<p>Since the majority applying to elite schools probably have similar scores so i doubt that schools place an emphasize on that. After reading through some profiles, it seems that everyone was doing same the ECs like JSA, Spanish club, track/swim/tennis/football. So does college differentiate? My guess is the essay. </p>
<p>What do you guys think? i think everyone's score, recommendation letter (probably similar since we are all the brightest in our individual classes lol), and ECs are probably going to be quite similar so they probably don't even matter that much.</p>
<p>If you don’t have an EC to really distinguish yourself (one poster this year was an international dance champion) then it would have to be the essays.</p>
<p>Yes you are right. Many of your ECs will be similar to other applications; that’s why the essay is so important because that will never be the same, and it tells something about you that you can’t see based on other factors. Also remember that some colleges conduct interviews.</p>
<p>Well those two aren’t always separate. If you write good essays about your EC’s it can set your EC’s apart from other people who did the exact same thing. It can also make an EC they would have otherwise discarded as trivial into an integral part of your app.</p>
<p>I think that though many college applicants share the same kind of activities, what ultimately sets one applicant from another are their personality and character. I think this is why top schools carefully glean teacher and counselor recommendations to see what your instructors have to say not only about your capacity to excel academically, but also, your ability to get along with other students (and be respected by your peers), to contribute to class discussions, etc. Also, I think interviews are important in gauging one’s character (is this person friendly and kind? or does this person talk about others condescendingly?), as well as one’s enthusiasm for a particular school (does this person want to come here only because of the prestige? or are there more meaningful reasons for this applicant wanting to attend Harvard?). That’s ultimately what I witnessed at my school with people who had great numbers and activities; it seemed like the more well-liked and charismatic kids who delved into class discussions were accepted while other kids were not.</p>
<p>just for clarification, i don’t have those EC listed above. I just listed some common ones that evverrybooddy seems to have. I was reading some chance me threads and the profiles were very similar so i don’t know how in the world those CCers can differentiate themselves.</p>
<p>Everyone does noot have the same ECs at top colleges. Not even close. The kids with just a bunch of clubs will get rejeected at a high rate. Those with ECs that differentiate them will get the nod. Ad scores matter. Look at common data sets to see how much rate of admission goes up with scores, even and especially after you pass 2250.</p>
<p>i have pretty common ECs. I am on XC, indoor and out T&F. I worked one year at a hospital(government paid) and then I decided to volunteer the next three years.I tutor in school and work in the departments. I like what i do, but that’s about all i do. Not impressive at all.</p>