EC listing strategy in common app

[Anonymous]

Does everyone make one of the 10 activities kind of quirky to show personality or stress hobbies?

There was one posted on this site a few weeks ago and “dog walking” was listed as one of the 10 main activities (towards the bottom of the list). I’ve been looking on Reddit and in other places for successful candidates and it looks like many people have one hobby listed.

Anyone btdt? What hobby did your kid list?

[Anonymous]

My kid listed the hobbies and activities that she participates in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does everyone make one of the 10 activities kind of quirky to show personality or stress hobbies?

There was one posted on this site a few weeks ago and “dog walking” was listed as one of the 10 main activities (towards the bottom of the list). I’ve been looking on Reddit and in other places for successful candidates and it looks like many people have one hobby listed.

Anyone btdt? What hobby did your kid list?

That "dog walking" entry was absurd. She listed herself as running a dog walking business for the family's own dog.

One of my kids spends a lot of time on hobbies at home. He'll list them, because it's an accurate portrayal of who he is. My other kid doesn't, unless you consider practicing his musical instrument a hobby, but he'll fold that into an entry about his lessons.

[Anonymous]

Do you think even for a quirky hobby it should still somehow related to DC’s narratives? Like building a wild life habitat if you’re pursuing ecology major? Or tropical fish at home if the intended major is marine biology?

[Anonymous]

Mine did. Upcycling and thrifting clothing were listed as hobbies.

Not related to the major at all.

Not sure it mattered. But admitted to many T20.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you think even for a quirky hobby it should still somehow related to DC’s narratives? Like building a wild life habitat if you’re pursuing ecology major? Or tropical fish at home if the intended major is marine biology?

No, I wouldn't. That looks "over curated" - and could signal parental management, etc. Look on admityogi.com for how many successful kids do it.
Don't make it look like an adult resume.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you should absolutely list hobbies. This adds "texture" to your application. Most high stats kids are missing texture.

Example: instead of reading books put "Organized a community book club focusing on 20th-century American literature, which improved my analytical skills and fostered a local network of literary enthusiasts."

https://www.collegevine.com/faq/8559/best-way-to-list-hobbies-on-common-app#

Most kids have hobbies. The point is to personalize your kid and not make them seem like a bot.

https://empowerly.com/applications/common-app-activities-examples/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you think even for a quirky hobby it should still somehow related to DC’s narratives? Like building a wild life habitat if you’re pursuing ecology major? Or tropical fish at home if the intended major is marine biology?

I think if your kid has a quirky or mainstream hobby, they should list it if they spend a significant amount of time on it. If it fits, that's fine, if it doesn't that's fine. I wouldn't manufacture a hobby just to be able to list it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think even for a quirky hobby it should still somehow related to DC’s narratives? Like building a wild life habitat if you’re pursuing ecology major? Or tropical fish at home if the intended major is marine biology?

No, I wouldn't. That looks "over curated" - and could signal parental management, etc. Look on admityogi.com for how many successful kids do it.
Don't make it look like an adult resume.

Mine got nothing quirky.
Spent most free time on sports, gym, browsing.
Doodling and counting calories for every meal. But it’s pointless to list them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Example: instead of reading books put "Organized a community book club focusing on 20th-century American literature, which improved my analytical skills and fostered a local network of literary enthusiasts."

That's not a hobby. That's a club. Clubs are fine too, but they don't matter more than hobbies.

A hobby would be reading. I read a few hours every day in high school. If the common app had been a thing, I would have listed it as reading, maybe including some kind of statistic about how many books I read or something like that. I probably wouldn't have mentioned the amount of it that was done holding the book under my desk in math class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think even for a quirky hobby it should still somehow related to DC’s narratives? Like building a wild life habitat if you’re pursuing ecology major? Or tropical fish at home if the intended major is marine biology?

No, I wouldn't. That looks "over curated" - and could signal parental management, etc. Look on admityogi.com for how many successful kids do it.
Don't make it look like an adult resume.

Mine got nothing quirky.
Spent most free time on sports, gym, browsing.
Doodling and counting calories for every meal. But it’s pointless to list them.

art doodling? that's actually cool.
if so, i'd include that. encourage your kid to submit their art to local contests (links below).

Doodle Artist
Independent Art Practice
Create doodle art through free-form drawing sessions, exploring how wandering thoughts translate into visual stories, competing in local and national contests, like Red Bull Doodle Art, while encouraging others to embrace their own messy, imaginative creative side.

https://explorersagainstextinction.co.uk/initiatives/sketch-for-survival/sketch-for-survival-competition/
https://www.blackcatmke.com/news/red-bull-doodle-contest
https://doodles.google.com/d4g/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Example: instead of reading books put "Organized a community book club focusing on 20th-century American literature, which improved my analytical skills and fostered a local network of literary enthusiasts."

That's not a hobby. That's a club. Clubs are fine too, but they don't matter more than hobbies.

A hobby would be reading. I read a few hours every day in high school. If the common app had been a thing, I would have listed it as reading, maybe including some kind of statistic about how many books I read or something like that. I probably wouldn't have mentioned the amount of it that was done holding the book under my desk in math class.

That's literally the excerpted example used in the CV link - think it's more a guide on how to formalize a hobby? Unclear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you should absolutely list hobbies. This adds "texture" to your application. Most high stats kids are missing texture.

Example: instead of reading books put "Organized a community book club focusing on 20th-century American literature, which improved my analytical skills and fostered a local network of literary enthusiasts."

https://www.collegevine.com/faq/8559/best-way-to-list-hobbies-on-common-app#

Most kids have hobbies. The point is to personalize your kid and not make them seem like a bot.

https://empowerly.com/applications/common-app-activities-examples/

PSA: i clicked on the empowerly link above and am already getting spam in my email. Thanks a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you should absolutely list hobbies. This adds "texture" to your application. Most high stats kids are missing texture.

Example: instead of reading books put "Organized a community book club focusing on 20th-century American literature, which improved my analytical skills and fostered a local network of literary enthusiasts."

https://www.collegevine.com/faq/8559/best-way-to-list-hobbies-on-common-app#

Most kids have hobbies. The point is to personalize your kid and not make them seem like a bot.

https://empowerly.com/applications/common-app-activities-examples/

PSA: i clicked on the empowerly link above and am already getting spam in my email. Thanks a lot.

how do they have your email address?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you should absolutely list hobbies. This adds "texture" to your application. Most high stats kids are missing texture.

Example: instead of reading books put "Organized a community book club focusing on 20th-century American literature, which improved my analytical skills and fostered a local network of literary enthusiasts."

https://www.collegevine.com/faq/8559/best-way-to-list-hobbies-on-common-app#

Most kids have hobbies. The point is to personalize your kid and not make them seem like a bot.

https://empowerly.com/applications/common-app-activities-examples/

PSA: i clicked on the empowerly link above and am already getting spam in my email. Thanks a lot.

how do they have your email address?

I have no idea. I did not leave any contact info, just clicked the link above.

I received an email "Your recent visit has unlocked an exclusive offer" with a coupon to activate 10% off my "order,"not specifying what my "order" is supposed to be, but there's some reference to helping my student/family through the admissions process.