What are your kids’ EC’s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is my daughter’s list. She is a lot more motivated than I am!

Fall/Spring sports all 4 years, plus winter training
Volunteers 2x month doing food distribution
Foster kittens (lots of time involved in this)
Member of a county wide board
Social media manager for one club
President of Model UN
Secretary for another club
Tutoring through English Honor Society
Member of a few other clubs
Works part time
Volunteers for student government projects at school
Member of a district wide advisory committee.

Wow! My DC will have a much smaller list. The main activity demands 16-20 hours a week year round. There just isn’t enough time with school in the way. :p

I think colleges looking at a list like pp’s will tend to assume her commitment to most of the activities was fairly minimal, maybe an hour or two a month at most.

Good news! The common app makes applicants calculate how many hours per week, how many weeks a year, and how many years (high school only).

Yes, but self reported and people will inflate and lie.

But at a certain point, the math can't add up if kids inflate it.

7 hours school
6 hours sleep
2 hours commute/eat/shower (and that assumes close school, quick shower, eat on the run)
2 hours homework (at least. Often my kid has 4 hours and/or is really front loading the weekend)

that leaves 7 hours for all those other activities: sports which is 2-3 hours, a job which i am guessing has a minimum 4 hour shift, cats apparently take a lot...

Math that doesn't add up to a 24 hour day would be a red flag, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is my daughter’s list. She is a lot more motivated than I am!

Fall/Spring sports all 4 years, plus winter training
Volunteers 2x month doing food distribution
Foster kittens (lots of time involved in this)
Member of a county wide board
Social media manager for one club
President of Model UN
Secretary for another club
Tutoring through English Honor Society
Member of a few other clubs
Works part time
Volunteers for student government projects at school
Member of a district wide advisory committee.

Wow! My DC will have a much smaller list. The main activity demands 16-20 hours a week year round. There just isn’t enough time with school in the way. :p

I think colleges looking at a list like pp’s will tend to assume her commitment to most of the activities was fairly minimal, maybe an hour or two a month at most.

Good news! The common app makes applicants calculate how many hours per week, how many weeks a year, and how many years (high school only).

Yes, but self reported and people will inflate and lie.

But at a certain point, the math can't add up if kids inflate it.

7 hours school
6 hours sleep
2 hours commute/eat/shower (and that assumes close school, quick shower, eat on the run)
2 hours homework (at least. Often my kid has 4 hours and/or is really front loading the weekend)

that leaves 7 hours for all those other activities: sports which is 2-3 hours, a job which i am guessing has a minimum 4 hour shift, cats apparently take a lot...

Math that doesn't add up to a 24 hour day would be a red flag, right?

Not to mention if every hour is plugged in, when do kids socialize, watch TV (check social media or play video games), or generally have downtime -- which I think every teen needs? Or if that is below your child (which inevitably someone on this board will), what about family responsibilities/chores, learning to drive, reading the paper/listening to the news, going to church/worship, or having social interactions with family (dinner time, calling grandma)? i am digressing but this is a reminder that the admissions system values feel messed up if they are prioritizing extra curriculars to the exclusion of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is my daughter’s list. She is a lot more motivated than I am!

Fall/Spring sports all 4 years, plus winter training
Volunteers 2x month doing food distribution
Foster kittens (lots of time involved in this)
Member of a county wide board
Social media manager for one club
President of Model UN
Secretary for another club
Tutoring through English Honor Society
Member of a few other clubs
Works part time
Volunteers for student government projects at school
Member of a district wide advisory committee.

Wow! My DC will have a much smaller list. The main activity demands 16-20 hours a week year round. There just isn’t enough time with school in the way. :p

I think colleges looking at a list like pp’s will tend to assume her commitment to most of the activities was fairly minimal, maybe an hour or two a month at most.

Good news! The common app makes applicants calculate how many hours per week, how many weeks a year, and how many years (high school only).

Yes, but self reported and people will inflate and lie.

But at a certain point, the math can't add up if kids inflate it.

7 hours school
6 hours sleep
2 hours commute/eat/shower (and that assumes close school, quick shower, eat on the run)
2 hours homework (at least. Often my kid has 4 hours and/or is really front loading the weekend)

that leaves 7 hours for all those other activities: sports which is 2-3 hours, a job which i am guessing has a minimum 4 hour shift, cats apparently take a lot...

Math that doesn't add up to a 24 hour day would be a red flag, right?

6 hours sleep? Hopefully they are getting 8. I agree, though, some of the lists just don't make sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is my daughter’s list. She is a lot more motivated than I am!

Fall/Spring sports all 4 years, plus winter training
Volunteers 2x month doing food distribution
Foster kittens (lots of time involved in this)
Member of a county wide board
Social media manager for one club
President of Model UN
Secretary for another club
Tutoring through English Honor Society
Member of a few other clubs
Works part time
Volunteers for student government projects at school
Member of a district wide advisory committee.

Wow! My DC will have a much smaller list. The main activity demands 16-20 hours a week year round. There just isn’t enough time with school in the way. :p

I think colleges looking at a list like pp’s will tend to assume her commitment to most of the activities was fairly minimal, maybe an hour or two a month at most.

