<p>@Ivyleague2020: Does Harvard always take the valedictorian at your school? If so, then the Val might be a clear admit . . . unless they put down something stupid like playing tennis once a month for an hour or two. </p>
<p>FWIW: Colleges understand that students taking a rigorous course schedule must spend 3 to 4 hours a night on homework. That leaves about 20 hours a week to devote to extracurricular activities. When you complete your EC list, college’s ask you to list your EC’s in order of importance to you – and they prefer students who have a passion for an activity and spend 3-6 hours each week on several activities, rather than students who have a laundry list of activities that they spend one or two hours a week on. Please pass this advice on to your tennis playing valedictorian (or not): Spend a week adding up the time you spend in the bathroom, including showering and using the toilet. I guarantee it adds up to more than one hour a week. Bottom line: you should not list an EC that takes up less time than using the bathroom, or you will come across as a complete idiot!</p>