Sport v Instrument

BooBooBear
Sun, 14 May 2017 12:47:32 +0000

The conventional wisdom as well as professional advice is that with ECs, depth is more important than breadth, and showing passion is far more important than building a resume. Four years in photography club, coupled with an essay on your love of outdoor photography, would look better than being a member of three or four random great-sounding clubs for which you showed no interest in other than membership.

Between athletics and music, athletics would possibly be better if you had ability that rose to the level of being a prized athletic recruit, though being an outstanding musician would be a respectable second place. If you are trying to decide between sitting on the bench for four years with Track versus being eighth-chair tuba for four years (just being on a team versus just being in band), it won’t really matter–do the one you find more enjoyable. Either way, you are trying to demonstrate two things: (1) that you have interests and passions that would make you an asset to the college community above and beyond being just a good student in the classroom; and/or (2) that TO YOU, schooling and life is more than just getting good grades.

Most colleges will take a 3.8/32 ACT with interesting hobbies, interests, and accomplishments over a 3.9/34 ACT who is nothing more than a member of robotics club. There are certainly limits to how much ECs matter, but JUST having a good GPA and test score is not enough for most highly selective schools–they want to see more than that. Think about this aspect of the decision–which is more impressive, a 3.9-4.0 GPA by someone who does little other than study, or a close 3.8-3.9 by someone who commits 20 hours a week to a passion? Who is likely to contribute more to the college and be able to handle and blossom in college?