ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones

[Anonymous]

The best ECs are not necessarily memorable or “important” but rather that help convey to AOs who this applicant is, how they will positively contribute to campus life, and show dedication and leadership.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not in this year. There was a student who went on a journey of being a sailor. Then "wrote" a book about that experience, published. Got in stanford.

Risky, but worked.

Two months before the mast?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from high school with a kid who started a robotics company in middle school. He sold it junior year for enough to pay for 4 years at Harvard and then some, after taxes. I was pretty impressed.

What’s he up to now? Just curious.

He’s divorced, unemployed, and homeless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean you can bet everyone would know your kid as the obituary writer if that was their PT job/EC.....

This is what Dartmouth loves….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get the push for “unique” ECs. These will all be dropped by second semester senior hr in high school and never picked up again. They don’t make anyone interesting.

Plus where is the time? Between a bunch of AP classes and there isn’t much time to pursue more than one activity. I have a freshman doing a varsity sport and it is so time consuming. He’s at practice after school until 5pm, if there’s a game too he’s there until 7pm. And there’s 3 games per week! Then the Saturday multi school games last the entire day. He barely has time to keep up with practicing his instrument.

For T20 schools, the varsity sport is barely worth a mention…..

This is just not true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the most unusual or memorable ECs you've heard about this year?

I have a senior and an 8th grader - so it's really just curiosity or nosiness at this point.

DS took a gap year and became a male stripper. He is now at Columbia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get the push for “unique” ECs. These will all be dropped by second semester senior hr in high school and never picked up again. They don’t make anyone interesting.

Plus where is the time? Between a bunch of AP classes and there isn’t much time to pursue more than one activity. I have a freshman doing a varsity sport and it is so time consuming. He’s at practice after school until 5pm, if there’s a game too he’s there until 7pm. And there’s 3 games per week! Then the Saturday multi school games last the entire day. He barely has time to keep up with practicing his instrument.

For T20 schools, the varsity sport is barely worth a mention…..

This is just not true.

NP - disagree. Unless you are a recruited athlete, massive numbers of kids have this on their apps and it is fairly meaningless beyond being another ok activity… even states kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get the push for “unique” ECs. These will all be dropped by second semester senior hr in high school and never picked up again. They don’t make anyone interesting.

Plus where is the time? Between a bunch of AP classes and there isn’t much time to pursue more than one activity. I have a freshman doing a varsity sport and it is so time consuming. He’s at practice after school until 5pm, if there’s a game too he’s there until 7pm. And there’s 3 games per week! Then the Saturday multi school games last the entire day. He barely has time to keep up with practicing his instrument.

For T20 schools, the varsity sport is barely worth a mention…..

This is just not true.

NP - disagree. Unless you are a recruited athlete, massive numbers of kids have this on their apps and it is fairly meaningless beyond being another ok activity… even states kids.

Agree.
It’s good “we’ll-rounded” sportiness for a STEM kid….but unless you tie it to more stuff, just meaningless for selective schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After years of being a rec bball coach for for my kids, when my kids had aged out the program director called me and begged for me to be a “nonparent volunteer” because she had a team that had no parents interested. So I said yes and told my DD she had to be the coach and I was the assistant. But she organized it all, the practices, the plays, who starts, the subs, she was the actual coach in the games (only one can be standing).

We ended up being assigned a group of kids who lived in Section 8 (because it’s by neighborhood) of the U8 age group. These kids were super young. Many were being raised by grandparents and most had no other kid activities they did. They were a very cute and lively bunch. It was pure luck we got these kids, and if we hadn’t taken them on there would have been no coach.

The first year we won half our games but by the second year we won our age group in the rec playoffs/championships. The entire thing was an incredible experience. She ended up loving doing it. The little girls really took to her. I reminded my daughter that she was building an actual community in this team and that for many of them it was the highlight of their day to come see her and do practice.

I mean it’s not starting your own nonprofit but it is real volunteering, rolling up your sleeves and getting involved. Whenever she sees one of “her girls” out at the store or somewhere else the smile on their faces says it all.

