[oh so asian]

I'm not close to graduating yet, but I noticed a lot of people have EC's that expand from like 1-7+ years and I was wondering how important it is that you have ECs.

Right now I'm not in any. I did play piano for about 6 years, but do I have to show some kind of evidence so they know I actually did do what I wrote?

[chinese tears <3]

They're EXTREMELY important, in my opinion. A lot of schools want people who are well-rounded and have involvement and leadership; future leaders. Of course there are some students who are extremely smart and have barely any ECs and still get into the really good schools. But a lot of strong ECs can really make the difference. I know a girl who never took any AP courses, but was involved in a lot of ECs and got into UCLA.

You don't need any proof; schools practically never check so a lot of people lie about it. But some schools are starting to check, and there have been people whose admission decisions were reversed because of this.

[Avex]

I really hate the use of the word "leader".
IMO, how you impact others around you as a person is much better than being just a "leader".

there really isn't a true factor on how to get in.
give the universities a reason why they should accept you, not reject you. what can you bring to university/society that is useful?

[thebluesky]

theyre just one of the many factors of admission.
theyre not as important as gpa or the sats. ^^

[dying1004]

i personally think it's really important. the activities help show the colleges what you're like: whether you like music, whether you're athletic, whether you're dedicated to a certain club. it says a lot.

[[lovely]*]

theyre just one of the many factors of admission.
theyre not as important as gpa or the sats. ^^

imo not really...unless you are a URM or legacy, if you only have good sat scores and gpa, it's not going to get you anywhere.

[crescendoll]

well, when you're competing with a group of other students who have equally high scores on SATs and high grades, ECs really set you apart. they kind of define what kind of person you and what interests you.

[artsifartsi]

Colleges look for people who stand out from the rest and who will uniquely benefit the college they attend.
That means, just because you have near a 4.0 and high SATs, you're just put into a pool with a ton of other people who have the same.
It's the ECs that will set you apart from those people.

[cindel25]

Definitely what " chinese tears ... " said

And yeah, you don't need proof really because schools never check into it, but for an EC to really count, you often need some type of success with it: like working up to a leadership position (for clubs), and regarding piano, for piano to be viewed as an EC, you should display some awards, competitions, etc. Because if not, then it's just a hobby and by showing that you took this hobby/skill/talent and turned it into something fruitful, it'll show college admissions a lot about you. EC's definitely help your application stand out but you don't just want to give them a laundry list of stuff you did and clubs you joined. You want to show them for example a few commitments with results achieved in each one. anywaym, I know a LOT about admissions/ECs/etc. pm me about any questions! i can help you out a lot!

Off topic to sensible: Please read my pms. Thanks

[hiphopislove21]

Well..
its more like grades FIRST
and everything else. but without them, its really hard to get in

[oh so asian]

Thanks you guys

I'm going to joining a club at school and doing community work (40 hrs to graduate thought I want to get around 150+), but I plan on sticking to about 3 ECs throughout my high school years since I figured colleges would like quality or quantity right?

[anonymousfusion]

yea, i think colleges like quality.
i think ec's are extremely important
for UC's, they give you special points for extra curriculars, but it's really the SAT and GPA that really count. i called UCSD today, and it was my GPA and SAT that were the reasons why i didn't get in, since i got special points for tennis. (i was underneath the cutoff by a couple hundred points - cutoff was 7576, and i was like 7278) -__-
Privates look at extra curriculars a lot more closely, since they want to see that you're an above avg, all around student.
i mean, if you apply to a top private, almost everybody is going to have 4.0 GPA and over 2100 SAT, so it's the ec's that set you apart from everyone else

[DaAzNkIgGa627]

People w/ good grades and good scores get into colleges easier than vice versa.

Of course with prestigious ones you generally need both because everyone who is applying has good grades and good scores.

What makes you stand out? What makes you special? Who are you?

They don't want a robot on campus, they want a person ^^ and you have to show that on your resume that you are a person ^^

[binjoo]

It's really really important.
I didn't do any extracurricular actvities until my junior year, and even then it wasn't much.

I got waitlisted to one of the schools I applied to. One of my friends applied there too and got in even though I do way better than him in school. Activities and community service are a big deal. Join as many clubs as you can and perhaps find a job! ^^