Originally Posted by HowlerKarma
Val, I see your point, but also consider-- kids who are well-rounded and high LOG may well be polymaths who couldn't bear to "give up" even one of their many EC's to "focus" on something that has more bearing on their putative future career path.


I'd like to think that such institutions would be ALL OVER kids like mine. But the evidence seems to suggest that they often prefer the checklist-generated candidates instead.

I see your point about the focus thing. So, I'll amend my position and say that I don't think ECs should be used at all. The university is supposed to be about academics. ECs are great, but shouldn't be used for admissions decisions.

I see that a very bright and motivated student should stand out with lots of genuine non-tigered ECs, but the reality is that this doesn't happen these days. I'd prefer a transparent system that treats everyone the same way to the current insanity.