@lookingforward, No, not just marching band…also concert band, all-county band (placed first chair), jazz band and a completely different musical instrument she has played for 13 years (but only casually now). Marching band also takes half the summer, full time (sometimes 9-9). And ballet on a casual level (used to be pre-pro) and school tennis team and some minor volunteer work and, yes, reading novels voraciously when she gets the time (not much time, after her AP reading). Peers/teachers are trying to recruit her for Mock Trial next year, she’s intrigued, but concerned about the time commitment and how that will impact study time/sleep time. Has no idea what she wants career-wise but not heavy STEM. Not competitively ranked in anything beyond a local level, and has no particular desire to be. I see a healthy, engaged young woman who is not just a study grind, who most days spends ninety minutes to five hours per day after school on these various ECs that are not considered anything special (and that’s OK with me that they’re not considered special) and then usually another two to four hours studying, and most of Sunday afternoon/night studying. Others are surely quicker, deeper, more efficient and can do more but I don’t think she can, without affecting her health and well-being. I don’t care about T20s or T-anythings, really, but we recently visited a few nearby LACs, just to see what’s out there, and one that happens to rank between 40 and 60 (don’t want to identify it here) that I could see being a great fit for HER but I’m afraid to hope she has a chance with THEM after reading these threads. It’s not a tippy-top but a well-regarded, solid school that she actually got excited about, resonated with the presenter’s talk about the school mission statement. And like so many parents, I come to these kinds of threads to try to determine whether there’s even any reason to apply to a school like this when it seems that if your child doesn’t have some absolutely amazing qualities beyond a 4.0 UW and a full but "normal " life, there’s little reason to hope for a LAC that does holistic admissions, (especially if you kid is an Asian female).