As a sophomore, I misunderstood the whole impressing colleges game in that i joined a bunch of clubs and ecs, where my true passion lies in Tack and Field.
I’ve done track since the 7th grade, and i really want to focus more on track now instead of doing clubs im not crazy about. Would it look bad if i stopped doing my other clubs in lieau of training for track and competing in a few USATF meets?
Im not sure if i can truely focus on track while still doing all of the ECs i picked up as a sophomore.
I don’t have many extra curriculars and the list I have is pathetic compared to everyone else’s. I’m an in-coming junior so these are the ECs I’ll be involved in by the end of senior year:
Chinese Club Historian for 1 year and co-president for 2 years. This club is one of the biggest clubs we have at our school since our school is 80% or so Asian. This includes the task of planning the Lunar Show, a trip to San Francisco, planning a banquet, and finding community service opportunities.
Key Club Historian for 2 years
Operation Smile Secretary for 1 year and co-vice president for 2 years
3 years of track (No awards though)
*Planning to join CSF (California Scholar Federation) and maybe Dragon Boat (doubt it) as well as Science Olympiad. (As a regular member)
I’m also working with a friend on a t-shirt business. So far we have some sponsors from a some-what known dance crew, professional gamers, and the the police department I believe? (or we get funded) So we definitely have some backing. We’re planning to keep all of our designs to show the colleges if they’re wanting to see some proof and I guess a record of our sales.
In addition to our business (starting off pretty soon), I’ve been asked by several clubs to design the shirts and sweaters for their members/officers/district including:
Hip Hop Club (didn’t use it)
DECA (used)
Chinese Club (used both)
PANDAC (didn’t use it)
Dragon Boat (used it)
Key Club (will be designing the members’ shirts and possibly shirts for each area)
Badminton team (Used)
Interact (will be designing their sweaters)
Junior class shirts
*I’m most likely designing the sweaters and shirts for all of the above again for the upcoming year and senior year.
As I already stated; my ECs are pretty dull and pathetic. Do you think designing t-shirts count or does it give off a weak impression/ seem as somewhat of a joke?
<em>The job of a historian in my school is to advertise our club in a sense and make an album. There’s a lot to cover in Chinese Club and for Key Club, there’s a competition to see which division/school has the best album. (helps us get the Golden Key!) Basically, I go to every event and take pictures. I also do designing, organizing, and help with anything else.
*</em>I’m pretty passionate about Chinese Club along with designing shirts. Key Club is becoming important to me, although this is my first year as an officer (Member for 2 years already.)
I personally think, as an applicant who had already applied to many colleges including ivy leagues and accepted, that the best way to impress adcoms with your extracurriculars is to connect your activities with other people’s activities. This is crucially important because college admissions officers not only look at your achievements but also your personality traits and willingness to be open with others. One site that I know which also helped many of my peers to get into schools like Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT is [Youtheca</a> ? Student Activities Social Network](<a href=“http://www.youtheca.com%5DYoutheca”>http://www.youtheca.com) The site honestly has very awesome clubs, from Pandora TV to local school clubs. You may take a look at it and see how you guys may like it!!.. Have a great summer vacation.
I wanted to pursue more leadership positions for my senior year, but I don’t think it’s going to be possible. I’m the VP for our debate team, and it’s already stressing me out (and school hasn’t even STARTED yet…) For some arbitrary reason, our district is collapsing the junior and senior high school debate teams in my cluster, so I’m the VP for a debate team that is made up of 4 schools. It’s like a full-time job trying to deal with all these students, especially when our coach doesn’t do anything. Will that seem like a legitimate reason to colleges when they see I don’t have as many leadership positions?
College definitely like seeing devotion and contribution in a certain area. If you write about it in one of your essays, I think they’ll definitely like it, especially if you’re extremely involved with your team. A few more extra curricular won’t hurt either, but I recommend getting more involved (if possible) in your school if you aren’t in anything else (as in other ECs such as sports and giving to the community.)
When it comes to EC’s, the best technique is to look for a few activities that you really enjoy and stick with them. Colleges want to see dedication to these activities. Look for opportunities to be a leader as well. Does not mean you have to be the elected president or captain (although that doesn’t hurt). Consider creative, subtle ways of being a leader. Like leading a fundraiser or promoting the team or club at lunchtime. Also, try to diversify your activities. Do a few different things to show your versatility. Most important, don’t forget community service. Colleges are looking for candidates who care about those around them.
Everyone’s talking about writing an essay about EC’s - are you all referring to the common app essay? Would it be better to write about extracurriculars in that essay instead o writing about, say, a person?
