<p>I've heard it both ways- some people seem to be adamant that ECs aren't an important part of the application, where others say that it's a crucial part of the application. So on a scale of 1-10 how important are ECs in a decision (not talking about kids who have cured cancer or have any absolutely outstanding ECs)? Is being involved with a few (3-4) clubs throughout high school with a couple leadership positions and holding a couple internships enough, or do I need to cure cancer by December?</p>
<p>it depends on the school. The vast majority of schools don’t care at all. Look at the school’s common data set, section C.</p>
<p>My sense is that it can be a tiebreaker, but not a determining factor. Most schools will say it’s most important that you took tough classes in HS and did well in them, and to a lesser degree did well on standardized tests. After you meet those benchmarks ECs, essays, interviews etc can play a part.</p>
<p>It is a very important part for most schools. I’m not getting into it again with T26E4. It is what sets you apart from other students and shows where your passions really are. Also, it show that you will contribute on campus and be a part of the community. It is why kids with 4.0 GPAs and 2400s on the SAT get rejected from Stanford and kids with 3.7 and 2100 on the SAT get in.</p>
<p>So ECs won’t move anyone from the rejection pile to the acceptance pile; they’re more likely to move someone from the wait list pile to the acceptance pile? </p>
<p>It’s actually of little importance to most schools, especially most state schools, who admit almost exclusively on grades and test scores. Those are known as formula schools and they dominate. In CCLand, where people are more interest in the Top 100 schools, they are more important, in that once you exceed a certain threshold academically, ECs are used to distinguish among the top candidates.</p>
<p>So yes, ECs, unless they are athletic-recruitable in nature, will usually not make up for substandard grades and/or test scores. Any high grade academic ECs are usually accompanied by high grades and test scores - 1800 SATs don’t usually cure cancer. There’s always an exception - someone who starts a nationwide charity, wins some talent contest, writes a bestselling book - but generally, ECs are used to distinguish among the academically talented. So yes again, from the waitlist to the acceptance pile.</p>
<p>@AnnieBeats: It seems we’ve diverged over this very topic 2-3 times prior. Each time, I’ve asked if you can direct me to your source of information. I’d love to promulgate what you say if I have reason to do so. I’m not trying to be adverserial at all. I’m truly interested if my information is correct. But you’ve not replied so I’m left with my old (and what you claim is incorrect) information. But just as @MrMom62 says, outside of the cohort of colleges that occupy most of the discussion here on CC, almost no other colleges care one bit of a student’s ECs as far as I am aware of. Please convince me otherwise.</p>
<p>Can you help/clarify?</p>
<p>The more elite the school, the more important. The schools need something to differentiate all the 2300+ SAT candidates. </p>
<p>A caveat I’d like to include is many scholarships favor kids with nice ECs. You can’t ignore money!</p>
<p>Most small, elite, liberal arts colleges like to see good extra-curricular resumes, since they’ll say which students are likelier to be involved in campus life as opposed to those who will stay inside the library or dormitory for four years. If you are intent upon applying to a top-tier private college, the ECs can make or break you. Colleges will always understand that a disadvantaged student had to rush home after school to look after younger siblings, and they will respect that, but they will not be as impressed by the kid who rushed to a tutoring center every day instead of performing in a play, serving on Student Council, participating in Science Olympiad or Model UN, or even working at a part-time job. When the applicant pool is as talented and accomplished as they are for the “Top 25” colleges, the admissions officers want to know what a student can contribute to the school. Every eligible student can “contribute” to the Common Data Sets, and so they’ll look for the ones who can feature impressively in website and viewbook profiles.</p>
<p>For the highly selective schools, the ECs are very important. For Penn State, for example, not at all. They just want the grades/rank, test scores, and the date of your application. Nothing else matters. UPenn, is a whole other story. It has a process where points are given to a number of things, grade, difficulty of curriculum, test scores, ECs, recs, essay. But then, I ve seen acceptances to there for kids with near perfect GPA, test scores and little on the EC end. I also know a kid who got in solely because of his ECs, barely a 3.0, with 1100s 2 part SAT, but he was a heavily recruited football player who started for Penn as soon as he got there. Most accceptees fall somewhere in between these extremes.</p>
<p>
This is simply not true. It is important for a small number of schools out of the 3,000+ 4-year colleges in the US.
