<p>The only thing I can add to what has already been said about passion in an EC is to prepare your child to write about that passion in an essay or to talk about that passion in an interview. My D is a senior, and schools that have interviewed and accepted her (so far) have given her feedback far and away about her Venture Crew EC. One school specifically said that they always get applicants who spend the $$$ to go on a wilderness trip during the summer, but to them it was a more refreshing thing altogether to hear from an applicant who spent the year planning the trip from soup to nuts before going on the trip itself. FWIW, there really is a difference…</p>