Extracurricular activities

[Anonymous]

From what I understand, the notion of involvement in "50" different activities/clubs/organizations is no longer successful in garnering the attention of selective schools. Admissions would rather see applicants go all in on a few areas of interest. Academics and standardized testing aside, those parents with kids that attended such schools, does this look like a "promising" list?

Club officer in area of academic interest;
Internship loosely related to area of academic interest;
One sport Varsity athlete;
Honor Council;
Member NHS;
"Feed the homeless"

Thanks

[Anonymous]

It's fine. The good stuff is in the activity description, where you describe what you actually did. Use action verbs like a resume.

The Common App includes 10 spaces for activity entries.

[Anonymous]

Yes - that's fine.

[Anonymous]

looks fine, it is all in how you describe it... my DS wrote his humorously to kind of jazz up a bit of lack of depth in his activities. His only "special" EC was his sport which he is the top ranked athlete on his HS team. Otherwise, pretty commonplace activities plus a PT job.

[Anonymous]

List is fine unless you’re looking at selective schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:looks fine, it is all in how you describe it... my DS wrote his humorously to kind of jazz up a bit of lack of depth in his activities. His only "special" EC was his sport which he is the top ranked athlete on his HS team. Otherwise, pretty commonplace activities plus a PT job.

Where did he end up and what major? What was his acaedmic stats like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:List is fine unless you’re looking at selective schools.

Fine for what? T-10? T-20? 21-50?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:List is fine unless you’re looking at selective schools.

OP is asking about selective schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:List is fine unless you’re looking at selective schools.

Fine for what? T-10? T-20? 21-50?

Not fine for T 20 schools. Most of the kids I know who got in had amazing stats and over the top ECs.

[Anonymous]

The list is just so blah. Was there any national recognition in any activity or was he in a travel team or anything special? Being a club officer is a dime a dozen, unless it’s actually a hard club to get into like editor in chief of the school newspaper. This list doesn’t make your child different from anybody else. A lot of kids here have already been published or have gone over and beyond in their respective activities. Some arbitrary “feeding the homeless” is not enough.

[Anonymous]

Sheesh. Tiger moms ruining things for everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sheesh. Tiger moms ruining things for everyone else.

Jonny Kim's mom probably still calls him lazy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:looks fine, it is all in how you describe it... my DS wrote his humorously to kind of jazz up a bit of lack of depth in his activities. His only "special" EC was his sport which he is the top ranked athlete on his HS team. Otherwise, pretty commonplace activities plus a PT job.

Where did he end up and what major? What was his acaedmic stats like?

He is going to UVA. Great GPA, average scores. Foreign affairs major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From what I understand, the notion of involvement in "50" different activities/clubs/organizations is no longer successful in garnering the attention of selective schools. Admissions would rather see applicants go all in on a few areas of interest. Academics and standardized testing aside, those parents with kids that attended such schools, does this look like a "promising" list?

Club officer in area of academic interest;
Internship loosely related to area of academic interest;
One sport Varsity athlete;
Honor Council;
Member NHS;
"Feed the homeless"

Thanks

The problem with designing activities is that it stresses good kids out, and there’s no way to know what admissions people will really want once a kid’s applying to colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The list is just so blah. Was there any national recognition in any activity or was he in a travel team or anything special? Being a club officer is a dime a dozen, unless it’s actually a hard club to get into like editor in chief of the school newspaper. This list doesn’t make your child different from anybody else. A lot of kids here have already been published or have gone over and beyond in their respective activities. Some arbitrary “feeding the homeless” is not enough.

OP here. That's why I asked. Thanks.