<p>Is it more impressive to be "unique" (have interesting extracurriculars/ uncommon accomplishments, instead of NHS, Student Council, debate, newspaper, etc.) or to gain state-wide/national accomplishment in an activity, even if it's generic or common (science, debate, etc. ) ?</p>
<p>Unique is always better. Tons of candidates will have NHS, reflected in their GPA or actually being in the organization. In all honesty itâs pretty useless IMO, I put it on job apps, but wonât be putting it on my college apps.</p>
<p>But if itâs something unique that has value (IE, NOT major league gamerâŠ), and contributes in some way to the community, ya, it will be better.</p>
<p>But thatâs not to say you canât have some uniqueness in something common. For instance, getting first place in a DECA event at nationals is pretty amazing.</p>
<p>Most colleges donât factor ECs into admission. The few that do tend to be places like Harvard that can use ECs to pick and choose from an overabundance of high stat applicants.</p>
<p>What matters is what you accomplish with your EC, not what it is.</p>
<p>For instance, while many students are in student government, relatively few do anything impressive with their positions. An example of someone who did something impressive was a guy I know who when he was president of his high school student body managed to get all high schools in our area involved in building a Habitat for Humanity house.</p>
<p>Get involved in ECs that you care about, and then use your creativity and organizational skills to run with your interests.</p>
<p>Unique. Iâve found that colleges love the ânicheâ applicants. Of course, you have to meet the average academic requirements.</p>
<p>Disagree with this:
. Even the lowliest student council president has to organize homecoming, candy sales, etc.- which is more than a non-student council person will do.</p>
<p>^But itâs less good than starting your own non-profit, which is what many competitive top school applicants do.</p>
<p>My son drives a race car. I donât know if it will ultimately make a difference on the admission decision, but has been a lively topic in all of his interviews. I do believe it makes him memorable at any rate.</p>
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<p>Depends on the nonprofit. If its a âgoodâ one and theyve done something with it, maybe.</p>
<p>What do you mean by âânicheâ applicantsâ ?</p>
<p>MmmâŠIâm pretty sure starting any nonprofit beats organizing homecoming. Getting the 501c(3) status takes an enormous amount of work in it of itself. Itâs a lot more challening and difficult than reserving a gym and DJ, selling some tickets, and putting up a few decorations.</p>
<p>You make it sound like getting national recognition is somehow easy. </p>
<p>I think the answer is neither is better or worse. Stop in to the âWhat Are My Chances?â forum and youâll see that the vast majority of students have a laundry list of essentially interchangeable ECs. The ones that are memorable are the ones that have won true national recognition, (e.g., Intel Science Award), or those that have shown a passion and commitment to an unusual activity that they love, (e.g., expert at playing the Oud, or regional square dancing champion whoâs gone on to teach it to young children). I think itâs about commitment and accomplishment.</p>
<p>Of course, if you become an internationally recognized Oud player, then you have the best of both worlds. ;)</p>
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<p>[How</a> to Start a 501c3 Nonprofit Organization - wikiHow](<a href=âhttp://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-501c3-Nonprofit-Organization]Howâ>How to Start a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization (with Pictures))</p>
<p>Doesnât seem terribly difficult. It does seem like an essentially solitary activity, at least in the beginning. Colleges like to see collaboration and teamwork- and I suppose an activity like this could become highly collaborative. I think in the âwhich is betterâ competition, I would say neither is inherently better- it depends what someone does with them.</p>
<p>I can see that parent could easily set up a a nonprofit corp for their kids and then say itâs the kidâs. Difficult to rig an election and do the work of a SC president!</p>
<p>âBut itâs less good than starting your own non-profit, which is what many competitive top school applicants do.â</p>
<p>Actually, many competitive students donât do this. Colleges also may look askance at such nonprofits because the nonprofits may seem like something the student and their parents started to look good to colleges. </p>
<p>Given the range of nonprofits there are in this country, colleges know that more than likely a nonprofit already existed to do what a student wanted to do. </p>
<p>Itâs far more impressive in my opinion for a student to start a project with a nonprofit that the student has been working with already. Filling an unmet need in an existing organization is likely to lead to more lasting effects than starting a new program â particularly when the person starting the nonprofit is likely to move away relatively soon to go off to college.</p>
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<p>âEven the lowliest student council president has to organize homecoming, candy sales, etc.- which is more than a non-student council person will do.â</p>
<p>Thatâs exactly my point. One isnât going to stand out in top colleges admissions for being a student government officer and doing what student government officers normally do. There are lots of SGA officers who apply to top colleges just like there are lots of NHS officers who do.</p>
<p>One would stand out for top college admissions by going far above and beyond what is normal for people who have those positions to do.</p>
<p>There also are very competitive students who arenât in SGA or even NHS, but who do things on their own that are more impressive than are what SGA officers do with their advisorâs help (and often with their advisors doing most of the work).</p>
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<p>âŠbut then thereâs that teamworkthing. It DOES make a difference.</p>
<p>(and not all Student Council kids are washouts that make let the advisor do all the workâŠ)</p>
<p>By âdo things on their ownâ I mean that they do things even though they donât have an advisor telling them exactly what to do â something that does happen in some SGAs.</p>
<p>A student who, for instance, has been volunteering at a place for a while and then sees a need there and creates a fundraising project or program has to work with others to achieve those things, and also is demonstrating more initiative than someone who simply does what they are told or what is expected.</p>
<p>Being an SGA officer who helped plan homecoming isnât going to make one stand out in top colleges admissions because virtually all high schools have SGA officers who plan homecomings. An SGA officer who initiates a schoolwide fundraiser or organizes some program to address a school problem, however, would stand out by going above and beyond what SGA officers usually do.</p>
<p>âMost colleges donât factor ECs into admission.â</p>
<p>not in the world of CC [top-choice] colleges.</p>
<p>^CC colleges arenât âmost colleges.â</p>
<p>^but it only makes sense to focus on the top 100 or so colleges, most of which DO factor ECs in to admission, as most kids here on CC wouldnât exactly be looking at any old bumpkin community college. why else do u think every one on this site is obsessed with ECsâŠnot for their own health, thatâs for sure ; )</p>
<p>Since thereâs been a lot of talk about Student Council presidents, Iâll just share a story of a girl I know that was our schoolâs president. She was the greatest president the school had ever seen: she organized a valley-wide senior center event that raised over $100,000, she spent over 3 hours after school every day in order to get everything done, she organized a valley youth day where elementary school kids came to our school for leadership activities, she got celebrities to come to our school for homecoming because she knew what students wanted, and MUCH more. She didnât get in to UCSB for business. She had about a 3.9 weighted GPA and a 1890 SAT.</p>
<p>One would preferably have (a) unique extracurricular(s), and some national recognition (eg awards, state/national officer status in those cliche clubs, etc). </p>
<p>Or you can garner national recognition for your unique extracurricular.</p>