ecs are probably the reason i didnt get into a top tier UC and now im worried about my brother. he has all a’s unwieghted, taking all the aps he can take, and getting decent test scores (2100 on new sat) i cant say the same for his ecs. hes been in speech and debate for two years and then stopped. as for other clubs its pretty much the same, he hasnt gotten into any leadership positions and he hasnt continued one for more that 2 yrs. he does play a sport tho outside of school and is captain but thats pretty much all he has going for him. He would really like to go to a top uc (la or berk) do you think he has a chance?
<p>go to <a href="http://admissions.ucsd.edu/dev3/info/comreview.html%5B/url%5D">http://admissions.ucsd.edu/dev3/info/comreview.html</a> and you can see the exact criteria they use to evaluate candidates. The weighing may differ slightly at other UC's and the cutoff may be higher for admission, but this website gives you the exact criteria they use.</p>
<p>also see <a href="http://alumni.ucsd.edu/magazine/vol1no2/features/admissions.htm%5B/url%5D">http://alumni.ucsd.edu/magazine/vol1no2/features/admissions.htm</a> for a bit more discussion about how they apply it, and you can also find stuff with google.</p>
<p>he was thinking more into LA or Berk where they dont have a set point sytem...what do you guys think. thanks</p>
<p>I read an article where UCLA profiled 2 student, one who got in and one who didn't. The profiles were very similar stats-wise, but the one that got in had more leadership. And the EC's had slightly more depth. UCLA stressed that these were key differences, esp leadership and there is often just a hair between admitted or not. </p>
<p>Captain of a sports team is considered leadership. Too bad he dropped debate. Committment is important too. But with his grades, you never know.</p>
<p>ECs, esp. speech and debate, are not only beneficial to college admissions but also for public speaking and confidence skills. Shame he didn't stick with it. Best of luck to him, though.</p>
<p>I wouldn't worry too much. It's always good to have a lot of ecs, but just because you don't have that many, would not kill you. It can be the deciding factor sometimes, but more if your grades are not perfect and you're not too worried about the more competitive colleges out of state. My friend for instance, she has straight A's unweighted. She had SATs in the 1400s and taken a few APs (just three her junior year) and nothing before that. She's smart but had virtually no extra curriculars.</p>
<p>However she swiped all the UCs. I think with straight A's unweighted, it's practically a guarantee that you will get into all or possibly all but one UC (if you're unlucky). I don't know anyone in my school with complete straight A's and a good SAT who hasn't gotten into all the UCs. Even without ecs.</p>
<p>If your grades are not perfect then ecs would help. But his grades are perfect, plus he's taking a loads of APs so he's doing more than fine, I think. However, if he's applying for the even more competitive colleges and Ivies, it'll be tougher. But my friend, who I talked about above without the ecs, got into all the UCs and UPENN. Ecs give you an edge, but for the UCs with perfect grades, he can get into all of them.</p>