<p>I’m a parent, and the last time I saw a college application was in 1975. Now my son is a junior, so we need to start thinking about these things again.</p>
<p>In how much detail should ECs be described? My son is a choir kid…he auditioned into the best choir in the school as a sophomore. If he just lists the name of the choir, there is no way for the admissions counselor to know that it’s the best choir. Now he’s also in the jazz choir, which is a very small auditioned group…should he convey that on his application somewhere, or does that look ridiculous?</p>
<p>What do folks do to convey the appropriate level of “prestige” to their various ECs?</p>
<p>To an outsider, the “inside” prestige is hard to convey. However, you can say things like, “sang for ___ years in _<em>__choir, a select group requiring an audition and involving </em> hrs. of practice per week.” If any group travels --locally or beyond, gets invited to a significant event to perform, participates in a broader festival, etc., you can mention that. (Those aspects are a barometer of the quality of the performing group; ordinary groups don’t get invited to do those things.)</p>
<p>Essentially, the role in the e.c., the position, if applicable (President, concertmaster, assisant-principal in an orchestra section); length of time and/or frequency of commitment in the organization; and, if not obvious, purpose/scope of the activity: “Activity Leader for 4 years in regional Girls Club, existing to affirm the self-image of young women & to encourage the development of positive, productive life goals.”</p>
<p>I should have added to that: "As Activity Leader, I [organized career fairs, arranged for speakers from local colleges, coordinated the groups’ volunteer efforts at our local county hospital, etc. – or whatever]. The role that the applicant played is what the committee would like to see.</p>
<p>Thank you! So that is also how he sneaks in the choir trip to Italy, festival performances, etc.</p>