I’m a Senior this year, and I’ve heard that if I have a really long list of EC’s, I need to narrow it. Can you guys help me??? They are listed in order of importance to me.
Cheerleading 7th grade-11th grade (captain junior year!!!
StuCo 11th-12th (senior class president and student body president senior year!!!
Interact Club 11th-12th (this is only the second year we’ve had it at my school)
HOSTS 12th (I help elementary school kids learn to read)
E^3 12th (Entrepreneurial Group- I have a reading list, I have to start a business, and I get scholarship money!!! (It’s only open to seniors)
Heritage Belles (Heritage Society- I’m not really sure how to explain it. It’s kinda like a service project thing; we help the Heritage Society with their Fundraiser/Benefit and other things like that) 9th-12th
Mu Alpha Theta 10th-12th
NHS 10th-12th
Children’s Chapel Assistant at my church 11th-12th
Tennis 9th-10th (I really like it, but I’m REALLY bad- I didn’t even make the team last year, and I probably won’t this year either)
FCA 9th
Volleyball 9th
I am also doing research for a company so i guess that counts too.
I’m really the most excited about the first 5, and I plan to write about cheer for my ec essay for the commonapp, but should I get rid of any? and which ones?
Get rid of Tennis, Volleyball, & FCA since you will be 2-3 years removed from participating in them. Be careful about the “cheer” essay. A adcom at a top 50 college told me he was “ready to throw up everytime he read a “I scored the winning touchdown” essay” Perhaps someting on how student body president has taught you lessons about leadership?
ECs in the context of college admissions have always worried me because lately I’ve heard that there’s a lot more emphasis on being “well-lopsided” - demonstrating passion in one particular area through your ECs - than well-rounded. I’m a rising senior with a lot of ECs that have always been a bit scattered, but I’m extremely passionate about all of them (and have leadership positions in many). Do you think the fact that I don’t have a well-defined specific passion will weaken my application?
(My apologies if this question was already answered - I decided against reading the entire 65+ page thread :P)
see i was thinking about writing my essay on stuco president, but i haven’t been president for very long, like almost 2 weeks. so i am now thinking of about the same thing, but about how being cheer captain has taught me about leadership, since it was my first real leadership position and i have a whole year of experience with it. plus, this is for my extracurricular essay (the short one). and it won’t be typical, i promise
oh and strangecharm
i know i am not an expert on this, but i have heard many times that they want both well-lopsided and well-rounded students, they just talk about the lopsided ones because everyones else talks about colleges wanting well-rounded students.
hope that helps
I heard from a high school college counselor who also reads essay for a large state school system that “cheerleading” can be a real turn-off for admissions folks. Remember, these are most often folks with academic leanings. Unless you are headed toward Big State U where they actually are looking for cheerleaders, I would certainly not play it as your best card.
8 years of horseback riding – mostly as a hobby, won youth titles when younger but haven’t competed in high school
6 years of sailing & racing mostly 420s, currently race with and have won titles for youth division of one of the most prestigious yacht clubs on the West Coast
3 years of volunteering to teach intro to sail lessons with a nonprofit sailing club
3 years on Sailing Club, founded soph year, currently president, helped start clubs at other schools
5 years of field hockey, been on varsity for 3 years
4 years on Key Club, PR committee – soph, PR officer – junior, Lieutenant Governor Assistant (Regional President) – senior & I work extensively with local Circle K clubs and attend their socials / conferences
3 years Model UN, Secretary general – junior, President – senior
4 years Forensics – placed at regional comps but no serious national titles
4 years French club, Vice-president – senior
4 years Latin club, Secretary - senior
3 years golf, captain, founded team soph year – did well, but not too serious
2 years on Junior League
interned at museum for past two years
interned for pay at Brooks Brothers last summer and fall
worked at J. Crew, interned at Sak’s this summer - blegh, not very serious
I also been doing ballet and ballroom dancing since I was 4, but, other than the odd exhibition or two, I don’t participate much. I wasn’t thinking of including these.
I’m looking for colleges with strong sailing teams. Right now, that’s St. Mary’s, Boston College, Georgetown, Tufts, Brown, and Yale. I’m also considering Stanford, but I have no real interest to attend, and its sailing team is nothing special. My SAT / ACT / GPA are decent, I think – 2350, 35, and 3.9 UW, respectively – so I’m just wondering which ECs to cut out.
Is it bad in the Why This College? Essay if I say I talked to the coach and he said I’d be able to walk on the team if I get in because I have good athletic stats? I did talk to him and that’s what he said, but I’m not sure if adcoms would like that for a top college.
They are listed in order of importance to me.