On here you hear a lot of stuff about how your ECs should keep you well rounded but also how you should “keep a focus” in your ECs so you don’t look like you’re just resume cramming and going through the motions. What do you think?
I think you need at least a couple of things with a lot of depth, but adding other things you want to do because you are interested (or trying things out) does not hurt. Colleges are looking for students with genuine passions and interests, but being COMPLETELY one note isn’t the best, either. And test scores and grades are more important than ECs regardless – without showing you can do the work, you can captain teams and edit yearbooks until the cows come home, and it won’t get you into the admissions pile.
I’d suggest you read “How to be a High School Superstar” by Cal Newport for an interesting take on ECs.
Either approach is fine as long as (as @intparent said) you are very involved in a couple of activities preferably with some leadership roles. I’ve heard many college admissions officers say that their goal is to build a well rounded class not a class of all well rounded students. That said, a well rounded class will include some people with very defined interests as well as some students who have many interests. The idea of ECs is to do things you enjoy, not to build a resume for college. It might well end up that if you look, you find one or two common threads that run through your activities.
ECs are mostly of importance at the most selective schools which have a lot of applicants with top-end academic credentials. High achievement in an EC is generally more valuable than being a low level joiner.
Agreed with ucbalumnus. It’s highly cliché, but I feel quality trumps quantity in this case. You want to involve yourself with ECs and other activities that you legitimately enjoy, not ones just to make you look well-rounded.
You don’t hear than on here. You hear that on schoolyard from kids that think they know the tricks of college admissions.
Colleges themselves say something different. Stanford, for example, says
The simplest plan of action is to do what interests you. If you dislike it, drop it. If you love it, go as far into the field as you can. Through exploring ECs you didn’t end up enjoying, you can develop a list of “well-rounded” activities and demonstrate varied interests. At the same time, you can demonstrate the depth in which you explored other areas of particular interest. Don’t bother “building” a resume of ECs with a particular image in mind other than to reflect your personal interests and character.