<p>I've seen these kinds of threads before and was wondering where to draw the line for putting down stuff as an EC. Obviously, every adcom person will be different, and generally it may not be worth it to risk a rejection for a silly reason. But what if you've spent many hours on something relevant to who you are and are not sure to report it or not? Furthermore, does anyone have any anecdotes where someone they knew listed an odd EC and feel that he/she benefited from or was punished for it?</p>
<p>Furthermore, what do you think is the minimum number of hours one should report for a temporary job or for volunteering so that they can report it at all? 50 hours? 100? 200?</p>
<p>Random examples: community classes (not community college), knowledge of coding (HTML/CSS, Java, Perl, PHP, etc.) but no formal job or internship, playing an instrument (but not entering competitions/talent shows or receiving awards; i.e. playing in an informal band with friends)</p>
<p>I think your examples constitute hobbies or pursuits, not really something I’d consider an EC. ECs tend to be outward focused, in conjunction with set goals or organizations.</p>
<p>I don’t have a hard or fast rule for you here but ask “Is it a hobby?” Jogging for personal fitness, health would be a hobby. Being on the Cross Country team would be an EC. Learning coding for knowledge’s sake would be a hobby. Doing systems work for a local non-profit who needs IT help would be an EC.</p>
<p>Yeah, martial arts definitely counts b/c you are taking lessons at a local martial arts place. I think for something to count as an EC, you have to take lessons, play on a sports team, be part of a school club, etc. For example, taking piano lessons would count but playing piano for fun in your own house would not.</p>