<p>Does it look bad to top colleges if the extracurricular activities aren't focused in a general area of interest (such as Math/Science if you want to be an engineer for example)?</p>
<p>In other words, if extracurricular activities are "all over the place", does that make colleges shy away or does it show "well-roundedness?" </p>
<p>Ex (just making one up on the fly):
- VP of Beta
- intern on a political campaign
-shadow a doctor and volunteer at a hospital
- play a recreational sport (not competitive)
- summer job at tutoring place
-job at engineering company</p>
<p>So, would this example above not show interest or appeal to admissions if one is applying to, for example, a top science/medical or business undergraduate program?</p>
<p>I don’t think it hurts or helps really. They aren’t focused, but they also aren’t what people would consider throw-away ECs. You’d have to do something special in one of them for it to help your app.</p>
<p>Whatever ec you pursue, colleges really want to see commitment and progression in involvement/leadership. So while a variety of ECs are good and will show well-roundedness, make sure they are reflected as passions and interests, not just random activities you decided to do. </p>
<p>@romeonachos how would one “reflect them as passions and interests” in their application?</p>
<p>@guineagirl96 thanks for the advice… by something special, do you mean like win an award or something?</p>
<p>With excellent grades and test scores, those ECs would be enough to get you into most colleges outside the top 20 or so. My ECs were laughable and I got into lots of top 25-50 schools. </p>
<p>The most selective colleges want to see focus, dedication, and accomplishment (well-roundedness isn’t highly valued), but your ECs don’t all have to be in the same area, especially since you’re in high school and shouldn’t be expected to specialize completely. It’s just that most people can only focus on a few things at once. </p>
<p>You could always start clubs for things that you are interested in. At my school I have started a few. Meet with your principal and discuss starting a club. </p>
<p>@College123college There’ll be an activity section in the app where you can list the number of hours and weeks per year you’ve committed. It can also be demonstrated through a recommendation letter or an essay prompt. </p>
<p>so if they are short term activities (like in my example–a job or political campaign), would that not show committment/interest if they are only 5 months or so?</p>
<p>Short-term activities usually aren’t as good as long-term ones, but they’re still better than nothing.</p>