<p>I am currently a junior and i have a rather limited number of ECs (compared to most other people on this site!!)</p>
<p>So far..
-3 Years Varsity Soccer
-3 years club soccer
-3 years California Scholarship Federation
-3 years Red Cross
-2 years HS Volleyball</p>
<p>Does anyone have any suggestions for additional ECs??
What do college admissions officers like to see??</p>
<p>Thank you for any suggestions!!</p>
<p>Don't go by what you see on this site, for starters. The level of overachieving that goes on here is insane. If you're really committed to the ECs you have listed, and devote a decent amount of time to them each week, you should be fine.</p>
<p>If you could be captain of your soccer and/or volleyball teams your senior year, that would be a fantastic way to show leadership. Do the same with your other ECs- see if there are ways you can take on leadership positions in them. Other than that, see if you can track down a list of clubs your school offers, look for ones that seem interesting to you, and give them a try.</p>
<p>Yeah, just do whatever you like, honestly. When I applied, I was treasurer for my school's DECA (marketing club) and was senator for the Latin club, but I didn't really do anything. But I was really involved in math team, chess, and Latin club (besides being senator) and that showed in my application. The point is that you develop character and that you're not just studying 24 hours a day (who wants those kids, anyway?).</p>
<p>5 EC's is a good number. I remember I did math, chess, Latin, volunteer work, and DECA, and I had a job, so that's 5, or 6 if you count the job. It's not limited at all. And, hey, it was enough for me to get into UChicago and Swarthmore! The point is that you do stuff that you like to do. Generally, that's not a very painful thing to do. But a lot of people play soccer and volleyball. If you did something that separates you from the pack, that's good. You don't have to go out of the way to do something just for college apps--it ends up looking contrived. </p>
<p>By the way, "leadership" doesn't necessarily have a position. Colleges want people who are involved in what they do. The key word is involvement. Are you involved in the Red Cross, involved in Volleyball? Meaning, do you not just do the bare minimum, but do you really contribute something special? You can still have leadership skills but not necessarily have an official position. For example, being in charge of Mythology for my Latin club's statewide competition is a leadership role, even though I'm not president or VP or treasurer or anything. Again, the point is that you're active and involved in what you do. That'll definitely help you stand out. It's hard, but try not to "pose" for colleges. They just want to know more about you so that they can make an informed decision about who would best fit in their college.</p>
<p>The majority of colleges don't use nonathletic ECs for admission decisions. At most, they use them for merit aid. It's only the very top colleges -- places like HPYS that get an overabundance of high stat applicants -- that use nonathletic ECs as part of admission decisions.</p>
<p>So, you probably don't need to do anything with your ECs. However, if you can become nationally or state ranked in a sport, that could help.</p>
<p>Do you have proof of that Northstarmom?</p>
<p>Just pay your $15 to be able to use the on-line version of the US News premium college guide, and you can see how much weight the colleges of your choice put on ECs.</p>
<p>When it comes to public institutions, with the exception of athletics (particularly the money making type), the colleges select students based on state of residence, grades, scores, and fulfillment of the required coursework. Even essays typically count for little if anything in admissions. They may be important for merit aid.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, too, that most colleges admit the vast majority of students who apply to them.</p>
<p>Please please please don't do activities purely for the sake of college admissions. Once you get rejected from your dream school, you'll seriously regret this.</p>
<p>(I say once because if you're only doing an activity for admissions, you'll probably be rejected because I highly doubt that schools would accept you.)</p>
<p>Do activities that interest you. As long as you get very into whatever it is that you do, you'll be fine. I was told by my friends that my favorite EC (robotics) was "not worth it" because colleges didn't like it or whatever, but hey, I'm going to a great school that they were rejected by. So far I've gotten into everywhere I've applied; I'm pretty sure admissions people saw my devotion to robotics and liked it.</p>
<p>It's "achieving," not "overachieving" lol! Achievement is a good thing.</p>
<p>That said, you don't want to do a whole bunch of ECs you don't care about, you want to be involved in a few ECs for multiple years (as you've done) and achieve awards, honors, or leadership positions if possible.</p>
<p>The best ECs are always the ones that you are most passionate about. That means the ones which you would be willing to put your time into and take pride in even if they had no weight on college admissions.</p>
<p>You can do lots of great ECs, but they will not glow unless you truly identify with them and do them for much more than just college.</p>