<p>I did a summer camp this summer and basically it changed my life. Does this count as an extracurricular or should I select the "topic of my choice" option?</p>
<p>EC- can depend on what you did- camper or counselor? Some particular challenege in the camp, eg, Outward Bound or ?</p>
<p>It was a leadership camp for juniors, selected and sponsored by our local Rotary clubs… we came from all over western Florida. I applied to be a camp counselor next year (it’s a week-long camp) and it’s a really intense, perspective-changing, life-altering experience. I’m 99% sure it’s what I’m going to write about.</p>
<p>Was it RYLA??? I’m wondering the same thing since my club sponcered me, I wish mine was a week long it was only a weekend.</p>
<p>^ No, it was S4TL, but I think RYLA helped sponsor it as well… I remember seeing that acronym somewhere at the event.</p>
<p>I wasn’t sure either. I went to a weekend RYLA as a sophomore, but during the school year. Is that an ec or an award?</p>
<p>In the past, some kids would put various programs on the Education page, under addl Colleges & Universities. You have to work through the directions for the new CA. It describes this section as for enrichment programs which happen on a college campus. </p>
<p>You can put them under ECs. Main thing is to get them on the CA, esp when you were nominated or approved in some way. (For ECs, there is a button for “summer” activities.) It can make a great essay- or the first writing short about an EC. Remember, show-not-tell, in any essays.</p>
<p>for RYLA (Rotary youth leadership award) your also chosen and sponcered by Rotary clubs so i’m not surprised you saw it there. I think I’m going to put it under awards and then use the short essay for the EC’s to explain how the leadership training was then used in one specific EC’s maybe you could make this work for S4TL.</p>
<p>That’s my plan. S4TL changed my life, and I’ve already implemented some changes for my FBLA club next year (as President)… I already talked with the club adviser/sponsor and everything, a lot of good stuff is about to happen. </p>
<p>Problem is… randomly in the day today, my mind decided to come up with some really specific details and ideas to use in the essay, and I was going crazy so had to get it out and type it up. It’s a really nice intro (without any editing yet, I was just throwing ideas on paper), but it’s already 260+ words. Really starting to worry about how I’m going to keep it under 500. =/</p>
<p>Show, not tell. As someone recently said on another thread, “it’s how the experience affected you, not what the experience was.”</p>
<p>You just have to let go of some parts. All writers face this. All smart reviewers know it happens. One of the bars some readers look for is your ability to self-edit. Between the lines, it signals your judgment. Cut what you can. See where (and how) you can consolidate two lines into one. Etc. Regarding editing in general, some say: be brutal. After you do this, then you can take that hard look at it and see what you just feel has to go back in.</p>