<p>I was hoping the parents would know more about this. As school begins, I see all kinds of clubs being formed and although some of them are really passionate, I can name a couple of few who are doing it just for college apps. I think I want to know in general too: how do colleges know if you're really passionate about the things you're doing or if you're doing them just so you can list them?</p>
<p>I think colleges look for things like length of participation, increasing responsibility or skills (evidenced by leadership positions or awards), and patterns of activities (eg, one of my kids had several science-related activities, which was consistent with her plan to major in a STEM subject – or summer activities are related to some EC area you also participate in the school year). Sometimes your common app essay may tie into your ECs.</p>
<p>My older son was passionate about computer programming without belonging to one single related club. He had lots of ways of showing that passion (and expertise) without some dumb club.</p>
<p>Like intparent said, sticking with something for a long time is a good indication that you’re really interested in it. Another indication is your level of involvement: did you just show up for the meetings, or did you head a committee or hold a leadership position? Having several activities that relate to each other also demonstrates passion. For instance, being a star soccer player and team captain shows talent, commitment and leadership; if you also work in a soccer pro shop, ref for a youth soccer league and coach soccer camps in the summer, that shows “passion.”</p>
<p>For more examples. You can show you are passionate about what you write in your essays.</p>
<p>Younger son’s two biggest interests were origami and history. He wrote one essay about how he taught himself origami. He mentioned selling origami earrings to a gallery. One college invited students to send things in - he sent them a pair of origami earrings. Hist interest in history came out in an EC essay where he talked about a volunteer activity archiving neighborhood association papers. He talked about what he learned and didn’t learn about our neighborhood and the perils of primary sources. At another school he also sent in an option essay that imagined a United States history if the British had won at Lexington. As well his APUSH teacher wrote a recommendation.</p>
<p>Older son - the computer guy - had taught himself Linux, worked on MIT open course ware, done a couple of volunteer projects for local med school professors (one of which was raved about in a recommendation), received a citation from Gaming Magazine for a mod he worked on, and had several years of paid work in programming documented by a recommendation from his boss.</p>
<p>If you’ve been a club member for four years, find some place in the application to show what you accomplished. Neither of my kids wrote about Science Olympiad, but it was well documented in the awards and EC section of the Common Application. If they hadn’t had other more interesting interests they might have written about it instead. Actually, younger son did write an essay about it, but it wasn’t as good as the others he wrote and I think only one school got it.</p>
<p>Can you show passion in something you’re not terribly good at, or are you only considered passionate if you’re winning contests and such? That is, are awards considered separately from passion?</p>
<p>I think the two things are separate in my mind. Although top schools seem to prefer both, of course. But you can be passionate about soccer in the example above, but not be team captain or all conference or anything like that. But still play on the team, work at a soccer store, and ref – I would still say that kid is passionate. I think part of what colleges want is someone with a zest for life and a willingness to spend time on things they find interesting (heck, sometimes they are just looking for students who truly FIND things interesting and aren’t just grinding for the grade & admissions stats). They are just trying to get beyond the “Flat Stanley” of a college application and get a vision of a 3D person!</p>
<p>What I guess I’m trying to say is that can colleges tell the difference between real passion and I-need-to-get-this-on-my-app passion. Like for example, if I’m president of a club for the sole reason of putting it on the app can they tell?</p>
<p>They can tell how much time you spent on something based on what you wrote down, but they can’t read your mind.</p>