Hi college confidential!
Everyone says to do one or two extracurriculars which we are truly passionate about, getting a leadership position or better, and truly committing to them, while avoiding taking EC’s which are simply to make an application look good.
Yet, on this forum (which, being an international student, is really my only way of finding a ‘standard’ if you will for the type of people who get into HYPS) I constantly see people with 4 or 5 - perhaps more - ‘large’ co-curriculars. This includes things such as founding like 2 clubs, being president of their state’s student coucil, founding a business which was sold to a relatively smaller organisation, etc. Is this level of commitment, or, for lack of a better term, prestige, within one’s EC’s, while still keeping very good grades really what is needed to get into HYPS? Or will one or two EC’s which you are highly commited to and passionate for make you competitive for these schools?
And also, one last question: How much is being in a varsity sports team considered (no leadership) for international students? (I ask this because I have devoted perhaps 80% of my time into basketball).
Thanks so much for reading my post, and please excuse my ignorance! 
For schools like HYPS, one or two world-class extracurriculars is the target for anyone with “curated” activities. 4–5 larger extracurriculars will have a similar effect, if each activity stands out (2-3 national extracurriculars, founder of club, etc.).
But these schools accept plenty of “normal” students (still an extremely strong application, but not world champions in anything). Acceptances are a little more random for those applicants than for winners of the international physics olympiad (to give one example), but most students at HYPS aren’t 1-in-a-million geniuses.
ahhhh I see, thanks so much for the insight! Really appreciated
There are many different ways to approach extracurriculars. In my experience, the strongest and most successful applicants have at least 1 (in some cases more) extra-curricular activities which have been pursued to a very high level, which relate to their overall “narrative” and long-term direction, and which they use as a focus of their application. For example, the STEM person who has made Olympiad teams and/or published research and won national awards in top science fairs has a very strong focus; the recruitable athlete, the artist who has won Scholastic Arts & Writing or National YoungArts awards and who has a top portfolio or the musician who has won competitions, participated in selective programs, and performed in prominent venues and has a top supplement also have a strong focus. Having more than 1 is great, but obviously hard to pull off. Being able to combine more than 1 area is also unusually impressive (e.g., interested in STEM and policy, and has combined the two coherently and effectively).
As @NotVerySmart notes, these students are probably the minority of applicants. Many students get in without such a strong focus or clear record of achievement; but it is certainly more difficult for them to stand out, and they are probably admitted for other reasons than on the basis of their extracurricular achievement.
Your ECs are fine - How are your grades and test scores?
If you are REALLY good at basketball & school, and are taller than 6’ 8", please contact Coach Chris Collins at Northwestern University. NU has a good record of recruiting international basketball players. Good Luck!
There are MANY students who do ECs they don’t truly care about, just to look good. There are many students who greatly exaggerate their EC activities. Until I started visiting college confidential, I wasn’t aware of the extent to which a lot of students go to in order to create an impressive resumé for their college applications. I would say that the vast majority of students who do these things are aiming for top 25 schools. And I think there is a very small number of those students who are doing the things they do simply because they love it, are totally committed to it, and do a great job at it. I am sure that the admissions committees at the top colleges can spot the kids who try too hard from the ones that are devoted to their particular cause. But also, I am sure many of the kids that go to major efforts to build an impressive list just to get into a good college are probably successful. After all, if you go to that much effort to make yourself look good, maybe you are the kind of person who will also succeed at college and in life. So I guess it depends on what kind of person you are. If your goal is to get into a top university no matter what, then I wish you the best. If you actually aren’t that kind of person, and you want to go to college to get a good education, you will be able to do that without trying to create a bunch of extra stuff that you don’t really care about. And you will probsbly end up doing just as well.
@nugraddad 6’8" as a minimum for the coach to pay attention? Drat.
Here I was thinking this Stephen Curry fellow might be a decent college player.
There is no “set” number of ECs that schools are looking for. It is about depth of activity, achievements in activity etc. For example an Olympic athlete would be fine with ECs just focusing on a sport, Malala Yousafzai will be fine just focusing on her foundation etc. For the rest of us, a couple of very in-depth achievements are fine, or significant involvement in a few clubs will work as well. As hard as people try to discern a “formula” for Ivy admissions, there is none.
