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<p>EC’s like sports or music wouldn’t be through your school necessarily…</p>
<p>Good EC’s should reflect your true passions and interests and not your attempts to add to your college application…</p>
<p>So it doesn’t matter if I take ECs at school or not? Like, if I took music or art classes at a private institute, it would still count?</p>
<p>Interesting thread. My ECs are horrible and it’s in part because I was never pushed to write books or get a summer internship at 14 years old. I wanted to go to a public school with IB and my parents said no (mostly mom) and so I go to a private Catholic one with 5 APs and 100 kids per class. I don’t have a problem with geniuses who start their own businesses and score 36’s along with 15 APs and 4.6 weighted GPAs getting into an Ivy. That’s why those places exist. What I do have a problem with is when the co-valedictorian, 95+ percentile in stand. tests, with a couple clubs, two sports and volunteer hours can’t even get in at his state flagship just because “daddy” doesn’t have the network or influence to get him an internship at the Senator’s office.</p>
<p>Will not having an internship kill you in admissions? What if you spent your summer on mission trips and volunteering for a very worthwhile cause? Would this be equivalent? I may have a summer research opportunity but I’m debating between this and doing relief work in a third-world country.</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m surprised at the backlash against sports being revered as a potentially significant EC. A lot of kids probably look at this and decide <em>not</em> to do sports just so they can spend time getting research published or writing essays for contests or something. </p>
<p>What I don’t understand is how being a social recluse is beneficial for admissions anywhere? My parents forced me to join a sport, any sport, my freshman year just so that I’d be doing something active and meet people (I was a quiet kid) and now I appreciate them doing that.</p>
<p>So far, it’s been fun, I’ve achieved success in winning awards like all-academic all-county, all-academic all-state, qualifying for state as an individual, the possibility of being captain next year <em>and</em> - most importantly for the superficial resume padders - it’s a great way to network! I probably wouldn’t have been introduced to a current Harvardette or Notre Dame physics major had I not done XC.</p>
<p>There’s definitely something to be said for the “intellectual” sports (those sports which seem to select for intelligence) like fencing, lacrosse, rowing, XC, golf and the benefit that they offer for intelligent people who want to associate with other intelligent people. I’m saying, if you’re borderline doing a sport because you think you won’t have enough time for your mission trips and clubs, do it. That’s just my two-cents.</p>
<p>That being said, there have been a lot of people who join my sport just to get a letter (because there are no cuts) and then quit the next season. That’s garbage if you ask me. If you really are so bent on getting something to pad your resume, do something else, I guess.</p>
<p>Edit: Oh yea, plug for XC because it’s not political, but it IS co-ed (so the pasta parties are more fun, not to mention that all the ladies are nice and thin) and there’s very little <em>down time</em>.</p>
<p>^ I’m in sports, but I’m wondering how an internship is weighted vs. significant volunteering (where you are really involved/a leader and everything)</p>
<p>do you guys think that employment is a good EC? My job eats up all my after school time (but it’s very interesting and I enjoy it quite a bit.)</p>
<p>You can write about which clubs you participated in, sports, community service/volunteering…
Also, mention if you got any awards, certificates etc.</p>
<p>Find a cure for cancer, hepatitis, and cholera.
Letter in every possible varsity sport.
Have as many volunteer hours as a drug addict.
Be President of every club.
Serve as an intern abroad in 10+ countries.</p>
<p>Now THOSE are stellar ECs. too bad they are improbable.</p>
<p>I think too many people misinterpret the EC part and go for quantity over quality. Don’t do what “everyone else” is doing (unless of course you are incredibly passionate about it). It’s good to get involved in something at your school and to play a sport (any sport). I think this shows you have some school spirit. </p>
<p>After that, don’t wait for someone else to find something you can do (or for your parents to get you an internship). College app’s are full of kids that belonged to the xyz club, volunteered to feed the hungry, and let’s not forget all the kids that “founded” some boring club (just so they can say they started it). </p>
<p>Read the the local newspaper and find out what is going on on your area. Is there something interesting that you might want to get involved with even if it is usually reserved for adults? Don’t worry if its the “best EC” just find something you can and want to do. Then do it really well! Focus your extra time on just this one thing so you can learn a lot about it and take on more responsibility. You can even do this with a job after school.</p>
<p>In my opinion, a great EC is something that lets you stand out yet also gives the colleges a glimpse into you as a person and your potential. I found the perfect fit for me with robotics and now with a NASA job this summer. I even get to publish a paper with my group.</p>
<p>Basically, I think it means finding a passion and turning it into something huge. If you do journo, be near the top of your state’s journalists. If you do theater, be the best you can be. This curing cancer thing is bogus. Anything can be a great EC IF you put the time and effort into it. One year flings in a club or volunteering for 100 hours don’t cut it anymore. </p>
<p>Just my two cents.</p>
<p>Would being a member of a national council be considered “good”? It’s an international organization, with only about 10-12 people representing the whole country. I’m an international applicant, by the way.</p>
<p>Would self-teaching oneself a lot of programming languages be good?</p>
<p>@gerian
You sound like such a wise person… any advice on how to develop things you have a passion in when you’re interested in a ton of things?</p>
<p>Hey, I’ve heard that a lot of ECs are “generic”. What are examples of some non-generic ECs vs. generic ECs? How does it look if your ECs are more unique – does it really make that much of a difference? Some of my ECs aren’t the most common things (I will be volunteering at an Art Museum and a music venue) but I don’t know if they’re unique or interesting.</p>
<p>What are the negatives of having more generic ECs? I really only pursue things I am interested in (DECA, Debate, Key Club, Drama) but they don’t seem to stand out too much. I don’t have a clear “focus” (since I also volunteer at a hospital, and will try out for tennis) but I’m also a well rounded student. Is that a bad thing? </p>
<p>Somebody told me the other day that I was at a disadvantage since I’ve got a myriad of interests. And I wanted to turn to the ever knowledgeable CC.</p>
<p>@FranzFerdinand</p>
<p>I’m not saying I have the absolute best EC’s, but I have done some interesting things including:
-Founding a profitable photography business
-Founding a nonprofit organization that has an ambassadors program and is funded by selling my fine art photography
-Holding contracts to shoot for modeling agencies with pictures featured in portfolios in Milan, Prague, etc.
