Too many extracurriculars?

Applying to College
1

Can this hurt me?

Basically I like doing things, so I do a lot of things. But I don’t just do them, I’m pretty committed to all of them. People ask how I don’t get burnt out, but it’s impossible to get burnt out doing things I love. I have good time management so I also have plenty of time to keep a 4.0 and study for the fat standardized test, so that is not an issue. Might colleges look at my extracurriculars and assume I am not committed?

I also have leadership positions in most of my extracurriculars, and I always lead to better the club. For example, as president of NHS I integrated a survey based system to tailor volunteer opportunities to my members’ interests, so they might continue and help the community beyond the club. Could colleges think, with all of the positions I hold, that either my roles are fake or that I do nothing with the positions I have? I ask this because someone told me that colleges assume that leadership positions don’t mean much because often times the leaders don’t actually do much. Could I put the contributions I made as leader of the clubs on my college app, or should I just not worry about it?

Finally, people, especially my family, always tell me that I’m “wasting my time” doing so much stuff. I know the common app gives a certain amount of slots for ECs, but I have a bit extra and I like doing them. Can I keep doing them or am I wasting time not using that time to better the ones that I am actually using for my app?

Here is my list, so if you think I should cut anything out or devote less time or something tell me.
3 EC’s that are super fun and I would never quit or devote less time to. Internationally, statewide, and county recognized for these.
2 EC’s that aren’t as fun, (4/10 and 6/10) but I sort of keep the clubs running and I would not want to leave them unless I searched forever to find a good replacement. They are not a big time commitment though.
2 EC’s that are fun sometimes, take a lot of work (5 hours a week for one, 10 a week for the other). I can’t really leave these but I could devote less time if needed.
1 job that I can’t leave, but can devote less time to because it’s a family business.
2 volunteering EC’s: 6/10 and 7/10 for fun levels, but I really love love what I do and the effects that I have on others. These two EC’s correlate strongly with my intended major. However, I do not spend much time on these and if needed can allocate time here.
2 EC’s that are like super awesome fun/10, but I don’t think I am going to put on my application. I like them a lot, but they take some time (like 175 hours a year for one of them). To keep or to change, that is the question. This is my main area of inquiry.
1 EC that I am the sole founder and worker of. I am trying to introduce a new sport to widespread use in our valley. My goal in ten years is to have a high school league for this sport in our valley. This will definitely take a lot of time. I could definitely postpone it… But to when?

Also, with my free time I like to learn other languages and religions. Is this also a waste of time because I am not putting it on my app? I am fluent in 4 languages, and on my list of languages to learn before college are German and Arabic. Although unaffiliated, I like reading the Quran, the Torah, the Bible, and the Analects to widen my understanding of different cultures. Combined, these take about 6 hours a week. According to my peers and family, this time could be used for something that “actually matters”, my college application. So the question arises: knowledge or college?

Earlier this year I found out about the college process, and after a week of desperation, I decided to stop caring about things and let life play out. However, with all the national inquirers and some haters, I started worrying about this. Please help me put this to rest so I can forget about college for another year? Thanks!

2

I don’t think you should drop any EC’s because you are worried that colleges won’t approve (I’m paraphrasing). It doesn’t sound at all like you’re just trying to pad your resume, which is what colleges are actually worried about. Continue doing what you love.

3

Ok, thank you. :slight_smile: @yonceonhismouth

4

My friend asked me to join a two-year program called International Business Alliance Program. She said that we are going to develop solutions over Skype for a business in Nigeria. It might be a big time commitment, but I think it sounds very cool. Do you think I could learn a lot from this experience corresponding to my goal, to own a business that develops medical solutions for the world? What could I serve to learn if this business is something like a fishing boat company or something? Do you think that would still be a valuable experience?

Does anyone have any experience with this program? The reviews are good but not that in depth.

5

Maybe get rid of the things you gave a 4 and 6 out of 10, and replace it with this, if it interests you. Reading your original post, I envied you. I thought how lucky this person is to have so many things that give him great pleasure in his life, and he makes the time for them. You will be good to go if you convey this in your essays. Do what you want, but write about the ones that excite you the most. GL

6

You might even want to write about people telling you were doing too much, but you didn’t want to stop pursuing your many interests. I can’t imagine a college turning you down because of your love of learning languages and religions and your leadership positions and your involvement with tons of things, especially since you have a few things you devote a lot ot time to

7

@citymama9 Thank you for the amazing advice! I’m going to a meeting soon about the International Business adventure and I will ask about the time commitment. If it’s small, I could just cut one of them out of my resume! If it’s too large I could find a replacement as president of one of the clubs then.

And wow, really?! No one has ever said that to me before in this kind of situation. I never really thought that I was enviable. I actually sort of thought I was a bad influence because I always see other people complaining about having to go to these academic clubs and such, and there I was just doing fun stuff. My friends always told me about these clubs that they said were boring but would make them get into the best colleges, and said that I’m dumb not going to them. It made me think that I lacked the drive to do things that would get me into a good college, and that would make me unsuccessful. But you actually envy me for it… Wow. Maybe the Asian standards I grew up with aren’t… Right?

And that’s a cool idea, thank you! I probably will refrain from thinking too hard about my essay until next summer, but I will definitely look back into this thread then :slight_smile:

Thank you so much!

8

Remember that actually giving up things and just deciding not to put them on your college application are two different possibilities in this situation. Your college applications need to focus on what creates the best picture of you as a scholar and as a future member of a college community. You don’t have to account for every hour of every week, though. A bunch of extraneous information may make it harder for colleges to see and appreciate your most important interests and strengths.

9

Oh ok. I see what you mean. Thank you! @AroundHere

10

Moved