EC – everything you do tells a story about what you care about. To quote one college:</p>

<p>

The term “extracurricular activities” covers an enormous amount of ground. We are interested in whatever a student does: in addition to school extracurricular activities and athletics, students can tell us of significant community, employment, or family commitments. There are many who spend a great deal of time helping to run their household, preparing meals and caring for siblings or making money with a part-time job to help the household meet expenses.</p>

<p>Unfortunately many schools have had to curtail or eliminate extracurricular activities and athletics, or they charge fees for participation. In addition, many students cannot afford expensive musical instruments or athletic equipment — or have families without the resources to pay for lessons, summer programs and the transportation networks necessary to support such activities.</p>

<p>Admissions Committees keep these factors in mind as they review applications, and are concerned most of all to know how well students used the resources available to them. Extracurricular activities need not be exotic — most are not — and substance is far more important. A student who has made the most of opportunities day-to-day during secondary school is much more likely to do so during college and beyond. This applies to academic life as well as extracurricular activities.

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[intparent]

<p>Make the most of the ECs you have… if you post details, you might get some advice on how to describe them to your best advantage in your application and how to beef up a bit in the remaining 6 months before apps go in (assuming you are a rising senior).</p>

[woogzmama]

<p>If you are an affluent, suburban kid with nothing to enter in the EC section of an application, it might set off some alarms: my first guess, if I were an admissions officer, is that you were spending all your free time at a tutoring or test-prep center, and your stats would be held against those of kids who did more and managed to get the same.</p>

[student197]

<p>I think I focused mainly on what I’m interested in… I’m part of the exec board for a non-profit organization so a lot of my community service hours come from there (a lot dealing with kids). And I also tutor specifically in math because I actually really like kids and there aren’t too many things I can do with kids that involve my academic interests. I’m also on the math team at school, and I will be the secretary/treasurer next year. I have also played golf (varsity and state qualifier) for all 3 years so far. It should be 4. I’m interested in Computer Science right now, so I’ve been trying to learn how to program over the summer… and I’m mainly prepping for my AP classes next year! But I feel like I’m not very good at expressing “passion” at the things I truly enjoy doing. </p>

[gibby]

<p>Passion is expressed by your commitment in the numbers of years of your involvement with an activity</p>

<p>

• Varsity and JV Golf (State qualifier), Grades 9, 10, 11, 12 (?). Plan on participating in college? Y
• Exec Board Member non-profit, Grades 9, 10, 11, 12 (?). Plan on participating in college? Y
• Math Tutoring, Grades 9, 10, 11, (12). Plan on participating in college? Y
• CS, Grades 10, 11, 12 (?). Working knowledge of . . . Plan on participating in college? Y

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