bay-area

Very good post

boho_girl

Mike3yo @ I am not from USA, and being a boy/girl scout isn't a popular activity in my country, so I have no clue what kind of achievement an "eagle scout" would be. But since you mention it, I'm sure it's quite an achievement. (but I can't help you here, sorry)
Demonstrating passion and exploring it on a deeper (higher?) level (and, if you will, for a longer period of time) certainly helps as it shows commitment and hard work. So you should mention ANY kind of achievement you think that could help you. (I am sure adcoms know what Eagle scount means, but if you have some activity or an achievement not really known to many, you -or your counselor- should DEFINITELY write an explanation to make it clear about what it means)
Or if you're not sure how much eagle scout means, write about it in your essay: how much it means to YOU, or what kind of better person you have become thanks to it.



Catalysis @ from what I've gathered:
+ initiative is a big plus
+ doing activities related to your future major is a plus
+ winning awards in things related to your future major is a plus (plus+plus if it's on national or international level)

Your activity certainly won't be the one that will stand out (especially so if you apply to Wharton) but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. You should definitely do it, because adcoms love seeing initiative (leadership, blah, blah) and through your activities you'll show that you're that passionate about getting into business that you even founded a club -- and even lead them to competition!
Your initiative, dedication and success should impress adcoms (if you manage to do what you planned to do with it, of course. But even if it fails miserably, you should write about what you got out of it in your essay. One kid who got into Yale wrote about a club that he founded but eventually had to be shut down because of lack of interest from his peers - it's on Princeton Review's "Eye on apply" section from few years back. I think he said something like "Everyone will write about their big success, but I will do something different - I will write about my failure")
So I say, go for it, good luck!



Infinite_Truth @ You should definitely make it clear that it's beyond high school level and explicitly note what level it's on.
ANY notable achievement should be named in your application (it can only help)

SoCalGal09

Great post and apologies that I haven't read the entire thread (but will, I promise). Eagle Scout... for sure that's something that shows commitment. Hopefully your Eagle project is something you can expand upon in an essay or interview.

So here's the question. My son's EC has gotten a fair amount of media exposure. We have film clips, newspaper articles and the like. Any way to play this up or does it all need to be explained?

boho_girl

^^ Many schools explicitly ask you not to send in certificates, proofs etc. of your awards and the like. So I think you should check with each individual school on that.


Since I don't think admissions office has a time to read all the newspaper excerpts, watch film clips etc. of each individual applicant that sends those in, and if you think those articles/clips would be really important, I'd suggest you pick only one (or two the most) of those that shows the worth or meaning of your son's EC.

One award that I got (after I already submitted my app though) got a fair amount of media exposure, so I basically quoted the part of the online article that explained what kind of competition I was in, and named the source.

CIA

Is raising teddy bears to send to the little children of fathers involved with the war in Iraq with a handwritten message considered a good EC?

yosago

Thank You Great Post

m0baik01

Great post!! thanks

luzbrillante

Can an essay about an activity/EC unrelated to your potential major but that you tie back to the major be as good as an essay written about something directly related to your major?
For example, if I wanted to be a lawyer but didn't write my essay on my depth in debate club but instead on a quality necessary for lawyers that I acquired through an unrelated EC...could this essay be seen as on par with essays directly related to a future major?

boho_girl

I'd say go for it

luzbrillante

Thanks, boho_girl.

I'm just worried that an indirect topic (not exactly related to my potential major) might show them the wrong idea- like, they might question my true interest in that major or something, if I wrote about something else...

Northstarmom

Write about whatever you can write most interestingly about. Colleges know that most students change their prospective major at least twice, so it's not important that your essay be related to whatever you plan to major in. The exception to this probably is if you're applying to something specialized like a 6-year MD program.

MrX

I'm wondering if it's better to write an essay either on a single, in-depth EC, or maybe to write about something completely different altogether, like a reminiscence.

My question: Do colleges prefer essays that go in-depth about a single, passionate EC in comparison to an essay about something different altogether? Or is the deciding factor based solely on quality?

sheeba

I agree, thanks for taking that much time on it. I suppose in the end it is still just a chance here or there, but to believe that real people are reading through some of the lists of how special everyone is, is good.

aaah ha

Will it hurt you to have a lot of ECs that aren't really related?
I've been involved with theater, speech, newspaper, tennis, MUN, giving tours at a local history/cultural museum and am starting up a progressive club with a friend next year. This summer I have a job at my tennis club and an internship on my senator's re-election campaign.

I'm not planning to continue with theater or MUN next year and maybe not speech, either. I've had a few good times, but I am realizing that's not where my interest lies and it really doesn't bring happiness.

Here's a little about what I plan to continue doing:
-Newspaper: It's really important to me and I love writing, designing pages and being with the staff everyday. It's a significant time commitment, too. I can spend up to 20 hours a week because I'm news editor. Oh! And because everyone seems to love awards, I guess it's appropriate to mention that I won 2nd place in features at the state level this spring.
-Volunteering at the museum: It's pretty interesting for me because I'm a history nerd, but also boring at the same time since people aren't there often. I'm thinking about persuing history more becasue I think I'm talented in that subject and have had an easy A in my AP class all year.
-New club without a name: I'm really excited about this activism group my friend and I are starting. We're going to focus on social responsibility and global collaboration, while working to raise money for different NGOs by having bake sales and an outdoor concert at the end of the year

So I feel that I'm getting rid of activities that I haven't been fully dedicated to and following my interests more. That should be good, right? Well, my main concern is that it will look bad quitting and then adding a few new activities after two years of high school. Will I be fine getting into LACs like Reed, Pitzer College, Claremont McKenna, Grinnell, Coloardo College, etc? Also, what do my ECs say about me as a person? I want them to show my interest in social studies and writing and that I'm a unique, creative and friendly individual looking to influence the world

Northstarmom

Adcoms know that high school is one of the best times in one's life to explore interests. They aren't expecting you to stick with every activity that you start. It's also OK to continue trying out new activities throughout h.s. and for the rest of your life.

As long as you're not trying to accrue a laundry list of memberships in which you do nothing but show up for meetings sometimes, you should be fine.