If I were in admissions I would accept your child over all of the kids with the manufactured interests and/or the laundry lists of club presidencies, etc. Because this is clearly sincere and real. The key is her bringing her sincerity across in her essay. Because unfortunately there are many people who do similar things to your daughter who are not emotionally invested but are just doing it for college.

The result was great for the little kids and this poster’s kids…but it was still parent directed and a result of nepotism.

1. When program director called parent for a nonparent volunteer, it means that kid got the job solely bc of nepotism.

2. Kid did not have an independent burning passion or desire to do this work - parent said yes to the program director “and told DD she had to be the coach.” Meaning parent directed child’s work/focus.

True, but it's better than most ECs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After years of being a rec bball coach for for my kids, when my kids had aged out the program director called me and begged for me to be a “nonparent volunteer” because she had a team that had no parents interested. So I said yes and told my DD she had to be the coach and I was the assistant. But she organized it all, the practices, the plays, who starts, the subs, she was the actual coach in the games (only one can be standing).

We ended up being assigned a group of kids who lived in Section 8 (because it’s by neighborhood) of the U8 age group. These kids were super young. Many were being raised by grandparents and most had no other kid activities they did. They were a very cute and lively bunch. It was pure luck we got these kids, and if we hadn’t taken them on there would have been no coach.

The first year we won half our games but by the second year we won our age group in the rec playoffs/championships. The entire thing was an incredible experience. She ended up loving doing it. The little girls really took to her. I reminded my daughter that she was building an actual community in this team and that for many of them it was the highlight of their day to come see her and do practice.

I mean it’s not starting your own nonprofit but it is real volunteering, rolling up your sleeves and getting involved. Whenever she sees one of “her girls” out at the store or somewhere else the smile on their faces says it all.

If I were in admissions I would accept your child over all of the kids with the manufactured interests and/or the laundry lists of club presidencies, etc. Because this is clearly sincere and real. The key is her bringing her sincerity across in her essay. Because unfortunately there are many people who do similar things to your daughter who are not emotionally invested but are just doing it for college.

The result was great for the little kids and this poster’s kids…but it was still parent directed and a result of nepotism.

1. When program director called parent for a nonparent volunteer, it means that kid got the job solely bc of nepotism.

2. Kid did not have an independent burning passion or desire to do this work - parent said yes to the program director “and told DD she had to be the coach.” Meaning parent directed child’s work/focus.

True, but it's better than most ECs

the question is, how did DD write about the experience? On the one hand, claiming to be the coach would be the lie as her mom is the coach, but on the other hand, saying "I was an assistant coach to my mom, but I totally did everything myself" doesn't seem as compelling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How exactly do you start doing "cartography" or mapmaking as an EC? In a class at a college?

You start playing around with GIS. I know at least one school in the area has a class or EC to get kids involved - I saw the kids on stage during the plenary presentation for a 15000+ person industry conference last year. They typically have some youth presentation each year. I can only imagine that would make a great college essay. There’s a lot of cool mapmaking you can do once you learn the software and several programs/awards to get kids involved.

Which conference

[Anonymous]

Interested in the unusual hobbies this year.
Anyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get the push for “unique” ECs. These will all be dropped by second semester senior hr in high school and never picked up again. They don’t make anyone interesting.

Plus where is the time? Between a bunch of AP classes and there isn’t much time to pursue more than one activity. I have a freshman doing a varsity sport and it is so time consuming. He’s at practice after school until 5pm, if there’s a game too he’s there until 7pm. And there’s 3 games per week! Then the Saturday multi school games last the entire day. He barely has time to keep up with practicing his instrument.

For T20 schools, the varsity sport is barely worth a mention…..

This is just not true.

Any advice on how a non-recruited multi-sport athlete can use varsity and travel sports to stand out? Specific examples would be super helpful here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interested in the unusual hobbies this year.
Anyone?

Hobby Horsing

[Anonymous]

Found this thread and I’m mesmerized. Like whoa.