<p>I'm going to keep this short but basically I'm a junior and I'm taking 4 of the most difficult APs at my school and I can't find the time to be very involved with ECs. I volunteer at hospitals often and will do so again in the summer but it is difficult for me to be apart of many clubs and be involved in competitions. In my school, most of the clubs will kick you out if you don't attend 2 or 3 meetings so I only joined 2. Would this hurt my chances at schools like Tufts or NYU?</p>
<p>A college is an academic community. Your transcript and academic interests always come first.</p>
<p>You can be selective about ECs. You don’t need to join any clubs if they aren’t meaningful to you. Do you do something meaningful at the hospital? What have you learned from it? The EC is only the stage set; your reflection on the experience is the script.</p>
<p>The most important single element of your application is your high school transcript. However, to be a credible candidate at selective schools such as NYU and especially Tufts, you should show that you are able to do more than just go to school and get good grades and high test scores. Involvement in extracurricular activities shows what your interests are and how well you can balance/multitask. These schools also want to admit people who are going to contribute to the variety and quality of campus life, so extracurricular interests are a part of that. Most people will say that quality is more impressive than sheer quantity in ECs. A significant involvement in one or two clubs or activities over time is better than superficial involvement in several. These activities should be something you care about, not something you are doing to pad your application.</p>