<p>Why should colleges care if you do an EC that does not fit your intended major? The main goal for a College is to churn out people who are MAINLY passionate about their field. Shouldn’t colleges be turned off with oddall EC’s because they show that the student is too well rounded to have any particular focus? Will Bobby really become a better Engineer because he has a black belt in Karate…or will that serve as a distraction? Can he ever apply what he learned in Karate into Engineering? If the answer is no, then why do colleges like Karate? Many believe that it is good to admit students with intresting EC’s because they allow for a greater campus diversity and they exhibit high character. However, consider the situation of British and Canadian schools. Canadian and British Universities look at EC’s far less than American schools and they are just as diverse (McGill, UofT, Western Ontario, King’s College). I’m not sure about the character issue but it’s probably just like any competitive US college.</p>
<p>–I’m just playing Devil’s advocate here…I have a lot of really intresting EC’s</p>
<p>Well if you’re applying to, say, a liberal arts school, you won’t have a main focus. They tend to place the most weight on ECs, probably as a result. Also things like leadership, for example, are useful no matter what field you intend on studying</p>
<p>EC’s are soo important b/c i mean everyone can have the same GPA or Sat scores… Also especially the SAT can now be mastered through different means some people have an advantage over others. and in regards to GPA once again some people also have advantages just think bout the number of ap’s offered at ones school or how easy it is compared to others… EC’s set you apart from others and it shows you have the drive to become something after college. Especially with leadership, thats what everyone wants. Plus it shows your commitment to something.</p>
<p>ECs , I feel, demonstrate a persons character. Perhaps that balck belt, earned after years of hard work, truly proves BObby’s discipline, a trait that he will carry during his college and life. Every EC, actyivity, or whatever we do, IMO, defines us, it builds our character.</p>
<p>nmehta4–I’m not aying that EC’s are not important by all means…i’m just saying that EC’s that are not relevant to what you are studying are not important. Will doing a bunch of EC’s that aren’t relevant really compensate for the lack of AP’s offered at one’s school? I find that very doubtful…(again, unless it was a relevant EC). </p>
<p>And as far as leadership is concerned. Could you say that graduates of British and Canadian Universities exhibit leadership qualities parrallel to american colleges? Sure you could</p>
<p>Well I have a friend who um… is in a ballet company and is homeschooled b/c she spends 25 hrs a week on ballet. She plans to major in physics. 2200 SATs, nothing spectacular in testing. She got into harvard.</p>
<p>Well I do think that ECs are a little overrated, but it should be noted that students that are very active in sports, clubs, out-of-school activities don’t have nearly as much time to study. On nights I have basketball games I don’t have enough time to do my homework, so I have to finish it before class. What if I have a test? I’m certainly not using this as an excuse because it hasn’t been a problem for my GPA. In fact, I find it easier to do my hw when I’m busy because I budget my time so much better.</p>
<p>i dont think ECs should be overlooked. so maybe <em>invents EC</em> shaving pigs for a summer is more irrelevant and doesn’t contribute to the character and caliber of the person, but more or less as long as the EC is legit, it should be considered.</p>
<p>here’s my idealistic view on this…being well-rounded is more important that being extremely skilled at one thing. i’m not saying do a bunch of things poorly, but do a good number of things well. the rare person can be extremely good at a good number of things, but those tend to be the exception, so lets ignore them for now many people are extremely intelligent…but being smart shouldn’t be an excuse to do nothing else with a person’s life except study or otherwise be antisocial in some way. (i should mention i feel like this was me up until around the middle of high school…that because i did very well in school, i had to make sacrifices in the friends i made and the things i did.) limiting one’s possibilities narrows their potential as a human being as a whole…their potential to contribute to society and community, to contribute to the progress of the human condition. also, going above and beyond what’s required (that is, going to school) shows passion and drive, things that transfer into the rest of a person’s life.</p>
<p>i think some colleges realized this, albiet on a much less lofty level. aaaand…of course there’s the practical reason in the admissions process: lots of people can have a 4.0 and a 2200+ SAT, fewer people exhibit the traits that get a 4.0 AND some excellence in several ECs.</p>
<p>Bobby has a 4.0, takes 5 AP’s, and has a 31 ACT. He is in Band, Football, Track, Mock trial, Karate, and Latin Club…He is the president of Mock Trial and Latin Club and he does alot of community service…he wants to become a Mechanical Engineer</p>
<p>Susie has the same grades and scores. She has far fewer EC’s…She’s president of Math club and President of Engineering Club (won awards in both). For the past two summer’s she has worked with her Dad at a refinery…wants to be a Mechanical Engineer</p>
<p>"The main goal for a College is to churn out people who are MAINLY passionate about their field. "</p>
<p>Actually, that’s more the mission of technical schools, which are designed to give people the skills to get a job in a specific field.</p>
<p>The role of colleges is to transform uneducated people into educated people who have an awareness of various types of knowledge, can contribute to their communities, have an openness to learning, and who are having fulfilling lives including in their extracurricular pursuits.</p>
<p>Most people who go to college end up working in fields that aren’t directly related to their majors, and the world also is changing so much that the jobs that many college students will eventually hold haven’t even been created yet. Consequently, if colleges only trained people to be passionate about their fields, they’d be training them for obsolescence and unemployment.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, most colleges don’t admit students based on ECs, but only on stats. It’s only the very top colleges that include ECs in the mix, and that’s because they have such an overabundance of high stat, highly qualified applicants that those colleges can afford to make admissions decisions on the basis of creating well rounded classes.</p>
many people are extremely intelligent…but being smart shouldn’t be an excuse to do nothing else with a person’s life except study or otherwise be antisocial in some way. (i should mention i feel like this was me up until around the middle of high school…that because i did very well in school, i had to make sacrifices in the friends i made and the things i did.) limiting one’s possibilities narrows their potential as a human being as a whole…their potential to contribute to society and community, to contribute to the progress of the human condition. also, going above and beyond what’s required (that is, going to school) shows passion and drive, things that transfer into the rest of a person’s life.</p>