<p>So it's like an eternal question.
Here are an example: The two students have similar stats ( high GPA [ not val or sal], test score, good essay, good recs etc) but one got involved in a lot of club as club presidents, VP, secs etc and the other had only 3 or 4 clubs under his belt with the same positions. Do you think the first will have more chance attending Harvard than the other? (Given that they're both Asian)</p>
<p>My guess is that what matters is that the clubs you’ve joined tell a story about you. I think schools are looking for the passionately directed young people as much as they are looking for the all-around overachievers.</p>
<p>What counts is what the students accomplished in the clubs. A student without a position may have accomplished more than did a student who used a position only as resume decoration.</p>
<p>yes, but having this “resume decoration” is one of the main things that can set you apart. they look for leadership. you cant be a bum and not do anything, but when it comes down to it, leadership is more valued than being a club slave. trust me.</p>
<p>Yeah. But
if student A only use the leadership for decoration. He just walks in, talks a little bit-> not very stand out
and student B involves a lot. He did some outstanding job for his clubs</p>
<p>Student A has 6 clubs of leadership in his hand while B has only 3. Which will go to Harvard if one must be left out?</p>
<p>If student B’s dedication to the clubs come through in the app then I’d say B. But I’m not an adcom.</p>
<p>The problem is how will the adcom know you’re involved at this more than the other person</p>
<p>From my point of view, my daughter was not involved in a lot of clubs. In fact she could not because of her other activities. Her activities were longstanding and would never be misinterpreted as resume padding. Most were started at the preschool or elementary school level. Involvement may have deepened as she got older, but there were deep roots. Then the one “new” involvement was NHS, which could not be joined at an earlier point. She got elected president but more importantly she did the job well. The faculty liason stated that she had never encountered a better NHS president. Similarly, she was elected drum major of her marching band and went out of her way to help/improve the band. Both these teachers submitted statements to guidance to be included in the GC’s recommendation.</p>
<p>My point is, what would others have to say about what you have done? Not what would you try and claim that you have done. I think that Harvard was able to see who my daughter was from many different angles. Doesn’t mean she was better than another applicant it’s just that Harvard could define her.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about a number. Do things well and deeply and not for the sake of your application and then your application should speak for itself.</p>
<p>I don’t think being vice president of Science Olympiad counts for as much as saying that you were a member for four years and helped the team get to States all four years. I think it’s okay to “only” be on the yearbook staff, if you can talk about what your role there was. (Came up with a new layout, sold more issues than ever before, etc.) Remember not everything has to be done in school, my son probably got more brownie points for his freelance programming job than for his school activities.</p>
<p>The answer to this question, like 90% of the questions on here, is “depends.” It depends on what these clubs are, what kind of leadership position, how well the leadership position is presented, the preferences of the admissions officer reviewing the file, etc. </p>
<p>Let’s say Student A and Student B are at two different schools but both participate in the Mock Trial team. Student A is the president, and puts “President” on his application and that’s that. Let’s say Student B isn’t the president, but he gets a glowing recommendation letter from his English teacher, who is also the Mock Trial moderator, who talks about how Student B, though he wasn’t voted president senior year, single-handedly improved the club for years to come, helped develop a ton of new members into outstanding lawyers, etc etc. It’s hard to say that Student A would have “better chances” despite being nominally the president…circumstance (the English teacher moderator) and a little subjectivity played a big role.</p>
<p>Don’t try to plan out what will look best. I got into Harvard and I never thought along those lines at all. I just did what I enjoy and spent a lot of time getting involved, tried to present everything I do accurately and well, and hoped for the best. Good luck!</p>
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<p>Odd question but are you from Massachusetts by any chance?</p>
<p>^ yes I take it you must also. Does D know you?</p>