My ECs: A laundry list?

Applying to College
1

<p>Uhh, hey guys. Thanks if you took your time to read this.</p>

<p>So I have very broad interests, and I'm involved in a bunch of ECs. And I was wondering if it was becoming more of a "laundry list" that colleges don't like seeing. The only club listed that I genuinely don't like is Mathletes, but it looks good and it's somewhat relevant to my future. And we get cookies every meeting.</p>

<p>Anyways, I'm a sophomore, and this what I want to major in college:
Economics, with a double minor in Philosophy and Environmental Science.</p>

<p>And here comes the laundry list. Those labeled with + signs means I'll continue it until senior year. Hopefully.</p>

<p>Music
Band (2+ years)
Tri-M (2+ years)
Pit Band (2+ years)
All County (1+ year)
Marching Band (2+ years)
Wind Ensemble (1+ years)
NY Korean Pop Orchestra (1 year)
Church YG Choir Pianist (1 year)
Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (1+ years)
-Currently soloist for the Chamber Division. Hopefully Principal Division Jr/Sr.</p>

<p>Sports
Volleyball (2+ years) - Most likely captain senior year.
Badminton (1+ years) - Girls team. I'm the manager.</p>

<p>Clubs
Tri M (listed above)
Mathletes (2+ years)
Chess Club (1+ years)
Student Council (2+ years) - Senator 2+ years
Ethics Team (1+ years)
Philosophy Club (2+ years) - Most likely president senior year.
SPEC <a href="1+%20years">students Putting an End to Cancer</a> - Most likely VP senior year.
*Clubs I plan on doing next year(s)
Yearbook Club - Seniors only
Newspaper Club
Environment Club - School doesn't have one, trying to get it started next year.</p>

<p>Awards
Al Kalfus Long Island Math Fair (2+ years) - Fresh: Gold
Long Island Annual Ethics Bowl (1+ years) - Soph: 3rd place (team)
Stevens Institute of Technology Ethics Bowl (1+ years) - Didn't happen yet</p>

<p>Volunteer
Group Work Camp (2 years): 60 hours
Hospital Volunteer (2+ months): So far 24 hours</p>

<p>I don't do NY Korean Pop Orchestra anymore because the conductor kind of died. I do Metropolitan Youth Orchestra now instead. I am no longer the pianist for my church youth group because I stopped going to church. Same thing for Group Work Camp.</p>

<p>Again, thanks if you took the time to read this. And input would be much appreciated. Also, I don't plan on quitting any of these clubs just because a college would dislike seeing too many of them. That's ridiculous. I was just wondering if there was a way to let colleges know that I have a broad range of genuine interests.</p>

<p>PS: This isn't a very impressive</p>

2

<p>i think you would be in danger of looking like you have a laundry list if you don’t explain your passion for these things. even if you enjoy all of them, i would focus on 5-10 to write on your application, the clubs that meant the most to you, maybe ones where you rose to leadership positions. at least pick a few to really emphasize so that they don’t think you’re just doing what you think colleges want to see. good luck with everything!! :)</p>

3

<p>You should focus on one or two specific activities in one of your essays to indicate that your involvement in these goes deeper than just something to list on your resume.</p>

<p>Whether or not you’re deeply involved in any of these is unclear, but since there’s so many and you haven’t explained any deep involvement, you risk looking like you’ve put 10% effort into all of these things just so that you can list them.</p>

<p>The key thing is to emphasize that you didn’t just write these down - you did something for them.</p>

4

<p>I love fellow musicians. :slight_smile:
But I agree, you should focus on a a few specific activities to talk about in your essays, especially the ones that mean the most to you.</p>

5

<p>Clubs I Don’t Like: Mathletes</p>

<p>Clubs I Like But Not Passionate About: Chess (it’s fun), Newspaper (I like writing), Yearbook (I don’t think you can be much passionate about this, I just want my yearbook to look nice)</p>

<p>Clubs I Like And Are Kinda Passionate: SPEC (We really don’t do much here, but it’s a really fun club and we do make frequent generous contributions. And you can never go wrong with helping people, right?), Music (I really love playing the instruments I play, but I could never see myself as a music major), Badminton (I just like the sport and my best friend’s doing it).</p>

<p>Clubs I’m Passionate About: Volleyball (Overall, I’m really a reserved and relaxed person, but this is the place where I yell at everyone and somehow have a great time as a team. This isn’t something I can really describe, but hopefully fellow athletes understand what I’m saying), Philosophy/Ethics (This is a total blast. I can just go on and on about this club), Environmental (I know this isn’t even an organized club yet, but I can definitely picture myself applying myself into this club. I was always big on the environment, I just remembered a time in 7th grade when I wrote a petition to the principal about putting recycling bins in the lunch room and I got a whole bunch of kids to sign it).</p>

<p>I’ll probably write about Philosophy and Environment. Because those are my genuine interests. But even if they do realize my passion for this club, what about all the other ones? I totally feel bad enough for making this thread anyways - if a college told me to write an essay about a club I feel passionate about so I don’t give them a laundry list, why on earth would I be obliged to do that? I shouldn’t have to explain myself for the fear of being judged for my intentions, should I?</p>

<p>Sorry if I’m rambling. I’m just frustrated looking for practical solutions to a problem that should be non-existent.</p>

6

<p>Remember, you only get 12 spots. Depth>breath.</p>

7

<p>So you get 12 sections on your actual application?
But how should I go about writing this down on a resume?</p>

8

<p>Bump! More input would be appreciated. :X</p>

9

<p>Clubs in general are weak ECs, even if your in a leadership position. Everyone knows those things are BS and meet once a week at lunch.
Plus you should generalize all your instrument playing, into one EC (I PLAY INSTRUMENTS)</p>

10

<p>1] Well I don’t have a lunch period and most clubs meet after school. :P</p>

<p>2] I feel like putting Music into one category of “I play instruments” doesn’t exemplify my passion at all. Millions of kids play instruments, but how many are devoted to practicing and playing in different orchestras?</p>

11

<p>There is a small text area where you can cram all that stuff in after you name the EC.
Plus, that’s what essays are for.</p>

12

<p>I think the best way to tell what ECs will actually matter on your application is to ask yourself which ones you pursue outside of school. Do you write short stories for competitions in your spare time, or spend hours a week researching frantically for debate tournaments? Do you read French literature in your spare time and try to piece together the grammar you haven’t learned yet in school? etc. If any of the clubs you do are just that–in-school clubs–consider dropping them to give yourself time to pursue other accomplishments more deeply.</p>

<p>In your case, that would probably mean music. Instead of spending an hour a week in clubs just for a meaningless leadership position, *quit<a href=“yes,%20quit%20the%20majority%20of%20your%20clubs”>/I</a>, and spend that free time doing your homework or taking your music to the next level. Organize a benefit concert, start teaching private lessons–whatever. Because if you were an adcom, would “Ethics Club member, 1 year” impress you?</p>

13

<p>Well I started Ethics Team this year. And we actually do national team competitions. My team got 3rd place in one of the smaller ones, and we have a huge competition coming up this June. And Ethics/Philosophy are my favorite clubs, so I don’t think I’ll ever give that up. xP</p>

<p>I’ll consider dropping Chess Club and Newspaper Club next year. I only do them for the pure fact that they’re fun. And you’re right, it would probably be a smarter idea for me to focus on more important things.</p>

<p>Thanks for your advice. :]</p>