<p>Well i am pretty confused about EC.</p>
<p>Does interschool competitions like Quizzes , Programming count in EC?</p>
<p>Also any idea how to get into community service?</p>
<p>Yup. Anything which you like to do over and above academics count as ECs. Although i doubt colleges will consider interschool quiz competitions as outstanding but its definitely a good idea to showcase that side of you as well.
Community service can be done in many ways. It depends on your interests. there are plenty of schools and shelters for economically backward children which loook for volunteers for a variety of subjects. You could also get involved with an NGO.</p>
<p>Okay…so i need to work harder…can you give some more examples on excellent EC’s ?</p>
<p>Thanks! so if I do community service in a school then i need to get a proof from the school about community service?</p>
<p>I made my own soil moisture circuit…that’s an EC…</p>
<p>I dont about that. Its good if you have some proof but i dont think its vital. for example the place where I volunteered didnt have a very organized system. So they didnt give me any proof as such.
and i think you’re approaching it the wrong way. Instead of thinking what is an excellent EC think about what you like to do.</p>
<p>Hey guys - </p>
<p>First of all, this is a great great question! </p>
<p>Logically, ECs are anything that you do outside of school on your own time and that make you the person you are. Anything from sports, to music, to volunteering, etc. You can actually count anything you do as an EC, but thats generally not a good idea. Like you said, Interschool Competitions and Programming. </p>
<p>For example, here are a few of my ECs (Im in the Class of 2017) that might give you a better idea - </p>
<ul>
<li>School Basketball Team (10th - Member // 11th and 12th - Founder and Captain)</li>
<li>Tabla (Playing since 2003)</li>
<li>Martial Arts (First Degree Black Belt)</li>
<li>Volunteering at Library</li>
<li>Interschool Debating (Not very primary but still)</li>
</ul>
<p>Hope you got a better idea now.</p>
<p>@anvesh - What do you mean by “founder” –</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>What exactly did you do??</p>
<p>Hi everyone. There is some excellent advice on this thread about EC’s. Anything that you choose to do outside of your academic credit courses is an EC. Community service can be an EC, but you don’t absolutely have to have a community service component. </p>
<p>Also beware of “EC stacking syndrome.” In other words, don’t just sign up for anything and everything. A list of EC’s should not look like a huge random collection. In fact, if you’ve ever read a “chance me” post with a list of EC’s like that, you’ve probably experienced your eyes glazing over. Don’t you think the same thing happens to the admissions people? </p>
<p>The best EC’s (including community service) are activities that reflect your true interests. American colleges and universities are looking at your EC’s to get a better sense of who you are as a person. My two guiding principles of EC’s are 1) do what you love/stay focused (this will also allow you to achieve more in your chosen EC’s), and 2) think outside the box (create your own EC opportunities, rather than simply “signing up”).</p>
<p>Consider the following students:</p>
<p>Student A:
School debate team, school basketball team, volunteer at local hospital, school math competition, contributor to school poetry journal, writer of weekly movie review column in school newspaper, outside-of-school fencing team, science tutor to younger students, secretary in school government, neighborhood clean-up volunteer, internship at architect’s office</p>
<p>Student B:
Volunteer at local hospital, writer of weekly column in school newspaper about ethical issues in medicine, science tutor to younger students, founder of school club for students interested in pursuing careers in medicine</p>
<p>Student C:
Editor of and contributor to school poetry journal, writer of lyrics for songs performed by fellow students at school talent show, winner of poetry contest sponsored by local newspaper, founder of a poetry blog that solicits contributions from teenagers around the world [link included to blog], started a program at at local hospital helping sick children express their feelings through poetry</p>
<p>It’s a bit hard to see who Student A really is, no? But Student B and Student C both seem like interesting, focused, driven kids who would be welcome on many college campuses.</p>
<p>I hope that helps!</p>
<p>Just delve deeper into your real passion…nothing better than it :D</p>
<p>^Yeah.</p>
<p>Sometimes I hope that “Sleeping” is considered a passion. 
No one can beat me at that. :D</p>
<p>^No my pet is the BIG SLEEPING Champion;):D:p</p>
<p>@christinapreps Thanks a lot for that explanation! Really appreciate your help :)</p>
<p>@hoping - I don’t think so. Even my “lazy” friends are amazed at how much I sleep!! :p</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You’re welcome, jmlover. I know that many students applying to US colleges from overseas don’t have someone who is familiar with the process who can answer these kinds of questions. Hey, here in the US, many kids have terrible or no college advising, too. Glad to help!</p>
<p>Is joining a programming language course during summer break considered an ec?</p>
<p>yes it is rohan :)</p>
<p>Hey quiverfox , can you suggest more ECs keeping in mind my domain(computers).</p>