Good news! The common app makes applicants calculate how many hours per week, how many weeks a year, and how many years (high school only).

Yes, but self reported and people will inflate and lie.

But at a certain point, the math can't add up if kids inflate it.

7 hours school
6 hours sleep
2 hours commute/eat/shower (and that assumes close school, quick shower, eat on the run)
2 hours homework (at least. Often my kid has 4 hours and/or is really front loading the weekend)

that leaves 7 hours for all those other activities: sports which is 2-3 hours, a job which i am guessing has a minimum 4 hour shift, cats apparently take a lot...

Math that doesn't add up to a 24 hour day would be a red flag, right?

You realize kids don’t work or volunteer every day right? And most clubs don’t meet every day. Sport is most days, but not every sport is a 4 hour/day commitment. At my kid’s school, field hockey is 4-6, M-Th and 90% of the games are on a weekday. Most kids attend clubs before practice or over lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is my daughter’s list. She is a lot more motivated than I am!

Fall/Spring sports all 4 years, plus winter training
Volunteers 2x month doing food distribution
Foster kittens (lots of time involved in this)
Member of a county wide board
Social media manager for one club
President of Model UN
Secretary for another club
Tutoring through English Honor Society
Member of a few other clubs
Works part time
Volunteers for student government projects at school
Member of a district wide advisory committee.

Wow! My DC will have a much smaller list. The main activity demands 16-20 hours a week year round. There just isn’t enough time with school in the way. :p

I think colleges looking at a list like pp’s will tend to assume her commitment to most of the activities was fairly minimal, maybe an hour or two a month at most.

Good news! The common app makes applicants calculate how many hours per week, how many weeks a year, and how many years (high school only).

Yes, but self reported and people will inflate and lie.

But at a certain point, the math can't add up if kids inflate it.

7 hours school
6 hours sleep
2 hours commute/eat/shower (and that assumes close school, quick shower, eat on the run)
2 hours homework (at least. Often my kid has 4 hours and/or is really front loading the weekend)

that leaves 7 hours for all those other activities: sports which is 2-3 hours, a job which i am guessing has a minimum 4 hour shift, cats apparently take a lot...

Math that doesn't add up to a 24 hour day would be a red flag, right?

Not to mention if every hour is plugged in, when do kids socialize, watch TV (check social media or play video games), or generally have downtime -- which I think every teen needs? Or if that is below your child (which inevitably someone on this board will), what about family responsibilities/chores, learning to drive, reading the paper/listening to the news, going to church/worship, or having social interactions with family (dinner time, calling grandma)? i am digressing but this is a reminder that the admissions system values feel messed up if they are prioritizing extra curriculars to the exclusion of life.

Good point. Mine is in 10th this year, but we are already starting to talk about balance b/c time to be a normal kid who can just hang out sometime or can actually go to a school game on a Friday night are important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has zero sports
Very little volunteer activity
Didn't do honor societies
Has had a paid part time job for a year
Has a leadership role in one club since middle school
Has a 2 other light-involvement clubs
Has an online site with original essays
So, nothing spectacular according to DCUM standards

Hopefully these will help:
Has national, regional and local awards
Was selected for a competitive summer program
Good SAT score
Is in the top 10% of class
Will complete 13 APs
Is a fantastic cook

Ha, this sounds similar to my kid
He did great, good results with strong recs and risky, memorable essay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is my daughter’s list. She is a lot more motivated than I am!

Fall/Spring sports all 4 years, plus winter training
Volunteers 2x month doing food distribution
Foster kittens (lots of time involved in this)
Member of a county wide board
Social media manager for one club
President of Model UN
Secretary for another club
Tutoring through English Honor Society
Member of a few other clubs
Works part time
Volunteers for student government projects at school
Member of a district wide advisory committee.

Wow! My DC will have a much smaller list. The main activity demands 16-20 hours a week year round. There just isn’t enough time with school in the way. :p

I think colleges looking at a list like pp’s will tend to assume her commitment to most of the activities was fairly minimal, maybe an hour or two a month at most.

Good news! The common app makes applicants calculate how many hours per week, how many weeks a year, and how many years (high school only).

Yes, but self reported and people will inflate and lie.

But at a certain point, the math can't add up if kids inflate it.

7 hours school
6 hours sleep
2 hours commute/eat/shower (and that assumes close school, quick shower, eat on the run)
2 hours homework (at least. Often my kid has 4 hours and/or is really front loading the weekend)

that leaves 7 hours for all those other activities: sports which is 2-3 hours, a job which i am guessing has a minimum 4 hour shift, cats apparently take a lot...

Math that doesn't add up to a 24 hour day would be a red flag, right?

Not sure why you are trying to add this all up as an every day and weekday thing. Like a pp said, some sports aren't every day. My kid's was 3 dats/week + 1 day every other weekend. Still intense during that period, but it wasn't all year. Some kids volunteer in summer or on weekends. I don't know about time commitment for cat care, though! (Not that poster). Some civic activities are only 2x a month. A list like that is reasonable and doesn't necessarily suggest spreading oneself thin. The kids put in #hours/week and #weeks/year and #years. So, it is clear what was a major investment and what was a minor involvement.