In terms of basketball, unless you are a recruited athlete, it will be considered to be a good EC – nothing more, nothing less.
As someone that has gone through the admission and been fortunate enough to be accepted at a top 20 school, I might be able to shed some light, atleast to my particular situation when I was in your shoes. I didn’t have any world-class extracurriculars (none of this international/national stuff, no music stuff, no crazy research awards, etc) but what I did have was in my opinion a solid resume of things that I loved doing and the academics to throw u into the range of these top schools. I had a great GPA and a great ACT score but those are usually only enough to get you to the door of these top schools. Getting through takes many other factors (unless you have these top-notch extra amazing extracurriculars)…so its ok if you don’t have any of those but if you have a solid level of ECs which show commitment, passion, interest, and leadership, you write good essays, and you clearly show your interest in that school than thats all you can hope for. Don’t worry about the specifics because in many cases, it really takes a little bit of luck and randomness to get into top schools. Apply broadly but also have a decent number of matches and safeties and hope for the best. I was waitlisted at way too many schools but it only took 1 acceptance at a top school for things to turn out the way I hoped.
I have to wonder what Malia Obama will list as her ECs. “Attending state dinners,” ,“hosting world leaders.”
NVS - Yes, you are correct. I think NU would be willing to “settle” for a Steph Curry. The way I phrased my statement is just one more reason that I have nothing to do with actual recruiting.
Thank you so much for the insights into this, its helped me a lot I will probably settle on multiple EC’s which I enjoy/will get some depth in, since I don’t think I’m the type that will get an international award/ranking, etc. in anything.
@nugraddad no, I play PG and am only just 6 ft. haha
mmmyum - As poster NVS pointed out, if you can play like Steph Curry, it doesn’t matter how tall you are - and Steph is 6’3". Regardless, I am sure you will do great. Good Luck!
Colleges really are looking for students with ECs that show they’re going to contribute to their campus culture, for the most part. If you spread yourself very thin they will usually infer that you’re not going to stick with a couple things and truly make the campus that much more different. This is why they ask for the number of hours you’ve spent on each activity. Awards and president roles are the top things you want to shoot for, but not necessary so long as you show you’ve really added something. Even if you’re just a member of a club (along w your other ECs) or an employee, getting a recommendation from the supervisor or president or your boss/coordinator to show you’ve actively participated and really brought something innovative to the activity is enough. Colleges want to see you’re using your time towards things you’re committed to and love, which in turn will enrich the university.
You must think about admissions in terms of ‘why?’ and what they want instead of ‘get awards’ ‘high grades’ ‘good SATs’ etc
@lindagaf, Malia is a four year varsity volleyball player at her high school and two year team captain with over 2000 kills, part of a singing group that has toured nationally, and a three year starter on her HS basketball team (all-state for DC for 2 years, and their team has been 95-3 in the past few years). She also has a philanthropic project that has helped raise over $250K for children’s hospitals around the country. She also worked as a gopher on a TV series set for a month, and had an internship in the fashion industry last year. I am guessing there are more activities not known to the public. She has real ECs.
@intparent , I am a huge fan of the whole Obama family. I am glad that she is qualified to get into the great schools she is looking at. But it is amusing too. No one is going to reject the president’s daughter:-)
Agree. It just seemed like a flippant comment implying that she had no accomplishments. Although they have protected her privacy well, to be fair.
Not meant to be flippant. Actually, I had more in that post, and I didn’t realize until after edit time had passed that it cut off half my post, which was meant to be a wry comparison of my daughter to the president’s daughter, because they are aiming for some of the same schools. Pretty sure Malia has the advantage over my kid, haha!
@intparent, wow, thanks for that scoop! I’m a big Obama family fan as well and I love knowing more about Malia - as I guessed, she is quite talented. Any personal ideas about where she might end up in the fall? I’m assuming she applied somewhere ED/EA/SCEA and the family is (rightfully) sitting on the good news she received.