<p>Like what instruments are most needed there? Examples? More wind instruments or string instruments? Brass or woodwind? Percussion?
What sports do they like? More popular sports, like football or soccer, or do they also like accepting golfers and tennis players?
Community Service stuff? What stands out most to them?</p>
<p>I don’t think there is something that “stands out most to them”, it’s more like what they particularly need that year. If their graduating class made up half of their choir, say, then obviously they will need more singers. Etc.</p>
<p>The most important EC or activity or interest is: the one that YOU are passionate about!</p>
<p>At age 13 or 14, you are just beginning to discover what you like to do, what brings you joy, what makes you “light up.” Please don’t take up a sport, or join a club, or begin to play an instrument because you think it is “what schools want to see.” Participate because the activity sounds interesting, or challenging, or because the people participating are people you think you would like to spend time with.</p>
<p>Schools don’t want robots, or kids who are only doing something to “check off a box” - they want real, unique, interesting, passionate INDIVIDUALS! It is YOUR life to live - don’t try to be something you’re not to please someone else.</p>
<p>Oh thank you for your answers! I’m not applying for 9th or 10th grade, but I was just wondering sort of what my chances were with my ECs. Thank you</p>
<p>I suppose pulling a 6:20 in the 2000m might be as nice as an 85 mph fastball, both of which would be more impressive than carrying a scratch handicap or playing the piano or even the violin.</p>
<p>Each school is different from one another and each school’s needs change year by year. </p>
<p>Wouldn’t it be best to truly enjoy and excel in your chosen EC?</p>
<p>Just to play devil’s advocate a little…there ARE certain sports/activities that are much more common to preppy culture than in the wider populace. If you already have experience with rowing, squash, lacrosse, wrestling, or (at some schools) sailing, these could all be potential hooks. Now whether or not the opportunity is even available for you to pursue this now is another question entirely. But is is valid to recognize that prep culture does have its unique idiosyncracies…</p>
<p>Yes! Thank you, that’s what I wanted to know =) !. Also do you know what instruments they’d prefer?</p>
<p>And do they value golfers?</p>
<p>Under water tubs players, ( scuba-tubs ).</p>
<p>Scuba Tuba. (Stupid autocorrect)</p>
<p>Underwater tuba players… You’ve used that one before =)</p>
<p>Any instruments that’s actually possible to play, or more common? I’m assuming they’ve got plenty of violins and pianists… so do they need brass? woodwinds? Does anyone know?</p>
<p>Of course they value golf, why else would many schools have their own golf course.</p>
<p>If you are between a scratch and maybe as high as a 7, you should call the golf coach at schools of interest.</p>
<p>Spldaisy, there’s a level of calculation in application which is counterproductive. Do what you love, and have fun doing. Don’t take up an EC in the hopes it will impress an admissions committee. I know people do this. I just don’t think it works. Or, if it works for a few, it’s a pyrrhic victory. </p>
<p>I don’t think it’s possible to take up an instrument and reach a high level of proficiency in 6 months or a year. There are kids in the pool who have been playing instruments since kindergarten or fourth grade. Weekly lessons, etc. The better musicians are playing in auditioned orchestras or bands. </p>
<p>And wouldn’t you hate to take up an instrument you loathed, say, the bassoon, only to discover that this year, tubas were hot?</p>
<p>I’ve had some students admit they took on EC’s to bolster their resumes, and my husband and I can tell even if they don’t admit it. Those students do NOT do well in admissions (BS or College). The people interviewing you and reviewing your application have been doing it for decades. They aren’t looking for specific EC’s or even a load of EC’s. They are looking for passionate students who pursued something that interested them and grew from the experience.</p>
<p>So I could say “this year school X needs flute players” but by the time you apply they might need Tuba players and you’d be left out. So do what you love and don’t try to figure out how to game the system. My D played flute for over a decade, had several state and local recognitions because of it, and found out her new school was flooded with flute players. She got in anyway and afterward accepted the music teacher’s challenge and switched to a saxophone. She kept up her flute practice on her own time.</p>
<p>See? The school wants to see the real you as shaped by your experiences, not the specific EC meant to impress them. There are some notable exceptions - for instance if the school is trying to field a world-class hockey team and you’re a star hockey player - that would be a hook. Otherwise, be yourself so the perfect school for you can find “you” in the pile.</p>
<p>Something I THINK is true is that if the EC is part of a larger story described in the essays it resonates better. If a relative had illness X and the child raised money for the cure and spoke about it in school and so on that is more memorable. Also if the dedication comes out it the letters the school sends in adds to the strength of the story. </p>
<p>But I agree you can’t force it, they can sniff that out with pretty good accuracy. I had one child who did a lot of EC work and fund raising because she was drawn to something for specific reasons and we know that the AO at her current school was impressed by that. My other child didn’t have anything like that but you present a positive but honest picture and go with that; anything else is pointless.</p>
<p>Generally, would you think that rarer ECs (especially instruments) are better? I play the French Horn and trumpet, and can’t decide which to carry on with.</p>
<p>@UKgirl23 - the most important question is: which instrument do YOU like better? </p>
<p>I believe there are fewer people that play french horn than trumpet, partially because french horn is a very difficult instrument to play well. Is it better to play an “uncommon” instrument, but not play very well, or to play a “popular” instrument, but play exceptionally? (I’m not saying you play either instrument poorly - I’m just trying to make a point.)</p>
<p>What types of music do you like to play? I have seen trumpets in jazz ensembles, but I’m not sure I’ve seen a french horn in a jazz group.</p>
<p>As a parent, I’ve learned the hard way: the kid is best served by doing what he or she loves. It can’t be crafted. It has to come from the heart. We once tried to push the ‘right’ EC, and it was an exercise in futility because the kid, in the end, just wasn’t into it. Now that we have backed off and let him listen to what is right for him, he’s making these decisions far more effectively than we ever could. It is obvious that he loves what he loves. I would imagine this helps on applications, but we have now reached the point that even that is rather moot.</p>
<p>Well its sort of complicated; at the moment I don’t have a french horn but do have a trumpet, but I’ve been playing the fh for much longer and do prefer it a little. However the cost and inconvenience of it are making me reconsider. And I’ve got to a level that means I’m now required to do theory to carry on with examined grades.
I play a little in orchestra, but mostly in our schools swing band</p>