<p>Hi,
When I'm looking at the huge lists students have of their ECs, I'm really amazed. I'm wondering what's more important: I dance 7-8 hours a week (in a sports club) in advanced level/ showgroup classes and it really asks for a great involvement. Of course I have some other ECs, hold two leadership positions and I work, but I'm a little worried whether colleges might know that I'm definitely not wasting my time even though my list of activties is not that long. I'm planning to apply to Pomona, Williams, Cornell and other less selective schools, so it might be kind of important...
Thank you!</p>
<p>The most selective colleges want you to be passionate in something. It’s always better to do what you love (and do it well) rather than join a bunch of random impressive-sounding organizations just for your resume. Not only will it show that you’re pandering to the adcom, you’ll take time away from what will really help you get in.</p>
<p>Go for balance- in significance. Dance is great if you also compete or achieve some level. Work is also good, no matter if it’s low level. If the leadership is just in school clubs (or something the school hands you) or church, be sure to balance it with comm service (or mentoring, tutoring, volunteering, etc) - something that benefits others. If you already do comm svc through one of those clubs, be sure it is clearly described. (Not just “X Club, we do vol work.”) You want to present a picture of a kid who can follow his/her personal interests, get involved in school things AND do for others. It doesn’t have to be a long, long list of things- but it should be meaningful on those 3 levels.
And, adcoms can spot the kid who fluffs out the list with lots of activities, but only 1 hr here or there, a few weeks of the year.</p>
<p>I heard from my college advisor that doing one thing for a long time and doing it well is more important that filling up a resume with superficial volunteering. While it’s nice to focus on more than one thing, it’s not as impressive if you just do a little bit of all of them.</p>
<p>^ Why do people always use the term “superficial volunteering,” as though doing more than one good deed is suspicious? It is not. Padding your activities list with a string of 1-hour things is silly. But, strong candidates tend to have a balance.</p>
<p>Even a kid who spends extraordinary time training for the Olympics, is in a Broadway show every night, or is an Intel-level genius, can find time to join some school activity or mentor a few kids. Colleges want well-rounded kids. There are exceptions, but those kids are off in the stratosphere, not your ordinary applicant. Those “outliers” are extremely rare.</p>