It seems that there is a bit of variance on what colleges prefer in the EC profile of people they admit. For some colleges, ECs are not emphasized at all, while for others admittees usually have done multiple unique and outstanding things during their time in high school.
I would like to know where UCLA falls on this spectrum, and what qualities they are looking for in an extracurricular.
Also, I’ve often heard the phrase “quality over quantity” in reference to extracurriculars, but how far does this extend? If an applicant only has one extracurricular that they are really passionate about (ex: Boy Scouts) and can show this passion (earning the rank of Eagle), does this negatively hurt them?
UCLA is VERY holistic, so ECs are a huge thing. They want to accept students who will contribute to UCLA both inside and outside of academics. I’d have to hear more about your EC.
@saratoga37 My ECs are a position in stu govt (spirit commissioner, about as much work as a class pres), co-pres of the Computer Science club, and I’m an Eagle Scout. I didn’t start this thread for me so much as I did curiosity.
One thing you need to be careful though…ECs don’t make up for any deficiencies in academics in UCLA, contrary to top private schools!
Agreed with @uclaparent9!
@uclaparent9 I wasn’t aware that top private schools allowed top ECs to make up for sub-par academics. I always thought that applicants to those schools had to be excellent in both academics and extracurriculars. What exactly do you mean by “make up”?
^ If you show supper talent in science in some area such as winning a science Olympiad even with a subpar academic (say a 3.6 UWGPA) you will possibly get into some Ivies but no way you can get into UCLA/UCB (unless you show a supper talent in a recuitable sport!)
Gpa and test scores still account for most of the application. For engineering it’s almost the entire equation. ECs and good essays are the icing on the cake that secure your spot.