<p>i was a student council rep in 10th grade, and VP this year. next year i will almost definirely be president. however, because of the time and energy demands of being VP this year, i've had to pretty much drop all other clubs. my question is, would colleges rather see active participation in a few clubs or strong leadership in just one? thanks (:</p>
<p>they'd like to see the strong leadership</p>
<p>they like dedication and passion more than anything else... pretty much</p>
<p>Colleges will want to see strong leadership. Being "just a member" is a role that could be filled by any person at your school - leadership differentiates you as someone that actually makes an impact. </p>
<p>Colleges look for people who make an impact, because the college environment is much less supportive and structured than high school and they want students that will be active in campus life.</p>
<p>As for your Student Council hopes, could it be possible to do even more than just SC president? The ability to handle both SC president and leadership positions in other organizations would really reflect positively on your application. Good luck in your college search!</p>
<p>Here is what Stanford says in its FAQ
[quote]
Learning about your extracurricular activities and nonacademic interests helps us to discover your potential contributions to the Stanford residential community. Students often assume our primary concern is the number of activities in which one participates. In fact, an exceptional depth of experience in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six clubs. We want to see the impact you have had on that club, in your school, or in the larger community, and we want to learn of the impact that experience has had on you.
[/quote]
Note that just being student body president is not going to be enough to really stand out; every HS in the country will have a student body president, a valedictorian, etc. and many of them will be applying to very selective colleges. What will make your app stand out is if you really apply yourself and DO something as president</p>
<p>Does this apply over for sports? I haven't done much besides swim since 10th grade as far as beyond academics, but I'm the captain of my team, swim on a school team and a club team, and put in over 20 hours a week easy pretty much year round. With that and working close to 40 hours a week in the summer, there isn't enough time for me to do anything else. Is that an issue?</p>