My kid practices an instrument 2 hours a day pretty much every day. She probably got 6 hours of sleep in HS but had short commute. Her other commitments were larger chunks at different times or minor commitments. It was not unreasonable as her admissions record attests. But, it was stressful because it was hard for her to balance it all. For sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is my daughter’s list. She is a lot more motivated than I am!

Fall/Spring sports all 4 years, plus winter training
Volunteers 2x month doing food distribution
Foster kittens (lots of time involved in this)
Member of a county wide board
Social media manager for one club
President of Model UN
Secretary for another club
Tutoring through English Honor Society
Member of a few other clubs
Works part time
Volunteers for student government projects at school
Member of a district wide advisory committee.

Wow! My DC will have a much smaller list. The main activity demands 16-20 hours a week year round. There just isn’t enough time with school in the way. :p

I think colleges looking at a list like pp’s will tend to assume her commitment to most of the activities was fairly minimal, maybe an hour or two a month at most.

Good news! The common app makes applicants calculate how many hours per week, how many weeks a year, and how many years (high school only).

Yes, but self reported and people will inflate and lie.

But at a certain point, the math can't add up if kids inflate it.

7 hours school
6 hours sleep
2 hours commute/eat/shower (and that assumes close school, quick shower, eat on the run)
2 hours homework (at least. Often my kid has 4 hours and/or is really front loading the weekend)

that leaves 7 hours for all those other activities: sports which is 2-3 hours, a job which i am guessing has a minimum 4 hour shift, cats apparently take a lot...

Math that doesn't add up to a 24 hour day would be a red flag, right?

I think I added it up bc people are always posting that their kid does so many activities but the reality is, if you have a long list, the time commitment is pretty low. Conversely, there are people whose kids do fewer but at great commitment. My point is the devil is in the details and you really can't compare ECs without a lot of data.

Not sure why you are trying to add this all up as an every day and weekday thing. Like a pp said, some sports aren't every day. My kid's was 3 dats/week + 1 day every other weekend. Still intense during that period, but it wasn't all year. Some kids volunteer in summer or on weekends. I don't know about time commitment for cat care, though! (Not that poster). Some civic activities are only 2x a month. A list like that is reasonable and doesn't necessarily suggest spreading oneself thin. The kids put in #hours/week and #weeks/year and #years. So, it is clear what was a major investment and what was a minor involvement.

My kid practices an instrument 2 hours a day pretty much every day. She probably got 6 hours of sleep in HS but had short commute. Her other commitments were larger chunks at different times or minor commitments. It was not unreasonable as her admissions record attests. But, it was stressful because it was hard for her to balance it all. For sure.

[Anonymous]

My son is super involved in ECs. Below are the things that I can think of:

1. All 4 years of varsity sports in Fall, Winter and Spring
2. Engineering research internship at a state university where he made a device to monitor and treatment a disease using an app
3. Math research with undergraduate students- paper submitted for publication
4. 4 years of playing instrument in school band and pep rally
5. President of Math Club
6. Co-leader of a cultural event club at school
7. Part time work during summer as a lifeguard
8. Volunteers as an assistant to train young athletes during school years and swim lessons during summer
9. Organized events to collect funds and assemble and distribute care packages to homeless population.

[Anonymous]

My junior kid keeps signing up for more classes online. I guess it’s his thing! He’s very academic and likes those clubs at his school. He is rather wildly efficient about getting his homework done during commutes and downtime.

As a parent I’m just letting him do whatever he wants rather than designing extracurriculars for college app. I’ll let you know how it worked in a year and a half.

[Anonymous]

Reviving this thread. Question to parents of magnet school kids who made it to a good school-what ECs did your kids do? I am parent of an IB kid and thinking of asking DC to drop one sport (not the main one) as I see lots of stress around the main sport at JV level already. DC also plays for an orchestra, does one club at school.

[Anonymous]

the fewer clubs with deep interest and proof that thy were active is the best. The schools see right through the kids with the long lists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reviving this thread. Question to parents of magnet school kids who made it to a good school-what ECs did your kids do? I am parent of an IB kid and thinking of asking DC to drop one sport (not the main one) as I see lots of stress around the main sport at JV level already. DC also plays for an orchestra, does one club at school.

I did the pro actor kid post upthread. She was a magnet student. Also, serious on an instrument. It got a little intense at times when things all hit at once, but schedule had some ebb and flow...

Mine did one sport, and that was probably more demanding than everything else at times. Sports are a big time commitment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD had what I would call strong extracurriculars but nothing national or very unique.

4 season sports for years, including travel sports, HS varsity captain, etc.
FT job in summer for several years, increasing responsibility over years
volunteering and later paid work
Clubs at school
Personal business enterprise for years

A few awards, etc. ECs offset B+ academics and ADHD. I think the application showed she was a hard worker, creative and a leader. Was accepted to all colleges, but didn’t apply to T50+.

Can you share some colleges she was accepted to? My DD has similar profile.

[Anonymous]

What EC,s are good for CS degree, I wonder how the kids get opportunities to do research projects in school and get their papers published