Or, as I prefer to consider it, not even "about themselves" so much as producing a believable facade for the rest of the world.
That, I think, is the disturbing part for us personally. Volunteer work and the like is always about personal gain, when you get right down to it. People do things for their own reasons. But the objection is about doing them because of how they will probably SEEM to others, rather than because of some inner compass or drive to do them.
Taking twelve years of piano lessons is crazy if the sole motivation is to build a more rounded or competitive vita for that child, who is almost certainly not making such choices for him or herself. Likewise, volunteering and participation in other extracurricular activities.
I personally am of the opinion that if it isn't an actively participatory thing, it probably doesn't belong in a college application packet. That is, my child is blonde and very atttractive-- should I mention that, too? It matters as much as her intellectual capacity does, in its own way; it opens doors and gives her an edge.
