<p>No. That wouldn’t be quantity and quality. That would be you joining every pub your school offers for the sheer purpose of making your apps look better. The admissions officers aren’t stupid; they would be able to see what you’re doing and would instantly know you weren’t passionate about anything. Find something you’re passionate about and do that.</p>
<p>Find your passion and participate in the EC accordingly. Let the EC follow your passion instead of picking EC for college application. The adcom are looking for your passion, not the EC on your list.</p>
<p>No I mean like what if you are already doing something your passionate about. Wouldn’t also adding a couple more random clubs be even better?</p>
<p>The problem is I’m already passionate about Track. But that is only 1 extracurricular. Wouldn’t it be better if I add more extracurriculars on my list or would it not matter?</p>
<p>The only club Ive made an impact on is my track team- track is my passion and I’m on varsity.</p>
<p>That is my ONLY extracurricular.
Is that enough?</p>
<p>Will selective colleges like Stanford and UCLA hold it against me that I have only done 1 extracurricular?</p>
<p>I likely won’t make any impact on any other extracurricular. So no point in joining then? I have a lot of free time but if it doesn’t make a difference in college admissions then I won’t join.</p>
<p>Then maybe you do not belong at a place like stanford. You should join things that intrigue you. If nothing that exists intrigues you, start something. Students at those schools do not do thinngs to “look good” but rather because they feel a need to either learn, achieve, or help others.</p>
<p>Stanford will hold the fact that you only did one EC against you. You should find (or start) ONE or TWO clubs at your high school that really interest you and do interesting things with them instead of just doing a bunch of random stuff. Environmental club? Organize cleaning up a local park, or start a green initiative at your school. Interested in politics? Start a club that helps inform students and encourages seniors to vote. Is math your thing? Offer tutoring to other kids in your school, or to kids in middle school. The world is your oyster. </p>
<p>I could join the swim and tennis team. I’m more interested in athletics.
So that would mean I would have done 3 Extracurriculars that I actually like in total, Will that be enough then?</p>
<p>Well track is a spring/winter sport and I have practice for 3 hours after school everyday starting in November and ending in June except sunday and saturday. </p>
<p>So I have time now since track won’t start till November. </p>
<p>^^agree with Sally^^^
I don’t think you should be looking at Stanford because Stanford is difficult for everyone. Unless you are an olympic athletic, I would forget it.</p>
<p>e.g. The kids that got into Stanford, from our local high school were amazing.
Case one:
Student M graduated in 2012. His mother was an immigrant from Russia so M traveled to her hometown each summer and noted that the local orphanage didn’t have a school. He began a “tutoring” club at the orphanage in that town. </p>
<p>By high school and during his senior summer there, he opened a fully functioning school, complete with teachers, supplies, curriculum, which were funded by donated dollars he collected from a tutoring club he opened at the middle school next door to the high school. He runs the school via internet, and he continues to go to Russia during his summers with donated dollars. </p>
<p>He was the prom king, a multi-sport athlete (football and tennis), worked at Islands restaurant, and was one of the top ten students in his class of 550 kids. Great personality! He got into Stanford.</p>
<p>Current Student T: multisport athlete Football and Track and got into Harvard, and Stanford. He choose Stanford and, I think is playing for them. He set mutliple State records in track and field. He volunteered working with autistic children and developed a communication system for some of the non-verbal children. He was on the academic team because he was extremely bright with an SAT score in the 2300’s. He was really well-liked by the kids, parents, staff and adults since he would go to games just to cheer the teams on. He would step in and help immediately if someone was short on volunteer staff. He would be wearing in his football practice uniform and would run over and help the soccer team with serving drinks or selling items. He got in to Stanford.</p>
<p>See a pattern? Passion for something can’t be forced or joined at the last minute.</p>
<p>sigh … just another person trying to pad their resume b/c they feel it’s not buff enough. Ppl who are getting admitted to top schools aren’t worried about their resumes. They’re out doing stuff w/o concern for who sees it.</p>
<p>1 EC is NOT enough for Stanford, but honestly, only doing school ECs likely won’t get you into a school like Stanford anyway. Are you a rising junior or senior? If you are senior, probably pretty late to make any impact. If you are a junior, you could join 1-2 more things. Use any extra time you have to make sure you have GREAT grades and stellar test scores. Joining a ton of clubs late in high school won’t fool any college.</p>
<p>You likely need a more realistic college list. Most top colleges do expect more ECs, and the very top colleges are looking for exceptional ECs. </p>
<p>That is fine for many colleges. But the very top colleges (HYPS) are looking for students with “pop” in their ECs (beyond school level ECs). Unless you have a hook (good enough athlete to play for them, URM, legacy, etc.), your odds probably aren’t so good. You need to build a realistic list of schools with a handful of matches, a safety or two that you know you will get into and can afford, and a few reaches. Use a copy of the Fiske Guide to Colleges as a good starting point.</p>
<p>Not to be a jerk, but this is a teaching moment; thus, this is not an empty post.</p>
<p>Its = the possessive form of “it”
It’s = it is = what you wanted to use in your first sentence. </p>
<p>That said, I think they want to see quantity <em>and</em> quality: join maybe three clubs and either lead them or work your way into a subordinate leadership position. </p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>-If you join a slew of clubs but just show up to the meetings… you are showing schools that you have varied interests but not much commitment to anything.</p>
<ul>
<li>And if you join just one club and lead it, well, schools might wonder what you were doing with the rest of your time.</li>
</ul>
<p>I think they want to see varied work and steadfast dedication, be it sports, clubs, music, competitions, whatever. I think they want you to be busy and to care.</p>
<p>(Don’t feel badly about the grammatical error: Cormac McCarthy won a Pulitzer Prize with The Road… which has literally thousands of grammatical/punctuation errors. There are at least five or ten on every page. And while some are obvious and it’s clear he has taken a stand on the subject – like punctuating some contractions – others are not… like describing the aggregate time of days as “(multiple) day’s time.” That should be “multiple days’ time.”</p>