Colleges check on ECs?

mikemac
Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:32:38 +0000

If you were just an anonymous member of a group, little noticed, then its not going to help your app much anyway. A lot of kids have this idea that by putting down stuff like “member of X” they’ll stand out from their competition. After all, it looks better to be taking part in things, doesn’t it?

Actually, no. Most colleges admit by the numbers. If you have good enough grades and scores you’ll get in. At the colleges that are very competitive, that DO care about your ECs, mere membership in a few clubs isn’t enough. They aren’t going to be impressed by just taking part, compared to your peers that have done much more. As Stanford says in its FAQ

Students often assume our primary concern is the number of activities in which one participates. In fact, an exceptional depth of experience in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six clubs. We want to see the impact you have had on that club, in your school, or in the larger community, and we want to learn of the impact that experience has had on you.

Which brings us back to the original question. If you lie about something trivial, like being a member of a club, it isn’t going to matter anyway. If you lie about something important enough to matter (school office, significant awards, captain of a team, etc) they’re easy to verify. And make no mistake, schools DO verify. The UC schools will randomly select kids and require them to verify. One under-appreciated reason many colleges have alumni interviewers meet with applicants in their community is because they know what is going on. One frequent poster here has written of interviewing an applicant who claimed significant responsibilities in a community group the interviewer was active in – oops! And for awards, offices, etc. its easy to check with a quick phone call.

Bottom line, if its important enough to help you in admissions, its not hard for colleges to verify.