<p>I'm a rising junior this year, and while my grades and SAT (most likely) are just fine / really good, my ECs do not match that of others on this site (mostly in the lack of numbers of ECs). </p>
<p>My first EC is speech and debate. This is my favorite activity as I love the competition. Most of my time is spent on this activity, probably about 2 hours a day. Unfortunately, I do not and may not have a leadership position on the team in the future as it consists of about 100 members with those in leadership positions simply being more naturally talented at it than me. I am not horrible and could actually be considered quite good, but I'm also no state or national champion. How much will this lack of leadership hurt me? How would I present it on the application to make it appear that I am quite involved in speech and debate because I enjoy it as opposed to just being a member so that I can put it on my college apps?</p>
<p>My second EC is Boy Scouts. I have just finished my Eagle Project, so I will soon receive the rank of Eagle Scout. Honestly, I do not enjoy Boy Scouts that much, but I figure that the designation of Eagle Scout will probably be the most compelling part of my ECs when the time comes to apply to college whether it be for committment to Boy Scouts or the leadership skills acquired. I would assume it would be beneficial to highlight this achievement of getting to Eagle Scout by focusing an essay on it on the app. is this correct?</p>
<p>Will these few ECs hurt me? Is there a way to make it seem that I am truly dedicated to these ECs to make up for it? Please provide suggestions.</p>
<p>This board is not, and I repeat, NOT a good sample of fellow applicants by any means. If you wish to show that you are dedicated to those EC's, write about them in the personal statement (essays).</p>
<p>Few EC's will not hurt you in the sense that you have depth and commitment behind the Ec's you have now.</p>
<p>I would figure that for an EC such as Debate there are a few options you can take with it. These are the routes I am using with Speech/debate EC.</p>
<p>Diversify: You can explain on the app the specific events you have competed in. Whether it be impromptu, extemp, parli, congress, or policy. It seems you have the passion and debating in a diverse background of styles shows you are flexible and willing to try new experiences.</p>
<p>Related Ec's: You can also do different speech tournaments/events not directly related to debate club but would fall under the same category. What I mean would be attending a model U.N session, rotary club, and Lion's club. They all involve public speaking and let you branch out your skills in different areas.</p>
<p>Boy's State: Since I believe you mentioned you are going to be a junior, the Boy's State program is an excellent EC in which you will be using your speech/debate a lot. You should find out how your school decides its applicants it reccomends and get started on the process as soon as possible. </p>
<p>I do not believe leadership is the strongest emphasis in an EC such as speech/debate club. Rather I believe that diversification and awards combined with long-term commitment will have the impact needed to help in the admissions progress. Leadership positions you needed to have in your requirements for Eagle would be stronger than leadership in debate club in my opinion.</p>
<p>Now for Eagle Scout, there are a few different ways to use it:
- an essay focussing on your project if you feel it will stand out to admissions officers. You could weave in how you had to use all of your leadership and experiences in order to complete a successful eagle project.
- an essay on your favorite camping trip written in a nostalgic tone. When written right, it should allow you to express your true character and the reasons why Boy Scouts is important to you. </p>
<p>I hope this helps you get started and that you find this information useful.</p>
<p>PLEASE DO NOT try to relate yourself to these people on this forum. One at my high school received a full ride (not full tuition but full ride) to Harvard by only participating in two clubs on campus with one position. I'm not saying that you shouldn't try, BUT don't stress too much and just take advantage of every opportunity given to you.</p>
<p>thanks everyone, especially kwlkwl. It seems that you got everything spot on especially for speech and debate. I'm really into policy debate and in fact I just got back from a month of camp, and as you must know, policy is very time consuming but somehow i still enjoy it incredibly. I'm also doing extemp so thats pretty fun. yea, just thought i'd let you know lol. Thanx again.</p>
<p>also kwlkwl, when you talk about the diversity root for speech and debate, do you mean that instead of simply writing down speech and debate in the list of ECs on the app, I should, on one line write, policy debate, on the second line, extemperaneous speaking, on the third line, original oratory, etc or just explain what i have done after writing down speech and debate? does it matter? would it look more impressive to do the former do you think?</p>
<p>I'm in a similar position as you with speech and debate. Our team is awesome, and this year, we have a bunch of naturally talented freshman who are ridiculously good. Let's face it, the smartest kids are on the debate team :). I suggest using the oral communication skills you got from debate to gain leadership in other clubs. I became webmaster of the science honor society although I'm not one of the popular kids by any means, because I had no trouble talking in public and made some jokes. As a member of the speech and debate team, you are probably a better speaker than members of other clubs so you could use that to your advantage.</p>
<p>Remember to go through ECs that you ENJOY, not ones just for the college app. Considering the fact that you're almost to Eagle, just finish it. People who achieve Eagle use it for everything after college, whether it is going to the military or for applying for a job. Employer care if you're an Eagle Scout, but don't really care if you were president of Key Club or FBLA in High School. </p>
<p>I talked to the Eagle Board of Review Member for our council and he said "too many people are doing Boy Scouts for the college application process." Oh and by the way my Eagle Board of Review is scheduled for August 15th.</p>
<p>tubaman93: I don't think the majority of scouts overall are in it for a collge resume. Remember I think that statistic where only 3-5% of all Scouts become Eagle is still true. Of course we see the cases where 12 year olds earn eagle but that leaves you wondering in these situations if some of the learning process is lost because it should be a gradual activity that eventually culimnates to Eagle.</p>
<p>I have a few friends who are in the Boy Scouts working towards Eagle and they are entering senior year. This summer is the cutoff date for them because any later date would most likely happen after the college process. They want the full benefits that Eagle has and will have in the future. Remember that showing Life Scout on a college app isn't neccesarily bad, it will just bring a question into the adcoms mind as to why not complete what you have started on for these many years. </p>
<p>Anyway, about the debate Ec's. I don't think listing them seperately would be a good idea unless they can stand out on there own. I am thinking that detail is key to extracurriculars. So if you do list them seperately, compile a list of dates for each event. Otherwise just add details so the depth of the Ec can be easily seen.</p>
<p>congrats tubaman on the eagle board of review. I have to finish up writing my Eagle Project Report today or this week, submit it, and then hopefully I can get a board of review in a month or two.</p>
<p>Passion is more important than anything, remember that! :) The only people I know that have applied to top schools and been rejected were rejected because they were lazy and unmotivated, which you obviously are not.</p>