<p>I'm a white male from the Northwest. </p>
<p>My current first choice: Vassar. I am leaning towards applying ED there. Other colleges I intend to apply to: Claremont McKenna (reach), Colby, Bates, Whitman, Skidmore (safety). Also considering Middlebury, Swarthmore and Northwestern. </p>
<p>Academics: I take honors courses, have a 4.0 unweighted, 2140 SAT and 32 ACT on first attempts. So I feel that I'm in pretty good shape in this area. </p>
<p>However, I am nervous about my extracurriculars.</p>
<p>So, here's what I have done: I have played basketball and soccer all three years and will continue to do so (however, I've been JV in the first three years). I have been in student government all four years as well, and am part of a program of student advisors for underclassmen. I just finished a summer internship. And I am a frequent writer for a popular sports website which I've been a part of for 2-3 years now. </p>
<p>What concerns me is this: I haven't done any clubs. Mock trial, speech and debate, model UN, etc...I have never done any of this, whereas it seems like most of my friends (who, granted, aren't as athletically involved as me) are involved in multiple. Clubs just never really appealed to me, but now I'm worried my lack of involvement in the many clubs offered will hurt me. </p>
<p>So, essentially, my question is this: How much emphasis do colleges put on club participation (are all EC's created equal?), and is a short list (4-5) of EC's that I have stuck with and attained leadership positions in equally/more impressive as participating in a bunch of clubs?</p>
<p>Also, this is a chances thread, so thoughts in that area are much appreciated. </p>
<p>My final question: am I aiming at a good group of schools? I don't care much for prestige, but would I be a competitive enough applicant based on what you see here to apply to a school like Brown, Swarthmore or Cornell? </p>
<p>Thanks so much, any help is greatly appreciated!</p>