How much do ECs matter when applying to colleges. My EC list is not the best, so I was wondering how big of a factor ECs play in college admissions. I plan on applying mainly to public state schools such as the SUNYs, Penn State, Rutgers, etc.
I would review the Common Data Sets (CDS) for all colleges on your list and see how much it matters for admissions? In general, having some EC’s is helpful for admissions but not as important as course rigor, GPA, and test scores.
As a general rule, ECs matter more for competitive schools with holistic admissions. Large state schools like the SUNYs tend to rely more on GPA and SAT/ACT scores because they receive so many applications, a holistic approach may not be practical. Still, as socaldad2002 suggested, check out the CDS for the schools that you are applying to.
The first thing you need to do is google " Common Data Set" and
then look in Section C7: Relative importance of each of the following academic and nonacademic factors in first-time, firstyear,degree-seeking (freshman) admission decisions.
Then look at " Extracurricular activities"
Is it Very Important, Important, Considered, or Not Considered?
Big State schools may only “consider” ECs because they mostly use GPA/SAT/ACT because of the sheer number of applicants. Private schools have holistic admissions and may think it “very important”.
I think that it depends upon where you are applying.
For good state public universities (not the absolute top 3 or 4 in the US), if your grades and test scores are strong then you should be fine with little or no ECs.