<p>I have been worrying that I don't have enough extracurriculars and leadership positions Stanford is looking for, if anyone has been accepted or is familiar please give me your input.</p>
<p>When I apply I will be/have:</p>
<p>-Member of the swim team sicne grade 9
-VP of academic team (president as senior)
-VP of Math Honor Society (Mu Alpha Theta), and president as senior
-Interact club member one year
-National Honor Society</p>
<p>I'm worried that they won't see that I will be president, and that they'll just see me as the VP.</p>
<p>1) Person X has just one EC, yet she’s received international recognition for being a pioneer in her field, or making some form of phenomenal contribution towards her community.</p>
<p>2) Person Y is probably engaged in every single activity his school/city offers. He’s the President of a couple of clubs, and participates actively in all of them because he wants to get into a top-notch school. No real passion though…</p>
<p>3) Person Z has a decent amount of EC’s. Although he’s not on top of all of them, he has received a fair amount of recognition for one or two of them, or he spends his time doing something he believes in and truly loves, regardless of what recognition he gets.</p>
<p>Whom do you like the best?</p>
<p>If I’ve just thoroughly confused you, that’s what you’re supposed to be… there isn’t a surefire number of EC’s that’ll get you in. Don’t worry about being President, either. The entire point of having EC’s is to be able to follow your passions, be dedicated, and perhaps do others some good while you’re at it. Show that you have one or all of those, and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>It’s quality over quantity, so it doesn’t matter as much how many of them you are doing… The main thing is how active and passionate you are about the one you participate in.</p>
<p>My point is that how do they know I am passionate if I’m not even president? I have a great devotion to math club, I just don’t feel like it’s enough. Well, thanks, I know all I can do now is be passionate: D</p>
<p>They’ll see that you were president…just put it in! (if you got it, of course)</p>
<p>I think your ECs are fine but remember this: it’s better to have one true passion than to be “shallowly” well-rounded. Stanford likes kids who they see as "Russian lit aficionado " or “girl who kayaked across Mediterranean”. Stand out by packaging yourself and molding yourself into showing your true passions and interests. How do your ECs relate? </p>
<p>Best tip: attach an extra sheet to your Common App detailing your exact duties and commitments to each club. You’re on the right track but you need to show DEPTH and show how you stand out through these activities. </p>
<p>In my opinion, being president doesn’t necessarily mean you have passion for it – try to show your passion through your essays. I think at this level it wouldn’t matter if you are P or VP.</p>
<p>I agree with Alone. Definitely try to make president if you really want to, but don’t count on that to show your dedication. And if you want to portray your passion, I suggest that you come off as a sort of person who would BE passionate about that particular activity. A blatant (but by no means weak) approach would be to describe your enthusiasm through your essays. A more subtle approach would be for you to come off (through essays, recs etc.) as someone who really does care about what he’s doing…</p>
<p>I was thinking subtetly relating everything to the math club and academic team, and indirectly “making” them think I’m very involved. Almost subliminal messaging : )?</p>
<p>Include lots of detail about your passions/activities – being President or whatever isn’t what cuts it in my opinion. You have to somehow market your passion in your application, and if that means good essays, so be it. If that means attaching additional info where there is space, so be it. </p>
<p>Remember, that which you love and are passionate about stays with you whether or not you go to a specific school, so that’s what you should do; it also coincidentally gives you the best shot at going to the best schools. The key factor is of course how you market yourself.</p>
<p>Alright, I see what all of you are saying. Should be easy if it’s something I truly enjoy.</p>
<p>Oh and another question, I know passion is really the key factor, but unfortunately good grades must accompany it. I am taking AP Chemistry next year with a teacher who has only taught the class for two years and has a low passing rate on the AP Exam. If I get an A in the class but say a 2 on the exam, will it be okay?</p>