<p>My question is that if you participate a lot in school clubs,
would it be fine as EC?</p>
<p>or is the volunteering 'very strongly recommended', like some sort of 'mandatory' part of EC to get in very competitive schools such as IVY League?</p>
<p>Hellooooo. I am like the good fairy of “no you don’t HAVE to do community service to get into an Ivy”. Because you don’t. I haven’t done any community service since the summer before I was a junior, because not only do I have a couple other clubs, I am Very Involved with both of them. Having “a lot” of school clubs will not get you into an Ivy, though. Involvement in whatever you do (beyond mere participation), including community service, is the most important thing. Leadership helps, and so do accomplishments like winning an award or leading a membership drive that doubled your membership or whatever. Volunteering is not a sine qua non, but if you’re replacing it with something else, it should probably be a Better something else. (Moderate involvement with science club does not count. Getting to the state competition on robotics team, etc., do.)</p>
<p>I was accepted at all four schools to which I applied, including two Ivies and the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>Absolutely not. In fact–not unlike arbitrary club memberships or playing a sport that doesn’t really interest you–it can be a detriment if it takes time away from things that genuinely interest you and that you have the ability to pursue to a high, innovative level.</p>