I have no ECs

M_s_Mom
Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:42:47 +0000

There are lots of things that count as ECs that people don’t think of because they aren’t school-based or organized in some traditional sense. If you are active in your church/temple, that is an EC. If you have child-care and other significant responsibilities at home because of working parent(s), that might count (many low income and single-parent household kids do). If you have a hobby that takes up a significant amount of time or have set a ‘challenge’ for yourself like learning to speak another language, running a marathon, etc… and especially if you can demonstrate some level of competence or achievement as a result. Certainly your community service is an EC - and if its not just random hours for various activities over time, then it can be an important one.

The point of ECs are several: To show that you are engaged in the world beyond your academics. To acquire life experiences that help you know yourself and make you an interesting member of the school community. To acquire skills that aren’t taught at school. To demonstrate an ability to meet and interact with people outside of your own circle. To demonstrate aspects of yourself that might not come out in an academic setting like compassion, leadership, creativity, empathy, etc…ECs are not just some box to check off on your college application - they do say something important about who you are and what you care about and what you have to offer the schools you apply to.