Importance of Order of Extracurriculars

<p>I really have no idea how to prioritize my ECs. I mean, I have a clear #1, which is a family responsibility, but after that nothing is really set in stone. How do colleges judge the way you rank your ECs?</p>

<p>They want to see what is important to you. For example, I cofounded a nonprofit. I do SOMETHING with the organization every day of the year, so that is my #1. The next 2 are my work experiences. And then I organized the rest by putting all the ones with my leadership roles followed by the ones without. </p>

<p>Try to do this - write down all of your ECs and try to imagine which one you couldn’t have gone through HS without doing. That one is your #1. Then, do the same thing with the ones that are left. Do this until you’re done.</p>

<p>So basically, you are not ranking them based on how “good” they would look to a college but rather how much they meant to you. In doing this, you are showing the colleges more than you think you are!</p>

<p>Best regards,

  • Mike</p>

<p>I agree with Lehigh. I would take it a step further and add that the EC in which you invested the most time should probably be #1; the second most time should be close to #2 and so on. If this is not the case, I would explain why at some point in the application.</p>

<p>Adcoms are looking for consistency. Don’t say, for example, that you spent 400 hours per year running track for four years but it is your only eighth most important EC.</p>