<p>“NSM, but would it be so bad to say something like “I joined xyz EC for a silly reason, my boyfriend of the time was involved, but then I fell in love with the EC and have gone on to do abc activities because of it”? I think it makes you sound more human.”</p>
<p>The time for one’s interview is limited, so I suggest answering in honest ways that will most highlight one’s strengths. I see no reason to mention the boyfriend as part of one’s answer to the question. If the student views the reason as “silly,” I see no reason to mention it. </p>
<p>A better answer would be, “I joined XYZ after hearing about it from friends who enjoyed it. I fell in love with it because… and I became very involved in it including starting XYZ activities.”</p>
<p>I don’t see any reason for students to try to sound “human” in their interviews. When it comes to the elite schools, their interviewers also went to elite schools, and in high school had excellent grades, strong ECs, so consider students with those attributes to be “human.” One isn’t interviewing with students from the bottom of regular high school classes who may be intimidated by one’s intellect and passion for ECs and academics.</p>