<p>Well, the title really says it all. I started typing out a rough draft of this today and realized that I was totally lost.</p>
<li> How did you format you ECs? What do you think the best way is?</li>
</ol>
<p>So far, mine look sort of like this:
Flute- [years played]
[tab]Concert Band: [years of participation]
[double tab] [awards]
[tab]Pep Band: [years of participation]
[double tab] [awards]
[tab]Jazz Workshop: [years of participation]
[double tab] [awards]</p>
<p>Obviously that doesn’t really show the formatting well, but… hopefull you get the idea.</p>
<li>How in depth should my EC list go? </li>
</ol>
<p>Should I just list my volunteer activities, or should i take a line or two to explain what exactly i did, since it’s not very clear from the title.</p>
<p>Yup, there you have it, I am utterly lost in this. Any help is very much appreciated.</p>
<p>What you've got right now looks fine. Admission officers only have so much time and patience. If your community service stuff was through an organization that is not well known or whose name does not explain what you did that provide a little explanation.</p>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>Lifeworks Australia: Working with aboriginal children during their summer break.</p>
<p>I would definitely group them if I were you. The way I helped my daughter do this was to list the most prominent instrument or musical area/activity first, so you will go in decreasing order of importance. (People tend naturally to fix on what's first.) The most readable formatting (with grouping, spacing, clear categories) also is to each applicant's advantage, given the readability of it within the admissions officers' limited time.</p>
<p>I like how you are tentatively proposing here listing everything for one instrument together. (Versus separating out participation on one page, awards on another or in another section.) It should look as if: This is what I accomplished on this instrument, in this workshop, etc.</p>
<p>On volunteering, summarize key role. If it is not evident what the activity, club, etc. would be to any lay person, they explain it in a phrase or sentence if it is obscure, specialized. No unexplained lists. Length of time, yes, but you can accomplish both by saying things like: 'Elder care at local senior home which is an ongoing project of the school. This included [name what you did] for a period of 3 years every Saturday; on occasion I acted as the supervisor for the younger & newer student participants.' etc.</p>
<p>You can also PM me some ideas or questions; I'll be glad to give you feedback.</p>
<p>Ok, thanks for the advice. One more thing: I'm afraid my ECs, especially the sports I play, make it look as though I'm unable to commit. I have a great looking "Swimming" section under Athletics, but I quit after 9th grade because of issues with coaching. I did Cheer and Volleyball as a sophmore and excelled at both sports, but I didn't participate in either sport this past year, as a junior, because I moved to another school, and both teams had already held tryouts before i arrived. Should I try to explain this somehow?</p>
<p>Also, should I even bother to include things like NHS or CSF if I was only in them for 1 year (because of the moving thing, and what was offered at different schools), and should I include my Youth Group if I was very active, and spent hours every week participating with that group?</p>
<p>Yes. With a positive spin whenever possible, if possible. For example, if one activity is replaced by a more favored activity that fits more with overall goals (personal or academic), it should be thus contextualized. If you regretted having to end something for merely practical or logistical reasons, say so. (Of course, even better if you can show that you tried to restart it in a diff. environment, or re-incorporate it or find an equivalent substitute.)</p>
<p>"should I include my Youth Group if I was very active, and spent hours every week participating with that group? "</p>
<p>Yes. Again, most important activities first. Nothing wrong with simply listing CSF/NHS with an asterisk about the move; put them after the Youth Group. (Or if there's a separate academic area, put them with academics, with an asterisk.)</p>