-Photo interning for The Stanford Daily
-Founding my school’s newspaper, which I completely design, photograph for, and write for</p>
<p>Generic EC’s include:
-Debate
-Key Club
-NCL
-Joining clubs
-Broad volunteer work</p>
<p>The negative of having generic EC’s is that you don’t really standout. Would you rather accept me with the few EC’s I listed for myself above, or the kid who did 500 hours of general volunteer work and joined a few random clubs?</p>
<p>It’s unfortunate if your true passions are considered by admissions to be too generic…but there are ways you can make your passions more interesting. Using myself as an example again (sorry, it’s just easier to speak out of experience), I realized at an early age that I loved photography and became quite good at it. Instead o just taking a photo workshop or joining a photography club, however, I founded my own business, publication, and charity based around my love for the trade.</p>
<p>I think there is a double standard for EC’s. </p>
<p>Lets say you’re a poor kid from a rural or inner city area. If you have to work a full time job to support your family, manage to stay in school, get good grades, possibly take AP or IB, just being the presidnet of KEY club is a stellar EC. Anyone who says otherwise needs a serious reality check. </p>
<p>On the other hand if your father runs an international corporation you better figure out how to get an internship there (ask daddy) or start your own business (ask for daddy’s help).</p>
<p>How does this look as an ec?
I want to go to an ivy league and I would like to know if this stands out. I do have a bunch of ec that I’m heavily involved in with leadership roles in almost all of them
Odyssey of the Mind Rantra Fusca recipent at state level in PA (which is a huge deal at world finals 2 of the 5 ranatra fusca’s were given to PA schools, not mine though) and placed 19 at World finals competing again over 50 teams in arguably the most competitive problem and division in OotM. At state level my team was 2nd in spontaneous (part of the score) and we were in 5th place overall because of a technicality.
Rantra Fusca is the highest award in OotM. It’s infinitely better than 1st place, it literally is the essence of the competition.</p>
<p>Will someone please tell me how my EC’s rank? Neither of my parents/ siblings have applied to college here(1st gen immigrant), so I’m completely clueless about everything. Reading these posts only made it worse 
Please evaluate me from 1-6. I would love to have someone else’s view on this other than mine. (I hope to focus on neuroscience as an undergrad)</p>
<p>Science(& math) passion: Science Club(Held all sci bowl practices at my house & looked up practice q’s(3rd in state), sci olymp(2nd at regionals, 6th in state) *Science National Honors society<a href=“%5BB%5DFounder%20&%20president%5B/B%5D.%20Get%20middle-schoolers%20interested%20in%20Science%20&%20open%20up%20many%20opportunities%20for%20classmates(scholarships,%20summer%20programs,%20etc)”>/I</a> *Researcher at local univ<a href=“Certified%20in%20Biohazard%20safety.%2012%20months.%20Never-before-discovered%20results”>/I</a> *Health Occupation Students of America<a href=“1st%20at%20regionalsx2.%205th&3rd%20at%20state.%202nd%20at%20%5BB%5Dnationals%5B/B%5D”>/I</a> Mu Alpha Theta(math hon society( (secretary. President. 10th, 5th, and 4th at regional competition) </p>
<p>Cultural Awareness passion: *Persian Cultural Association<a href=“since%2011yrs%20old.%20Serve%20on%20the%20%5BB%5Dorganizing%20committee%5B/B%5D”>/I</a>, *Hand-In-Hand<a href=“summer%20camp%20to%20teach%20kids%20about%20other%20cultures.%20%5BB%5DCo-founder.%20Camp%20counselor%5B/B%5D”>/I</a> </p>
<p>Miscellaneous: *NHS<a href=“volunteer%20hours.%20introduced%20a%20new%20award.%20%5BB%5Dvice%20pres%5B/B%5D”>/I</a> Student Government(Class rep., Senior class pres), *Tennis<a href=“started%20last%20summer”>/I</a></p>
<p>Thanks so much.</p>
<p>[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Private Biology tutor
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: with most the aforementioned clubs & others on my own. ~250 hrs
[*] Summer Activities: HOSA Nationals. Researcher at the state university w/ a professor. Summer Science program(physics) @ National Superconducting Cyclotron Lab & Mich state Univ(19% acceptance rate–selective?). Self-studied physics to skip a level. self-taught piano. Volunteering. Intern at Neurologist’s office & neuroscience lab.</p>