Anonymous
05/06/2026 16:29
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
My kid is first chair in a regional orchestra but is that really a strong extracurricular? He is not winning national or regional concerto competitions so neither of us really think it will move the needle although we would be happy to be wrong
Anonymous
05/06/2026 16:21
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
Strong EC means authenticity and impacts.
Anonymous
05/06/2026 16:15
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What is elite level athlete? You are either recruitable, or not recruitable.
You can be recruitable but choosing not to play. If a girl was a starter on a nationally ranked team but chose not to play they still have a fantastic EC. If they were a captain on the team even better. They were elite at their main EC which is the bar.
Definitely not true and I say this as a parent of varsity atheletes. If your kid is not an athletic recruit, sports are among the useless ecs. May get some leadership points if kid is a varsity captain, but others pretty useless as far as admission as impact.
My son was a varsity captain of his basketball team but not a recruited athlete but 3 kids on his team were high D1 recruited. The varsity captain helped college admissions tremendously in addition to his strong academics.
Source for this? Where is he going? Captains of teams are ok but generally meaningless. There are many of them at every school...
Anonymous
05/06/2026 16:02
Subject: Re:A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
OP most of your good ones are not really stand out ones.
Anonymous
05/06/2026 16:01
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
The things that you are listing as elite are not remotely equivalent. Student body President could be nothing depending on the school. National champion debater could be enough to get you in virtually anywhere. McDonalds employment is... fine?
Anonymous
05/06/2026 15:57
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What is elite level athlete? You are either recruitable, or not recruitable.
You can be recruitable but choosing not to play. If a girl was a starter on a nationally ranked team but chose not to play they still have a fantastic EC. If they were a captain on the team even better. They were elite at their main EC which is the bar.
Definitely not true and I say this as a parent of varsity atheletes. If your kid is not an athletic recruit, sports are among the useless ecs. May get some leadership points if kid is a varsity captain, but others pretty useless as far as admission as impact.
My son was a varsity captain of his basketball team but not a recruited athlete but 3 kids on his team were high D1 recruited. The varsity captain helped college admissions tremendously in addition to his strong academics.
Anonymous
05/06/2026 15:55
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
Anonymous wrote:Strong ECs means:
1. school president
2. first chair in audition orchestra/band
3. elite-level athlete
4. multi-year (3+) community service commitment at the same organization
5. multiple awards won at top tournaments/conferences: speech and debater/Model UNer
6. steady job of any kind (McDonald's and the like=bonus)
Strong ECs does NOT mean:
1. president of many clubs
2. started a non-profit
3. did research with a professor
4. participated in any or all of the "strong ECs" above but not with demonstrated commitment (i.e. many years) and/or significant recognition (i.e. varsity athlete but not top individual stats, on student council but not president)
This list is not comprehensive but there is a great deal of misinformation here about what "strong ECs" means.
Sort of.
School president can be a popularity contest. Or not.
Research with a professor or starting a non-profit can be very significant. Or not.
Jobs and athletes are a dime a dozen.
Which is all to say it's mostly about impact. Any of the things you name can have incredible impact and be part of a strong narrative. Or they could just be blips, or in name only. It's really very nuanced.
Anonymous
05/06/2026 15:51
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What is elite level athlete? You are either recruitable, or not recruitable.
You can be recruitable but choosing not to play. If a girl was a starter on a nationally ranked team but chose not to play they still have a fantastic EC. If they were a captain on the team even better. They were elite at their main EC which is the bar.
Definitely not true and I say this as a parent of varsity atheletes. If your kid is not an athletic recruit, sports are among the useless ecs. May get some leadership points if kid is a varsity captain, but others pretty useless as far as admission as impact.
Anonymous
05/06/2026 15:46
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
Anonymous wrote:What is elite level athlete? You are either recruitable, or not recruitable.
You can be recruitable but choosing not to play. If a girl was a starter on a nationally ranked team but chose not to play they still have a fantastic EC. If they were a captain on the team even better. They were elite at their main EC which is the bar.
Anonymous
05/06/2026 15:45
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
Omg the AO looking at your file decides whether the ECs are strong based on the whole file, it isn't a yes or no list made up by a guy in DCUM. It is does this kid make sense and do their ECs support that.
Anonymous
05/06/2026 15:43
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
Eagle Scout, Boys State/Nation
Anonymous
05/06/2026 15:43
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
School president does not help much at our school.
Anonymous
05/06/2026 15:42
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
What is elite level athlete? You are either recruitable, or not recruitable.
Anonymous
05/06/2026 15:41
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
People like you are exhausting.
Anonymous
05/06/2026 15:37
Subject: A reality check on "strong extracurriculars"
Strong ECs means:
1. school president
2. first chair in audition orchestra/band
3. elite-level athlete
4. multi-year (3+) community service commitment at the same organization
5. multiple awards won at top tournaments/conferences: speech and debater/Model UNer
6. steady job of any kind (McDonald's and the like=bonus)
Strong ECs does NOT mean:
1. president of many clubs
2. started a non-profit
3. did research with a professor
4. participated in any or all of the "strong ECs" above but not with demonstrated commitment (i.e. many years) and/or significant recognition (i.e. varsity athlete but not top individual stats, on student council but not president)
This list is not comprehensive but there is a great deal of misinformation here about what "strong ECs" means.
1. school president
2. first chair in audition orchestra/band
3. elite-level athlete
4. multi-year (3+) community service commitment at the same organization
5. multiple awards won at top tournaments/conferences: speech and debater/Model UNer
6. steady job of any kind (McDonald's and the like=bonus)
Strong ECs does NOT mean:
1. president of many clubs
2. started a non-profit
3. did research with a professor
4. participated in any or all of the "strong ECs" above but not with demonstrated commitment (i.e. many years) and/or significant recognition (i.e. varsity athlete but not top individual stats, on student council but not president)
This list is not comprehensive but there is a great deal of misinformation here about what "strong ECs" means.