<p>Regarding non-Ivies yet still top/good schools, what would be considered bad ECs? </p>
<p>Just a generalization. I know each school has different systems of judging this, but I'm just curious...</p>
<p>EC’s that you sign up for just to pad your application and that don’t really matter to you.</p>
<p>anything that is illegal</p>
<p>^ lol REALLY? Looks like underage drinking and smoking pot on weekends isn’t going down. 
</p>
<p>haha jk, but seriously…</p>
<p>How would a college tell if an EC matters to that person, though? Yeah, suspicious if they sign up right at Junior year, but what if that Junior did sincerely want to do that EC and didn’t get the chance to commit until that point?</p>
<p>And Volunteer work, what’s going on with that?</p>
<p>Just being a member, joining last minute without making significant contributions, being in both Spanish and French Club to pad your resume (kids at my school do this, lol), anything you got with daddy’s connections, being a member of a competitive team without any awards</p>
<p>Founder of the Improvised Explosive Device Club</p>
<p>Being a member of 20 different clubs that you don’t care about. </p>
<p>As long as you enjoy it and you’re actively seeking to contribute and improve in that EC, I don’t think any EC can be “right” or “wrong”.</p>
<p>ECs that you have to pay for is bad. Like paying money just to join a summer leadership program.</p>
<p>Uhm, quickly for Martial Arts, then. I do pay for the Dojang that I attend, but I’ve competed multiple times and have always placed in both of the two aspects I compete in (Forms, Board Breaking, and/or Sparring). I’ve competed at a state level and received gold and silver and am looking to compete in another state this year as well as nationals (hopefully!). I go there everyday, and I am looking to improve. Not to mention I staff some classes, and tournaments that we hold (we’ve once held the State championships). Will it really matter a lot that I pay? =/</p>
<p>Also, I’m in around three to four clubs, and I contribute, but I’m not like the president or VP or anything significant. I’ve been in the school plays, I’ve performed at International day every year and plan to continue, but for my art club and Lit Mag, I go and work on my own pieces. But both art and writing are activities I really do love and spend a lot of time on even at my house. </p>
<p>No presidency in any of these too, though. Will this be iffy?</p>
<p>No, it won’t matter that you pay. Averby meant programs in which you are essentially ‘buying’ an experience. Sounds like you are accomplished at martial arts and pay for lessons, facilities, etc…</p>
<p>As for your art club and lit mag, it’s not the clubs that are important as ECs - it’s the work you do on your own projects that matters. The clubs are just another way of showing your commitment. (I interview for my school, and I’m much more interested in hearing about what is behind a student’s art work - their techniques, their inspirations, how they got started, what they do with their completed work - than about any club they are part of.)</p>
<p>A tad late for the reply, but thank you, M’s Mom! That helped clear up a lot of things and ease my worry! :)</p>