does common app ask for hours spent in each activity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They ask specifically so that people won't list a bunch of clubs they joined but never attended.
3 hours a month for 6 years looks great--sustained commitment and regular participation.

6 years? Do you include hours from middle school?

No. Common app is clear that activities are 9th-12th only. You can mention that you've been doing it longer in the description, though.

Use the other parts of the application to communicate additional information. For example, you can weave into an essay the fact that the kid has been doing an activity since middle school. Some virtue signalling schools are test blind, meaning they won't even look at your SAT scores. Guess what, mention that in an essay "XXX taught me to work hard or focus (or whatever) and this resulted in my scoring a 1580 on the SAT in one sitting". They can't unread what they have read.

Do not do that at a test blind school. The UCs have spoken out against it and it’s poor form and makes applicant look bad. You can however list your National Merit award. That’s the proper way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just make it up. My kids all did. It means nothing. Nobody is adding up the hours.

Don't cheat

It’s not cheating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They ask specifically so that people won't list a bunch of clubs they joined but never attended.
3 hours a month for 6 years looks great--sustained commitment and regular participation.

6 years? Do you include hours from middle school?

No. Common app is clear that activities are 9th-12th only. You can mention that you've been doing it longer in the description, though.

Use the other parts of the application to communicate additional information. For example, you can weave into an essay the fact that the kid has been doing an activity since middle school. Some virtue signalling schools are test blind, meaning they won't even look at your SAT scores. Guess what, mention that in an essay "XXX taught me to work hard or focus (or whatever) and this resulted in my scoring a 1580 on the SAT in one sitting". They can't unread what they have read.

Trust me, they'll notice, and it won't reflect well on your bratty kid.

[Anonymous]

Meant that to be braggy, but bratty works too.

[Anonymous]

DS wrote about baseball for sustained interest in one of his essays. 6,000 hours from K-12.

[Anonymous]

My DS said in the comments that he had been playing on the same travel soccer team since U8. He only listed the time commitment for 9th-12th.

[Anonymous]

Make it up. Seriously. Most ppl do.

And get into ivies…

[Anonymous]

It’s depressing.
All my kids friends have coaches doing their essays and apps for them right now while DS is hard at work writing his “why Michigan” essay. He’s complaining bc many are using the same private counselor who does the entire app/essays for the all of his kids…

Given that reality, I’d say, hell yay.
Make shit up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s depressing.
All my kids friends have coaches doing their essays and apps for them right now while DS is hard at work writing his “why Michigan” essay. He’s complaining bc many are using the same private counselor who does the entire app/essays for the all of his kids…

Given that reality, I’d say, hell yay.
Make shit up.

I’d be interested to hear a report back after admissions decisions are in. I suspect AOs are on to some of this, especially if it’s one counselor for many kids from the same school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS said in the comments that he had been playing on the same travel soccer team since U8. He only listed the time commitment for 9th-12th.

I think this is the way to do it for activities that were started before HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They ask specifically so that people won't list a bunch of clubs they joined but never attended.
3 hours a month for 6 years looks great--sustained commitment and regular participation.

6 years? Do you include hours from middle school?

No. Common app is clear that activities are 9th-12th only. You can mention that you've been doing it longer in the description, though.

Use the other parts of the application to communicate additional information. For example, you can weave into an essay the fact that the kid has been doing an activity since middle school. Some virtue signalling schools are test blind, meaning they won't even look at your SAT scores. Guess what, mention that in an essay "XXX taught me to work hard or focus (or whatever) and this resulted in my scoring a 1580 on the SAT in one sitting". They can't unread what they have read.

I would hope that a school like the UC's would not accept a kid who specifically disclosed information they were asked not to disclose in that way. No one wants someone who can't follow basic directions in their school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just make it up. My kids all did. It means nothing. Nobody is adding up the hours.

Don't cheat

It’s not cheating.

Making up activities that you did not do is absolutely cheating. Are you totally devoid of ethics? Why would you defend lying to cheat the application as "not cheating. " Of course it's cheating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make it up. Seriously. Most ppl do.

And get into ivies…

No they don't. And, if some cheat like this, it doesn't justify you doing it too. Stop that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They ask specifically so that people won't list a bunch of clubs they joined but never attended.
3 hours a month for 6 years looks great--sustained commitment and regular participation.

6 years? Do you include hours from middle school?

No. Common app is clear that activities are 9th-12th only. You can mention that you've been doing it longer in the description, though.

Use the other parts of the application to communicate additional information. For example, you can weave into an essay the fact that the kid has been doing an activity since middle school. Some virtue signalling schools are test blind, meaning they won't even look at your SAT scores. Guess what, mention that in an essay "XXX taught me to work hard or focus (or whatever) and this resulted in my scoring a 1580 on the SAT in one sitting". They can't unread what they have read.

Terrible idea re: dropping the score in an essay. At any school, this just looks bad. And what's with the loaded "virtue signaling?" That's weird and seems like an attempt at partisan trolling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s depressing.
All my kids friends have coaches doing their essays and apps for them right now while DS is hard at work writing his “why Michigan” essay. He’s complaining bc many are using the same private counselor who does the entire app/essays for the all of his kids…

Given that reality, I’d say, hell yay.
Make shit up.

I’d be interested to hear a report back after admissions decisions are in. I suspect AOs are on to some of this, especially if it’s one counselor for many kids from the same school.

And yet, there are several posts/articles about how AOs don't have more than a few minutes to read through each application package! Which is it? Are these AOs some super geniuses that work 24 hours a day to thoroughly read through 75,000+ applications or are they average/below average grunts whose job it is to identify just a few gems by quickly parsing through thousands of applications? More than likely it's the latter and more than likely they are paid $20 bucks an hour to do it and most couldn't care less about your child's 'poignant' and 'rivetting' essay, knowing fully well that someone else wrote it or had inputs into it.