<p>I’m a pretty spiffy vegan cook. I’m also teaching myself Welsh, and am a devoted reader of The Economist and Wired.
Dunno what college would be into that stuff, though.</p>
<p>Well, I guess I might have a couple of things. But I’m not sure if they’re too great. For hobbies, I sing and write songs, while trying to teach myself how to play guitar. I’m always reading and trying to keep up on the current events of the world and see what people have to say about many ideas and debates. I draw often and like drawing landscapes as well, spending a long time outside. I’m often studying the cultural influences of different religions, because I love such things and differences between the linguistics of countries. The culture of the internet is something I love to study. I also cook, mainly baked goods and big dinners. I also like to help out friends in trouble and try to lend as much help as I can. I love to act and do so at any opportunity, but since there is no theatre or drama club at school and I am not allowed to take Theater 1 again, there’s no help there.</p>
<p>I guess that some of that could be good. I’m only in two clubs, and at my school, any club that isn’t dealing with sports falls apart often. My poor science club might not last a month…<em>sigh</em></p>
<p>Would text roleplaying for the past five years count?
It sure has improved my skills as a writer and is the one passion I managed to maintain.</p>
<p>Where would you write these “hidden” extracurriculars on the common app? Under the activities and ecs section? It seems a bit odd to add it.</p>
<p>Howaobut failing Nanowrimo for 5 years in a row?</p>
<p>I’ve read all the Terry Pratchett books! And all of Orson Scott Card’s. But come on, who hasn’t read those, they’re popular and awesome. I also generally read more than 50 books a year, fiction and nonfiction, and write my own stories in my free time. I also sit in the park and paint on weekends. </p>
<p>Echoing annbet in that I have no idea how to put this on the CommonApp, and am not sure whether I should.</p>
<p>Since when does reading books count as a EC or hidden talent?</p>
<p>OP used the example of “reading all the Agatha Christie books” in the first post of this thread.</p>
<p>Personally, I agree with you. While the most intellectually curious and vibrant people I know all read a lot, writing “I read a lot” on an application isn’t going to stand out. </p>
<p>Should I include my own writing and painting?</p>
<p>Does Tetris master count? I can clear forty lines in under a minute! :D</p>
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<p>I worry about not getting into college if this counts, and I’m dead serious. I think I’ve logged like 10 hours on this site getting discouraged by the Student Profiles and the responses on Chance Me threads.</p>
<p>Before that, I’ve been really into MMORPG video games so even if that is my serious interest it might just negatively affect my resume.</p>
<p>^Some people have logged 10 hours per day.</p>
<p>I plan on putting that I am in to design and have learned web languages and ever designed some websites for some people. Can i also put that i taught myself guitar?</p>
<p>Ooh. The web design one-- specifically actually designing websites for people–is really good. Idk about the guitar–have you done anything with it?</p>
<p>nanowrimo is kind of a wash…I “won” last year, but all I really did was copy and paste the same paragraph enough times to have over 50,000 words.</p>
<p>Man, I wish I’d come to this site sooner, LOL. </p>
<p>Our kids are home-schooled (by their dad), and we live in the NC backwoods, so the kids do not have opportunities for some of the intimidating ECs that others here report. However, they are very curious kids, and they find lots to do. For instance:</p>
<p>— Hiking. We have 18 hilly, densely wooded acres. Our neighbors on one side have 44 acres. Our neighbors on the other side (non-resident) have 90 acres. Both neighbors have creek frontage. My kids, especially my older son, hike all over the place, especially down to the creek. Older son once encountered a cottonmouth in a dry creek-bed at the edge of our property abutting the 44-acre neighbors’ property. Snake was within striking range, but thank God, he and his dad just edged away. Needless to say, he hasn’t hiked much in that particular spot lately.</p>
<p>— Politics and demographics. Both kids are political junkies who love looking up political and demographic stats on the Internet. That’s their idea of a good time, LOL. They can tell you a lot about elections past and present, who won what office and by which margin, etc. They can also tell you which cities, counties, and states have the lowest per capita income, the highest per capita income, the most registered Democrats, the most registered Republicans, the greatest concentrations of retirees, the greatest concentrations of young people, etc. etc. OK, it’s pretty nerdy, but maybe they can work for Yankelovich or Rasmussen someday.</p>
