<p>For the common app, I know it hasn't come out yet, but let's just assume there are 10 EC boxes like there were last year. </p>
<p>If I could only fill 5-6 of them up with good extra curriculars, and the rest with pretty weak ones (like just being a member of something), would that be better than just putting the 5-6 good ones in there and leaving the rest blank?</p>
<p>It depends. If the weak ones support your other activities, then you might want to include them. For instance, if one of your strong activities is editor of the newspaper, and one of your weaker activities is being a member of the creative writing club, I’d include it because it fits in with the narrative of who you are.
What you are trying to do with your ECs is give the admissions committee a sense of who you are and what is important to you. If your minor ECs are important to you and support the rest of your app, include them, even if you just participate and have no leadership role. </p>
<p>If, on the other hand, an activity feels periphery to you, and not really relevant to your overall high school experience, don’t bother to list it because it may detract from the things that you really do want to emphasize.</p>