<p>Well, if the activity is a formalization of what has happened all along, it might work. However, considering how many rising seniors suddenly discover a passion for ECs a few months or weeks before the applications are due, the recent activities tend to raise plenty of adcom’s eyebrows. On the other hand, if a student had been tutoring his friends since freshman year but only formed an AP Calculus club at the end of the Junior year, this might suggest something different than a “fill a blank” on the applications. </p>
<p>Regardless of the above, there are few generalizations that work. All cases are individual, including the validity of investing a few hours in a dedicated preparation and a few hours on an early Saturday. As far as I know, except for the drudgery of sitting on one of those tests, very little is accomplished by the average teenager before noon on any given Saturday. :)</p>
<p>PS From my vantage point, I also believe that the most common regret expressed by applicants in May is that they wished they’d paid more attention to their test scores, and applied themselves … just a bit more. And this often when looking how a panoply of AP and serial club memberships mattered very little.</p>