<p>Instead of trying to motivate your child for an EC that the child isn’t that interested in, steer the child toward an EC that they probably would enjoy, and give the child the opportunities to pursue that EC in depth.</p>
<p>I keep seeing parents forcing kids to do things like math contests when the kids would prefer to do things like art or other activities. The best way for students to get into college is to keep their grades up while pursuing in depth activities that they genuinely enjoy. Then, when it is time for college, they need to look for colleges and scholarship contests that match their interests.</p>
<p>If your son happens to be Asian or a white male, doing well on math contests is not going to make him stand out unless he’s doing it at an exceptional level – nationally (which means doing more than winning some national categories in a math club). If he’s Asian, he’d probably stand out more in the application pool by excelling on a football or hockey team while keeping his grades up or by winning a national art contest.</p>
<p>A white male would probably stand out by pursuing art, humanities, or some subject that’s females, not males tend to be attracted to.</p>
<p>The science and math ECs are overflowing with stelllar Asian and white males. Asian girls still get a boost because women are relatively rare in those fields, but that’s not the case for the guys.</p>