<p>I am a senior applying to schools with particuraly competitive admission (A few Ivies, MIT, Stanford, etc).</p>
<p>I have pretty standard fare stats for these schools...2250+, 800 SAT II's, 4.0, National AP Scholar, etc.</p>
<p>And, from what I can tell, admission to these schools goes beyond stats; they want to see something that makes you stick out and unique from the 1000's applicants with the same stats.</p>
<p>One of my EC's is that I do stand-up comedy as a hobby. I do a couple dozen performances a year, and have been paid. (I usually do it free because I just love doing it). My largest crowd has been 1200 people.</p>
<p>You guys think it's something that will jump out and show something special about myself? Or will it just be another of many EC's that Admissions officers see every day?</p>
<p>Me too! I didn't list it on my Columbia University app, but maybe I should have... It is by no means a "hook," but it does show how unique your interests are (especially if you have taken a few years of drama as a high schooler). By the way, where do you get most of your gigs? Mine are at my high school or in small coffee shops around town.</p>
<p>That's awesome. I love stand-up comedy and improv...I'm a theatre geek. I think it will definitely be prominent if its one of your "passions"--performing, being outgoing, etc. </p>
<p>I think it's different. I mean, its not cohesive nerdiness, you know? It will make you seem well-rounded and maybe you'll be the next Dennis Miller.</p>
<p>I wrote my essay about my experience with cross-dressing in my school's annual "Mr. Ugly" pageant. I wrote about how I love to make other people laugh. It would be awsome if I got accepted to Columbia from a hilarious essay.</p>
<p>If you've been paid to perform, technically you are a professional. Since you don't always perform for paying crowds, I would consider you a semi-professional.</p>