I started working on my college applications recently, and the app asks for extracurriculars from grades 9-12. I am an immgrant from Korea, who came to the US in middle school, and back in Korea I used to do a bit of Taekwondo. There wasn’t any dojo nearby and I was busy learning English in America so I had to quit for some time. I sometimes spend my summer in Korea (9th and 10th grade summers) and during those times pretty much all I did other than the vacation stuff was Taekwondo because I really like it, and I achieved 1st Gup a while back (unfortunately not a black belt quiet yet…). So would this count as an EC?
Yes, your Taekwondo definitely counts because you participated in it during the time period between summer after 8th grade to the present. It is the time period, not the location that matters. You can include the highest level achieved regardless of when you achieved it. By the way, I think your transition from Korea to the US would be a wonderful story for a college essay.
Okay, thanks a lot for your helpful advice!