<p>How many clubs should I join? How many clubs should I try and be a leader in? There are some clubs in my school I really want to join but I want to keep the # down to just 4-5. How many should a try and become a leader in? Keep UPenn and Stanford in ming when you answer btw :)</p>
<p>Top tier colleges such as Stanford and Penn don’t worry about the quantity but rather the quality of your extracurriculars/club involvement. Join the clubs that interest you and dedicate your time to them. Better yet, start a club yourself about something you are “passionate” about. It’s about depth, not breadth.</p>
<p>Join as many as you want AND can manage to stay active in. I don’t think there is a magic number. Also, I know some schools have clubs which are very active (meetings/practices/rehearsals) every day, whereas other schools have clubs which are not that active (my school…). Being in four clubs at one school can require a lot more commitment than at other schools. But if you’re already in 4-5 clubs, do not join other clubs unless you are actually into what they do (such as because the club is a well-known club at school and good for apps).</p>
<p>As for leadership positions, I think the above applies even more. If you want to be a leader though, remember that you’re not just responsible for yourself as a member of the club, but the club itself and how it functions. One of my friends actually turned down a leadership position because she had too much on her hands with other clubs and knew another capable student who would be able to be more dedicated. Also, f you are not leader of a club, it does not mean you cannot/are not a hard working member of the group. If people were only in a club to become leaders, the clubs would be a lot less productive and would struggle to play out its actual purpose.</p>
<p>I am frustrated by some students at my school who have founded all these clubs and try to snag leaderships too, but are not on top of things (in terms of their clubs). They leave people in “lower positions” with the time consuming things, don’t take responsibility for anything that goes wrong, don’t always turn up (on time or at all) and are difficult for other members to approach - as in always waving them off because “I’m really busy!” THAT is what you don’t don’t don’t want to do, if you want to be a lazy club leader, don’t be a leader.</p>