If I had to emphasize one thing, should I emphasize sports (captain), music (I’m a classically trained pianist), or my volunteer work? I’m shooting for colleges like UC Berkeley and Williams, just to give an idea.
I believe whatever is the most passionate for you. Never try to portray yourself as an individual that you think your universities would want, because you don’t know what they want. Emphasize the thing that you would take precedence over all else because that will show individuality and passion.
Which EC can you reach the highest level of achievement in?
To really stand out, you must have some UNIQUE EC.
Captain in a sports team is nothing new. Almost every high school will have a captain.
Classically trained pianist is a little different. Emphasize this only if you have taken this at a high level i.e. won some awards. Simple training is nothing great.
Volunteer Work: Although not unique, it can be shown in a really touchy manner. If you really feel attached to the people, then express it well.
ECs are things that interest you, not things you do to get into a college.
ECs help a college understand better who you are, so I think it’s important to choose activities that you enjoy doing. If any are related to the major you’re currently interested in, I’d certainly find a place on the app to include them. Why not include all the ones you mentioned?
It’s not the EC that’s ‘competitive.’ It’s what you accomplished and learned from the experience that’s competitive. Every school will have plenty of athletes, musicians and dedicated volunteers applying, so think about whether, based on your essays, you are someone that you, if you were the adcom, would want to have in a school’s student body, over, say, another athlete/musician/volunteer with the same grades and test scores. What do you have to offer? If you can articulate what’s special about you, you have just identified what makes you competitive.
The question about impressive EC’s comes up regularly on the forum. There is a thread with several posts by Northstarmom, a Ivy alum interviewer, about what constitutes impressive ECs from the point of view of the most selective colleges. The post is at http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html
As you will see from that link, at the most selective colleges they are looking for depth more than just participation. Stanford, for example, says