This</a> is also backed by looking at the Common Data Set filings, in which most schools check either “not considered” or “considered” about ECs, which are the lower 2 of the 4 choices.</p>
<p>Its worth understanding the history of ECs and why the emphasis is mainly found at selective private schools. While it has morphed (hopefully!) by now…
</a></p>
<p>In addition to @mikemac wrote, the introduction of interviews also had a secondary and similarily odious purpose – to weed out suspected homosexuals whom some college admins felt were entering their hallowed halls in alarming rates</p>
<p>Slightly different question: Are internships considered extracurricular activities? </p>
<p>OP, if it is outside of the classroom, it is outside of the curriculum. Thus, it is EXTRA curricular.</p>
<p>NOW, 56% of 4 year universities are private. We can all agree that mostly private schools look at ECs right? Okay, so if 3/4 of private schools look at ECs, that’s 43% of all schools who consider it. </p>
<p>About 40% of 4 year colleges are public. Let’s say only 1/2 consider ECs. When you add 20% of all schools with that 43% that is still a majority. That’s 63% without even including for profit colleges and universities. </p>
<p>T26E4- I get that you interview people for HY or P. That’s great. The doesn’t magically make you an expert on every university out there. If you were a guidance counselor, I would believe you. But you aren’t actually in the admissions office admitting and rejecting students so I can’t just buy that “80 percent of schools don’t care”. You don’t have any warrant behind that claim. I’m trying to find the link I quoted from last time, but I am struggling to find it. </p>
<p>Is it fair game to put an EC on your application that you have yet to complete? I’ll be studying abroad in Italy in January of 2015 (I’ll be applying in December of 2014), so can I list that as an EC, even if it hasn’t actually happened yet?</p>
<p>
I don’t agree most look at ECs. One needs to look at the Common Data Set (if available) for a college to check. Most of them are going to check either “not considered” or “considered”, which is different from “important” or “very important”. </p>
<p>Given the number I quoted above that most colleges admit 80% or more of their applicants, it is obvious that most colleges can’t be giving much weight if any to ECs. That number is from the post I gave above, said post written by the authors of the book “Admission Matters” who are experienced adcoms. One author served for 15 years as Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Stanford University, one is a is a certified educational planner specializing in college admissions, one is Associate Chancellor Emerita at UC Davis. I believe they have the credentials to give an informed opinion college admissions.</p>
<p>@AnnieBeats: said “…doesn’t magically make you an expert on every university out there.” I’m not claiming any title here. I admit I’ve been too free at tossing out that 80% figure. Mikemac’s point is a little better – most colleges check off only “considered” or “not considered”. And my search pool is colleges in my own state. There is only TWO publics 4 yr colleges (out of 16) that list EC as important. But I think we can assume that other 2yr programs, and community colleges surely don’t consider them important.</p>
<p>But like I said in my invitation to you before, I don’t want to toss out incorrect info. I’ll modify my future ramblings about the importance of ECs.</p>
<p>If u haven’t done it yet, it doesn’t count. By the same token, you could also say you plan to climb Everest or cure cancer. </p>
<p>@GMTplus7
I think there’s a difference between lying about something or exaggerating and mentioning something you’re going to do in the future. Plus, I’d mention the dates in which I’d be in Italy, so it isn’t misleading in any sense. I just didn’t know if I should mention it as an EC when filling out my applications in December, or if that was the kind of thing to send in to the admissions office later. By the time my application is read, I will probably already be back from Italy. </p>
<p>On the same token, I will have studied abroad for language study in two different countries (China and Italy). Is study abroad an EC I should mention?</p>