<p>I am an incoming sophomore in high school and freshman year I found a new passion for theatre despite my 10+ years of football. I have now totally devoted my ECs to theatre and volunteering. My school in Texas is very good at theatre (I am saying this be uses we made it to state two years ago but got knocked off for the first time ever in the first round this year). Also I have joined ITS (international thespian society) and therefore can attend the ITS Festival (another chance to get nationally and state recognized). If I was able to get recognized in these activities in theatre would it make a strong EC for Harvard or any Ivy League school?</p>
<p>The only “weak” EC is one that you don’t have a passionate involvement with – something that you just joined to make your college applications look better. Everything else is good. Listen to the man:</p>
<p>"The term “extracurricular activities” covers an enormous amount of ground. We are interested in whatever a student does: in addition to school extracurricular activities and athletics, students can tell us of significant community, employment, or family commitments. There are many who spend a great deal of time helping to run their household, preparing meals and caring for siblings or making money with a part-time job to help the household meet expenses.</p>
<p>Unfortunately many schools have had to curtail or eliminate extracurricular activities and athletics, or they charge fees for participation. In addition, many students cannot afford expensive musical instruments or athletic equipment — or have families without the resources to pay for lessons, summer programs and the transportation networks necessary to support such activities.</p>
<p>Admissions Committees keep these factors in mind as they review applications, and are concerned most of all to know how well students used the resources available to them. Extracurricular activities need not be exotic — most are not — and substance is far more important. A student who has made the most of opportunities day-to-day during secondary school is much more likely to do so during college and beyond. This applies to academic life as well as extracurricular activities."
– William Fitzsimmons, Harvard Dean of Admissions</p>
<p>If you really enjoy it, do it! If you’re good at it, you’ll enjoy it even more!</p>
<p>Life is short. You’ll have to do lots of things you don’t like so much. When you find something like this, it’s a jewel in life.</p>
<p>Don’t make everything about getting into Harvard or some other top-tier school.</p>
<p>As the above posters have said, if you enjoy theater, then totally do it! But just to further quell your anxiety, I’ve known several theater kids who were successful applicants to HYPS. The Harvard brochure which they hand out at info sessions and mail to prospective students actually says something like, “If you’re an artist, then you’ll thrive here.”</p>
<p>I don’t have much to say because I’m just applying like anyone else, but if you have a great essay you can pull out of wanting to change from like person A to person B at some time where it would not make sense at all but it was like something you had to do, then go for it. You should just be who you are are at all times.</p>