<p>— Music. Older son is a passionate fan of '60s / '70s folk and protest music. (Yes, he’s a throwback, LOL. His boomer parents did <em>not</em> encourage this–honest. It just happened.) He also loves old-timey gospel and bluegrass, traditional Celtic music, and “shape-note.” (If you don’t know what the latter is, see fasola.org.) He is self-taught on the keyboard, and he likes making up songs.</p>
<p>Both kids have been involved in youth group, but they weren’t leaders or anything like that.</p>
<p>Do these sound like viable ECs? (Not necessarily for big-name schools – we have a great state-school system here in NC, and we’re thinking in terms of one of the UNC schools OR a good scolid Catholic college.)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Diane</p>
<p>Man, I wish I’d come to this site sooner, LOL. </p>
<p>Our kids are home-schooled (by their dad), and we live in the NC backwoods, so the kids do not have opportunities for some of the intimidating ECs that others here report. However, they are very curious kids, and they find lots to do. For instance:</p>
<p>— Hiking. We have 18 hilly, densely wooded acres. Our neighbors on one side have 44 acres. Our neighbors on the other side (non-resident) have 90 acres. Both neighbors have creek frontage. My kids, especially my older son, hike all over the place, especially down to the creek. Older son once encountered a cottonmouth in a dry creek-bed at the edge of our property abutting the 44-acre neighbors’ property. Snake was within striking range, but thank God, he and his dad just edged away. Needless to say, he hasn’t hiked much in that particular spot lately.</p>
<p>— Politics and demographics. Both kids are political junkies who love looking up political and demographic stats on the Internet. That’s their idea of a good time, LOL. They can tell you a lot about elections past and present, who won what office and by which margin, etc. They can also tell you which cities, counties, and states have the lowest per capita income, the highest per capita income, the most registered Democrats, the most registered Republicans, the greatest concentrations of retirees, the greatest concentrations of young people, etc. etc. OK, it’s pretty nerdy, but maybe they can work for Yankelovich or Rasmussen someday.</p>
<p>— Music. Older son is a passionate fan of '60s / '70s folk and protest music. (Yes, he’s a throwback, LOL. His boomer parents did <em>not</em> encourage this–honest. It just happened.) He also loves old-timey gospel and bluegrass, traditional Celtic music, and “shape-note.” (If you don’t know what the latter is, see fasola.org.) He is self-taught on the keyboard, and he likes making up songs.</p>
<p>Both kids have been involved in youth group, but they weren’t leaders or anything like that.</p>
<p>Do these sound like viable ECs? (Not necessarily for big-name schools – we have a great state-school system here in NC, and we’re thinking in terms of one of the UNC schools OR a good solid Catholic college.)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Diane</p>
<p>Sorry for double post. Am on dial-up (the downside of living in the woods, LOL), and I was trying to fix a typo, and…oh well, sorry for double post.</p>
<p>Sanningen, I think teaching yourself web design is absolutely awesome. Also a great field to get into eventually. (I am an e-commerce copywriter, and I work with web designers every day.)</p>
<p>@youreApapio–I’m with you. What about hiking? What about finding a big box turtle in your yard and observing how delightfully weird it looks? How about kicking through fall leaves? How about going on long country drives with your parents to see little out-of-the-way places you’ve never seen before? How about just being a kid? Whatever happened to just being a kid? <sigh></sigh></p>
<p>Almost from the cradle, our kids are pushed and prodded into constant organized activities. When do they have time for long bike rides on summer days or picking raspberries or sitting in the crook of a big old tree, reading a book?</p>
<p>Oh well…guess I’m just an old fuddy-duddy. :)</p>
<p>LOL, saugus, why not? (Are you from Saugus, Mass., BTW? Just curious, as an ex-Bostonian. Does Saugus still have that huge steakhouse with the big plaster cows outside it?)</p>
<p>You’ve given me a further idea re my kids: They play games called President Forever and Congress Forever, and they post at a politically oriented forum which holds mock elections every six months or so. Hmmm…</p>
<p>I solve Rubik’s Cubes at a tournament level </p>
<p>What’s your average, jungian? o.o</p>