one EC

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm a sophomore and my grades and courses are pretty solid right now, so I'm not really worried about that but I only have one EC, which is theater. And I'm not really interested in doing anything else because none of the clubs at my school really interest me. With only one EC that I plan on doing all four years of high school, how bad does that look to colleges?</p>

2

<p>Probably not great unless you really, really excel at theater and do multiple theatrical things. If you’re not interested in school clubs you might want to look at opportunities outside of school. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Can you get a job? Tutoring, volunteering, etc. etc.</p>

4

<p>I would suggest two things (I was in a similar situation about 2 years ago)

  1. Expand your horizons. I know it sounds ridiculous right now and likely pointless, but in the long run, it will help you out. Sometimes you stumble upon things that inspire you that way…I only joined the crew team because I was cut from basketball, and I turned out to be a far better rower than I ever was a basketball player. SO to you, look for clubs, student activities groups, or things in the community, town, church, etc.
  2. You probably have more than one EC, if you really think about it. EC’s can be out of school; often times the best ones are. Have a second look at yourself, you might be surprised to see what you find.</p>
5

<p>It really depends on which colleges you apply to and what you do with your theater experiences. There is a different approach than just trying to get as many ECs as possible.
[Study</a> Hacks Blog Archive How to Get Into Stanford with B’s on Your Transcript: Failed Simulations & the Surprising Psychology of Impressiveness](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2010/03/26/how-to-get-into-stanford-with-bs-on-your-transcript-failed-simulations-the-surprising-psychology-of-impressiveness/]Study”>How to Get Into Stanford with B's on Your Transcript: Failed Simulations & the Surprising Psychology of Impressiveness - Cal Newport)</p>

6

<p>Happykid started as a lowly freshman in the stage crew, and worked her way up through light crew flunky, to lighting designer, to stage manager her senior year. In that last position, she ran every event in her school auditorium - concerts, plays, student assemblies, you name it. There was not one second available for another EC. If this is the situation you envision for yourself, don’t worry. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having only one EC.</p>