Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 15:54     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Its funny how sometimes these threads devolve into playground fights amongst adults...

Of course, this topic was destined to from the get go


Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 15:26     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Travel sports are common and not impressive. Pay to play a game.


-1. Crazy amount of travel, dedication and time management skills. No other EC is as time consuming as high level travel sport. AOs know this.


there are kids in high school who hold down pretty substantial jobs. there are kids who work on farms in the hours before school starts and then again after.

everyone assumes their kids hockey (etc) schedule is the most time consuming, but everyone can't be right


Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 15:10     Subject: Re:What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?

Probably the ones my kid is doing. And I DGAF because he's doing what he enjoys doing.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 14:33     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This post is interesting. My son decided to switch from track and field to robotics after last year, because his times were average and he thought robotics would look better for college applications. But sounds like people think it may not matter. And maybe it actually doesn't, since it turns out he likes robotics a bit better anyway.


If you like being on the robotics team it's a great choice. You learn good skills and teamwork.


Robotics takes about twice as much time as travel sports.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 12:26     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Anonymous wrote:This post is interesting. My son decided to switch from track and field to robotics after last year, because his times were average and he thought robotics would look better for college applications. But sounds like people think it may not matter. And maybe it actually doesn't, since it turns out he likes robotics a bit better anyway.


If you like being on the robotics team it's a great choice. You learn good skills and teamwork.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 11:47     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
And yet parents continue to sign their kids up for travel teams practicing 3-4 nights a week, travel out of state on the weekends. These kids don’t even have enough time to study.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 11:20     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Travel sports only matters if all those hours translate into national level awards - individual.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 10:57     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Travel sports are common and not impressive. Pay to play a game.


-1. Crazy amount of travel, dedication and time management skills. No other EC is as time consuming as high level travel sport. AOs know this.


there are kids in high school who hold down pretty substantial jobs. there are kids who work on farms in the hours before school starts and then again after.

everyone assumes their kids hockey (etc) schedule is the most time consuming, but everyone can't be right
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 10:54     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Travel sports are common and not impressive. Pay to play a game.


-1. Crazy amount of travel, dedication and time management skills. No other EC is as time consuming as high level travel sport. AOs know this.


debate is every weekend for three seasons. plus prep during week
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 10:53     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Anonymous wrote:What are the most common/unremarkable ECs, unremarkable meaning that an admissions officer would not give much weight to them due to how widespread it is, even if there is leadership involved, and that would only catch an AOs eye if you won a national-level award for the EC?

IMO, the most common, especially in this area, would be student government, debate/model un, academic team/math/science/etc Olympiad, NHS, odyssey, Scouts, rec sports, and maybe theater


Haha.

My kid did half the things on your list and was accepted everywhere, including 3 top 10 schools.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 10:27     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Anonymous wrote:This post is interesting. My son decided to switch from track and field to robotics after last year, because his times were average and he thought robotics would look better for college applications. But sounds like people think it may not matter. And maybe it actually doesn't, since it turns out he likes robotics a bit better anyway.


See now this is an interesting story. He is taking grit, dedication etc that he learned from sports and applying that to the robotics team. Pulling others along with him etc.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 10:23     Subject: Re:What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Travel sports


-1. A travel sport combined with top grades and top scores from a rigorous HS is a dream candidate: smart AND hard working. A recipe for life long success. Doesn't get better than that.

Boring and really common. Nothing close to a dream candidate. Everyone applying is hard working.



So common with so many travel teams out there. Also there is literally nothing academic about this at all, not helping people, not making the world a better place, no research. If not a recruited athlete, this is a yawner.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 09:35     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Watch the Yale Podcast - on how to stand out.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 09:33     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Travel sports are common and not impressive. Pay to play a game.


-1. Crazy amount of travel, dedication and time management skills. No other EC is as time consuming as high level travel sport. AOs know this.


Any EC can take a significant amount of time if one chooses to invest. This is not unique to a travel sport.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2025 09:26     Subject: What are the most common/unremarkable ECs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Travel sports are common and not impressive. Pay to play a game.


-1. Crazy amount of travel, dedication and time management skills. No other EC is as time consuming as high level travel sport. AOs know this.


Sure for T50/T75.

For selective schools, ask any admissions officer it’s about standing out and being different.

Do all of that and have something else - that’s a twist that makes you unique. Memorable.