I am listing Speech & Debate as one of my extracurricular activities on the common app. I participate in the club during my speech class during the school day, however I only spent about a half hour a week on the club outside of class (excluding tournaments). Would it be lying if I listed 4.5 hours/week (48min/day + 30 minutes outside of class) because I don’t technically participate much outside of school?
I wouldn’t consider that lying, since you say, “I participate in the club during my speech class”.
I don’t think 4.5 hours a week draws too much skepticism, either. That’s pretty standard for something like speech & debate, especially if you were to factor in time that tournaments take.
Generally, I have found in life that if I am questioning the ethics of something, then the ethics of it are questionable. What if you list it, get an interview, and then they ask you what tournaments you’ve competed in, or what your favorite topic of this season in PF was? I know the alumni interviewers for several schools also happen to be debate parents. It’s a possibility. I find the absolute truth is usually the best policy.
My D had a similar issue. She was in a choir at school that required an audition to be accepted, but it was also a class. She described it as a scheduled class that also required out of school rehearsal. For the hours, she only included those that were hours spent out of school. I think to do otherwise is misleading.
My D did the same as @suzy100 for orchestra. She listed it as an activity but only put the hours she spent outside of the scheduled class.
If you are doing it in class, then the activity is considered a co-curricular activity because it is part of coursework in a way. Extracurricular activities are activities done outside of class that has no correlation to your coursework in any way such as sports and clubs.
Yes, it’s lying… no quotes needed.
Your transcript shows the hours you spend in class. “Double dipping”-- listing those same hours as extra curricular is misrepresenting your activities.
Speech and Debate as an extra curricular is understood to be just about every day, an hour or so after school, and most of the day Saturday, from October to March around here.
My child had an EC that he did sort of as a class during his study hall at school. He didn’t get credit or a grade for it. He did include as an EC. And I never questioned the ethics of that. If you’re getting course credit and a grade, that’s a course (though you could mention you’re taking it in conjunction with EC). How much time at Tournies? Can you divide that up for a per week amount?
I find it very strange that people consider this lying. I probably counted band class as part of my extensive marching band hours. Why wouldn’t you? We practiced during class. I was participating in the activity.
Well, extracurricular means that it is outside the curriculum, i.e., time spent outside of class, not in it.
@suzy100 I suppose “outside the curriculum” is variable though. If a student participates in an activity that is within the curriculum but doesn’t get course credit, how does that get recognized if not in the EC section? I see this as perhaps similar to auditing at the college level (at least this is how I viewed my child’s school-organized/sponsored EC during his study hall).
If I recall correctly, it might just be called “Activities” on the Common App and possibly some others.
I highly doubt adcoms are sitting there pedantically nickel-and-diming applicants on time. They have your schedule; they can subtract a few hours per week of class time if they’re so inclined. Or they won’t. Because it was literally time you spent on the activity.