Another “old prof” here. Adcoms want students who are engaged and committed, intellectually and psychology, to making things better. They’re not going to sit in judgment in other ways unless the student has a history of violence or is off his/her rocker in some way. To be able to write effectively and with passion about something is a winning approach to admission, IMO.
But what one does in an extracurricular context – aside from demonstrating a commitment to service or community improvement – is not as critical to the decision as the student’s set of skills and abilities (math, writing, music, or whatever these may involve) and strong motivation to learn.