My high school has choir and musical theatre as a class. Does that make it not count as an EC because it’s an actual class and not outside of school? But musical theatre isn’t recognized as fulfilling of the visual/performing arts requirement (while choir is).
This thread is so huge that this has probably already been answered, but I’d really appreciate the help: Can you list private music lessons as EC’s? Middle school government internship? Or sports that aren’t in school?
also- is it best to list how many years you participated in that specific EC? Because I just switched schools and am going to be really involved next year, senior year, but at my old school I wasn’t incredibly involved, though I was president of a club, and some other ones.
The common app asks applicants how long they participated in activities.
what do you do if you have lots of EC’s, but the application says to list them in the space provided and to refrain from additional materials (Columbia app)? Wouldn’t they get mad if I send a seperate sheet, but if I don’t I feel they won’t know all that I’ve done.
W/ comlumbia you really need to stick with their app. If they’ve moved to the common app, then it’s totally cool to send a separate activities resume.
Don’t list things from middle school unless it’s nationally prestigious (i.e. you won the national spelling bee.) Otherwise it just makes you look like you didn’t do enough stuff during high school and you’re reaching.
You can list whatever you want, since when does it matter if it’s from middle school or not? I doubt any adcom is going to think “OH MAN, THIS GUY LISTED THAT HE WON HIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHESS TOURNAMENT?! GUYS, GUYS, COME GET A LOAD OF THIS STATE-SCHOOL-BOUND REJECT! BLAHARAHRHARHAHRHARHAHRHAR!”
No but it might be grating to read through the laborious list of everything, most of which isn’t significant. Not the impression you want to give the reading officer (or the HR person for your job interview later on, either). List the prominent and important ones. I think the advice about Nationally relevant and prestigious pre-high school honors wouldn’t be over the top. My two cents.
You are living in one side of life…Talk about the other side as well
Ok let’s not talk about Jill and Jenny, who has all the money, support and opportunity in this whole world. Now lets talk about a minority kid Salem or Ahmed…these two kids don’t have the same ‘full of joy’ life Jill and Jenny had…therefore, these two kids did not have the opportunities, support or simply the time and energy to do so many EC activities…because they probably has more important thing they MUST do for themselves to catch up academically, financially or etc…
What do you say for these kids?
Hi Unknown726: the experience I have with admissions officers who read for the more selective schools is that the lack of “stellar” ECs due to the fact that 1) they weren’t available or 2) the student needed to work or take care of other family members – these don’t detract necessarily from a person’s viablility if there are other strong areas. They try to read the app in the context of the applicant.
My ECs were fairly paltry, but I the rest of my folder convinced all the schools I applied to to offer admissions. I ended up matriculating at Yale, whom I now help recruiting as an alum.
T26E4:
Thanks for this valuable info…I have always wondered what about these types of people? I have some hard working friends, who are not living as easy.
I appreciate your time for clarifying this. From the experiences with the admissions officers that you kindly shared with us, I just learned a bit.
This doesn’t exactly fit with the topic, but, out of curiosity…in 7th and 8th grades, I won two major awards at National History Day (I’m sure somebody’s heard of it? Some 800,000 kids participate nationwide); I won second place in seventh, and took first in eighth. This is a really major award, very few people get it, hardly anybody gets it twice…is there any way I could mention it on a college app? I know it’s not usually good to list middle school acomplishments, but something like this…
it can’t hurt
Orchard-
Did you follow up with any similar competitions in HS?
Then you could lead into those with “After winning {blah blah blah} in 2003… I was compelled to compete in xyz…”
i did NHD too. it is certainly something i will put on my app
What is NHD?
Believersmom, I am currently participating in NHD again (this time in the older division) and am going to the state competition, possibly the finals (nationals are probably unlikely). I think I might put my eighth grade victory in there just for the heck of it.
Any idea how much it helps to get admitted at a highly selective university/lac if you are a top junior athlete (national and international level) in an individual olympic sport that’s not a varsity sport? And is it ok that that’s pretty much my only ec? I’m attending a very competitive school that doesn’t cut me any slack for my sport, and basically, I’m competing against kids who are “home schooled.”
I would say that it depends if they are recruiting you for that sport, and if you’re just really good it’s probably notable but not a hook. But start your own thread.