What extracurriculars would you *not* mention, because they reek of privilege/other negatives?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting, I don't think of lacrosse as a rich people sport, but I'm from upstate NY where every public high school has a team.

It is viewed as a preppy sport full of "lax bros" by some.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like there is a subtle or not so subtle troll on today.

Yes, probably the same one 'in tears about her daughter'.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I forbade DS from mentioning his extensive video gaming time, unless he could somehow write a great essay about it. He couldn't, so that got shelved. It's not like he won a gaming championship, or was a YouTuber with millions of followers.

Anything that get you noticed is worth mentioning, but only if there's a measurable achievement you can point to.

All my kids have ridden horses, but again, it's just a hobby, no eventing or anything.

The colleges are not just looking for “measurable achievements.” They want to know who your kid is and what they do with their time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I forbade DS from mentioning his extensive video gaming time, unless he could somehow write a great essay about it. He couldn't, so that got shelved. It's not like he won a gaming championship, or was a YouTuber with millions of followers.

Anything that get you noticed is worth mentioning, but only if there's a measurable achievement you can point to.

All my kids have ridden horses, but again, it's just a hobby, no eventing or anything.

I am the first videogame PP.
so what do I do if my DS has a measurable achievement in about nothing?
He draws and wrestles but it’s all recreational. He is passionate about videogames though lol

Recreational drawing and wrestling are fine to mention, if that is all he has. At least it shows breadth of interests.

Regarding the video games - you may be able to put a spin on it depending on what he plays and if he’s involved in online communities. My DS used it in his personal statement for Pitt (accepted). Talked a little about the pandemic and virtual year which cut him off from several activities. For one of the games he enjoys playing a lot, he also spends time leading groups of new players to teach them how to play the scenarios, so they can join more experienced players. He spoke about how it was hard for him to get up to speed (and experienced players can be mean), so he wanted to help others. Video games seem pointless to a lot of adults, but they can involve communication, planning, leadership, and programming. This generation has grown up with them - it’s going to be more common that it is a main activity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting, I don't think of lacrosse as a rich people sport, but I'm from upstate NY where every public high school has a team.

It is viewed as a preppy sport full of "lax bros" by some.

Sigh. Only by people who don't understand the geography of lax. The DMV is the only area where lax is a private school thing. Everywhere else it is all public. Long Island, Atlanta, New York, etc, all publics. Some people in this area don't "get" that the DMV isn't on most people's horizon.

[Anonymous]

When teens go on "missions" or "service trips" to developing countries. No one is impressed by those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When teens go on "missions" or "service trips" to developing countries. No one is impressed by those.

I agree these are cringe and I wouldn’t put it on an application.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting, I don't think of lacrosse as a rich people sport, but I'm from upstate NY where every public high school has a team.

It is viewed as a preppy sport full of "lax bros" by some.

Sigh. Only by people who don't understand the geography of lax. The DMV is the only area where lax is a private school thing. Everywhere else it is all public. Long Island, Atlanta, New York, etc, all publics. Some people in this area don't "get" that the DMV isn't on most people's horizon.

It’s a public school thing here too. It’s an east coast sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting, I don't think of lacrosse as a rich people sport, but I'm from upstate NY where every public high school has a team.

It is viewed as a preppy sport full of "lax bros" by some.

Sigh. Only by people who don't understand the geography of lax. The DMV is the only area where lax is a private school thing. Everywhere else it is all public. Long Island, Atlanta, New York, etc, all publics. Some people in this area don't "get" that the DMV isn't on most people's horizon.

For that matter, FCPS high schools have lacrosse teams.

If your kid is trying to get recruited to play college lacrosse then it'd be pretty stupid to not mention lacrosse because it "reeks of privilege".

[Anonymous]

We can't all be underprivileged immigrant minority first-generation applicants who nevertheless founded a non-profit to provide clean water in Burundi.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP - not a troll. My child does an activity that I mentioned, and another mom told me not to report it because (and I quote) "it smacks of privilege." I don't agree, but I wanted to get a sense of what other people think. And yes, I agree with the poster who said they know my address and such and can make some reasonable assumptions based on that.

Sailing, squash or horses? It doesn't matter. If they did it, you report it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting, I don't think of lacrosse as a rich people sport, but I'm from upstate NY where every public high school has a team.

Same. From a middle to lower middle class area of Pennsylvania where all the public schools have lacrosse teams. Learned how to play as a 10th grader, played varsity by senior year and even was able to play on my college team.

No one saw it as a rich kid sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do you draw the line at reporting something super-expensive (sailing, pilot's license, climbing internationally, equestrian)?
Or other things that just say "I'm rich" (unpaid internships, especially ones where you have to be connected -- banks, senators, etc.)?

As someone that rejects wokeism, it would not cross my mind to draw any lines at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting, I don't think of lacrosse as a rich people sport, but I'm from upstate NY where every public high school has a team.

Same. From a middle to lower middle class area of Pennsylvania where all the public schools have lacrosse teams. Learned how to play as a 10th grader, played varsity by senior year and even was able to play on my college team.

No one saw it as a rich kid sport.

Lucky you. Close to major metropolitan areas, the lax clubs have tried to figure out to suck the maximum amount of dollars out of lax family wallets. In those areas, it's generally played by students with plenty of disposable income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like there is a subtle or not so subtle troll on today.

Yes! So many threads.