Northstarmom

Under "community service" in the essay, or in the activities area. It also could go under leadership or even in 2 or 3 sections, with different aspects highlighted in different areas.

For example under leadership: "Organized a campaign to raise $1,000 for...."
And also under "community service," the same person could write: "Spent 6 months housing and training dogs for ....."
That combined with a nice essay describing how one got interested in it or a challenge that one overcame in doing the project would be a nice way to show one's character and passion.

Where you put the activities isn't as important as how you describe what you did. The adcoms aren't grading you on filling the right slot. They just want to know what you've done and what you have to offer.

Northstarmom

Good info in this thread about describing ECs: How to Impress Adcoms with your Extracurriculars

ag54

Thank you, thank you Northstarmom!

wtidad

Students - please chill about ECs. For the best colleges, it's not really a quantitative thing. In fact, my informed suspicion is that at the very best colleges, there is healthy disdain for the eager-beaver list-makers who try to show that they have joined (or in some cases led) every activity there is.

Not to say that true leadership, or achievement, or dedication is not valued - it certainly is. But, seriously folks, there are only so many hours in a day, and I don't think you're scoring any points with Harvard by showing that you're the world's greatest mindless multitasker.

I can assure you they'd rather have a kid who's focused and dedicated to something (almost anything, in fact); the swimmer above is a good case in point. I think kids can go awfully wrong when they jump on every "must do" EC bandwagon, because they have heard it's needed for top-college admissions. In fact, in recent years, there has been a backlash by jaded admissions officer - even though they may be responsible for stoking the notion that their preferred student is a squash-playing Mother Teresa with a 4.0, they are actually weary of reading essays entitled "How my summer in a mud hut in Bolivia taught me that all people are the same" Sorry to be so cynical, but I stand by my perceptions on this issue.

Again, that doesn't mean you shouldn't do any particular thing - it just means you shouldn't do it just to stack up more activities on your resume. Because, at some point, your motivation (or lack thereof) will become transparent, and the effect with be neligible, or even negative. So go do something you love, and quit trying to game the system. It's a good lesson for life.

Ferny Reyes

My point still stands, however, Northstarmon. In that because of these superstudents, we have thousands of kids who are perhaps just as qualified never even consider applying because they feel they can't get in.

Like I said, it's great, really, sometimes you make it seem like it's easy as hell just to be in an EC.

Just remember, for some of us, working 45 hours a week (I don't give a dam about your child labor laws, you tell that to the light company) and going to school, EC's kind are something that you wish you could do more of, but you just can't.

I'm not saying my scenario is what happens to everybody, but I mean, how the hell is a kid from my area suppose to feel competing against thousands of kids who look like they should be on the cover of some super kid magazine?

RPDad

Is a black belt in karate a good or great EC?

Clendenenator

For wtidad: What if we are involved in most activities at our school, but because we like them and want to help rather than "making a list." Is that really going to hurt me??

Northstarmom

"Just remember, for some of us, working 45 hours a week (I don't give a ...about your child labor laws, you tell that to the light company) and going to school, EC's kind are something that you wish you could do more of, but you just can't."

Apparently, you didn't realize that working 45 hours a week would count as a very strong EC. It particularly would have helped if you wrote your essay about your experience and included (if the college allowed) a supplemental recommendation from a work supervisor.

Of course, you'd also have to have excellent stats to get into a top college, too, and even with excellent stats and a 45 hour a week job, for space reasons (as is the case with all applicants), HPYS etc. still would be reaches.

ECs aren't just school clubs. Many activities that are not something like playing video games or going to classes at your regular school can count as an EC.

Ferny Reyes

No, I mean, I got into Yale. That wasn't the issue at hand.

The thing I'm fighting against and you still don't get is that we espouse the greatness of these superstudents so much that regular, high-achieving students who will never have the same opportunities are intimidated to apply because they say they face instant rejection.

Northstarmom

Congratulations on getting into Yale.

If "regular, high-achieving students" lack the confidence to apply, that's no loss because there's an overabundance of excellent, high-achieving students who do apply, and the Ivies are not places for people who lack self confidence.

CollegeBound2007

Good grades definitely increase your chances. But to show that grades alone don't guarantee acceptance, I give the following example.
In 2004, Rice Univeristy stats were as follows.

Students with 1st or 2nd Rank in class: Applied 922, Accepted 411, Enrolled 122
Student ranked 3rd or worse, but within top 5%: Applied 1572, Accepted 485, Enrolled 217

Test scores and ECs may be additional important factors. But I feel part of the reason univs (even top ranked ones) go sometimes for lower ranked students is to improve the yield.

chickenboi8008

apparently the "good" EC's out there are:

ending world hunger
establishing world peace
cures to cancer, flu, AIDS, etc

its so dumb. just list ur EC's and if someone blows it off then that means they dont have nething better than what u have

Madourd

What about the people who really just CAN'T do stuff like this? Like, the people who have to spend a lot of time at home taking care of people? Because this basically seems unfair.

ag54

I think the point that Northstarmom is trying to make is that if you have to spend a lot of time at home taking care of people, that is one of the issues that you bring up in either your essay or your app. If you are staying home assisting with an elderly person, or because you are required to watch your siblings on a daily basis, that is your job. If you are staying home playing video games, that is definitely not your job (unless you are a game designer). You don't have to go out and cure cancer to have a EC that is worthwhile. Just doing something consistantly and for a reason that can be specified could be your EC.

Northstarmom

Thanks, ag54. That is what I meant.

Another way that the student could let colleges know about how the student has a lot of responsibilities at home is to have the info included in the GC's report.