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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]How many ECs do kids have to list?  My daughter barely has time to do much outside of her rowing, where she's devoting 3+ hours a day year-around.  Is she really expected to hold down jobs or be a president of a club that has impact?  This is a little scary.  [/quote]

I know someone who does crew. Very few other ECs due to time commitment for rowing. [/quote]

+1 
I have a kid who spent 25-30 hours per week, all year long competing in niche sport while attending their local public school. They have no activities to put down aside from being an occasional club member. No leadership roles, no jobs. They let their passion consume everything and they are looking back with regret. [/quote]

Activities are much less of a big deal than most applicants think - unless the student is going to compete in college. The activities section is way down the list of what is important. In any case, AOs prefer depth over a large number of activities. 
-college counselor[/quote]

This may be true at non-T25 spots, but where I am a reader, it's the 2nd thing we look at it. It's how to frame all the kids who look EXACTLY the same from a high school. It's actually one of the first ways to stand out. Even before the essays. Do something other people aren't doing and do it well/deeply.

So, I disagree that it's not important. It is important, if only to show your passion, why you do it. I think people [b]over-rotate on the same 10-15 activities[/b]: no one cares about your debate or your Varsity soccer or your DECA. Especially because most kids just sign up to these clubs because they feel they have to. They don't really care deeply about any of it.

Better to be an EMT. A blacksmith. Restoring vintage baseball paraphernalia. Even tinkering with old watches. Or an artist restoring traditional textiles and artifacts.

Look to see how a school treats "Extracurricular Activities and "Talent/Ability" on the CDS. If they say, "Very Important" - it means they absolutely look at it (and often before "Important" or "Considered" - like Class Rank, GPA, Recommendations, Application Essay or Test Scores) - and maybe look at it early.

UChicago CDS: https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/voices.uchicago.edu/dist/8/2077/files/2025/08/CDS_2024-2025_to_publish.pdf
Vanderbilt CDS: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/dsa/common-data-set/
Duke CDS: https://provost.duke.edu/sites/default/files/CDS-2023-24-FINAL.pdf
Northwestern CDS: https://www.enrollment.northwestern.edu/data/2024-2025.pdf
WashU CDS: https://washu.edu/app/uploads/2025/06/2024-2025-WashU-CDS.pdf

[/quote]

Yep: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1233143.page[/quote]

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