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I'm guessing that there isn't one that is actually meaningfully true, Wren.
If there were, it would immediately be perverted by the prevailing "in at all costs" mentality surrounding the college admissions rat race, anyway, which would invalidate it within a year or two. That means that using such a list prepares students to be hypercompetitive for an admissions game that is about 10 years BEHIND when they'll actually apply, in most cases. You can't really get the time and training in time to make use of it in a timely fashion if you were to learn that "steer roping" was the Next Big Ticket. Because colleges are looking for kids that have 6-10 years of "commitment" to whatever it is.
From what I can tell (insider info and also parent reports from HS-into-college process), there are some offbeat things that play well at individual schools, and hitting those means that nobody else is going to much care...
I mean, "fencing" is one of those things, KWIM? A school that doesn't have even club athletics to support it isn't going to care any more about fencing than about llama agility on a student's EC list.
Bottom line is that it is probably not wise to choose EC's for most kids on the basis of what others will think of those things. It's too unpredictable and it changes too rapidly. It's like hitting the jackpot if you HAPPEN to be in the right place (10 years invested into {activity} and good skills} at the right time (just when Prestigious U. decides that they REALLY want kids with Unicycle Expertise).
Last edited by HowlerKarma; 08/28/1307:45 AM. Reason: lack of caffeine and a failing backspace key
You know that the many high schools in the northeast got into fencing because it was one of those things. I know a kid who got into Harvard about 4 years ago from NJ because she was a fencer. And my dog walking buddies who were going through college admission this year mentioned their top private schools were pushing the fencing. So the admissions people at those privates must be on top of it. Extended family member, who did undergrad at Princeton (played football there) then did MBA at Harvard was heavily invested in getting his oldest into Princeton. The wrestling coach told him that you can be off 1 standard deviation in the scores if you have the activity they want. Girls hockey or whatever. Don't the schools have lists of all competitive teams? whether it is dance or fencing, they would look for that.
Well, HK, that list looks pretty darned impressive to me! If that's not enough to look good on a college application, then my kids are destined for community college. Which is where I went, for the same reason, I suppose. But as long as they're doing what they're interested in, I don't care.
DD7 is in her second year of dance, which she hadn't overtly expressed an interest in but I signed her up for anyway last year because she is such a "dancy" thing. Last year, she didn't hate it but I didn't really think she loved it either, until we got the video back from the recital. Since then, she has been obsessed with watching it every day and practicing everybody's dance routines, and couldn't wait to start again this year. So I guess I chose it for her, based on her interests, and now she chooses it herself.
DS10 just started cross-country, about the same way. He really seemed to like the little bit of track that they got in 4th and 5th grade, for the all-schools track meet at the end of the year, and he's built for either running or wrestling, not much else, so I kind of kept at him about going out for track this year. Like his sister, he didn't seem to hate the idea, but I wasn't sure he loved it either, but he was into the idea enough to sign up when school started, and he seems to be thriving on it.
I intend to push him into knowledge bowl the same way, and expect the same results. I don't think my kids have any burning passions, but I didn't either -- the problem is, my parents never pushed me into anything and I think they probably should have. We don't have the money to do every activity in the book, and I don't have the time for it, either, but I do intend to make sure they do a few things.
I would like to have them do target shooting, but DS's Asperger's difficulties manifest in such a way that I am a little afraid of teaching him to shoot. Maybe DD when she's a little bit older.
Our DD's haven't had a choice about doing or not doing EC's yet. They have to try it and know we expect them to see it through to the end whether they end up liking whatever it is or not. We will give them options when they are older and can make more wise, informed decisions on what they want to do.
Our area has recreational sports and they will continue to play soccer, basketball, volleyball, softball, and do summer swim team. We have also done trampoline and tumbling/dance. These were both a bit on the expensive side and less convenient to get the girls to, so they just sort of faded out of our schedule. We tried jujitsu and only lasted one session. The girls liked it until the instructor started teaching painful moves where you twist your opponent's wrist back until they say "yame" and give up. We were okay with not continuing jujitsu because as we sat through the classes we could see it written all over their faces - they were not having fun anymore and were dreading sparring time. Our younger DD even started to have anxiety about going and you could tell she was holding back tears when another kid would do the wrist-twist move.
DD9 tried out for a children's musical when she was about 6-7 years old and didn't get a part because she wouldn't speak up and play up the little things they asked them to do. DD later said she wasn't comfortable around all the other kids she didn't know. She was very upset when she didn't get a part, and vowed to never try again. We told her she may change her mind and she couldn't just give up after one poor experience. DD7's turn came earlier this summer. She is the one always singing and dancing around the house, so we thought she would be excited to try out. We were wrong, she didn't want to. I sort of told her she had to try, okay, I really told her she didn't have an option and she was going to do it because I thought she would really like it. She ended up having a great time, did a wonderful job, and wants to do it again next year. She later thanked me and told me I was right. I know!!! LOL! She now lists acting as one of her hobbies - how funny is that!?!
We are getting ready to start our 2nd year of piano. It isn't their favorite thing to do, but we feel being able to read music and play an instrument is important. I'm sure they will thank us later when they are in the junior/senior high band and get to go on trips to play at interesting events.
We are also active in 4-H. This out of all the activities the girls are in, might benefit them the most in the long run. It teaches them so many things and has so many options for us to try and learn about.
I would like to have them do target shooting, but DS's Asperger's difficulties manifest in such a way that I am a little afraid of teaching him to shoot. Maybe DD when she's a little bit older.
My kids' only exposure to this has been (and will be) in the context of Boy Scouting. The range masters are really, really careful about safety on the range and safety training about guns in general.
Because we live in a place where people do own guns, I felt it was important to have that experience of knowing what to do when they encounter one, even though I don't particularly want to encourage it as an enthusiasm.
Bottom line is that it is probably not wise to choose EC's for most kids on the basis of what others will think of those things. It's too unpredictable and it changes too rapidly. It's like hitting the jackpot if you HAPPEN to be in the right place (10 years invested into {activity} and good skills} at the right time (just when Prestigious U. decides that they REALLY want kids with Unicycle Expertise).
I disagree. I'm fairly confident that Harvard will not drop rowing (for example) and therefore the recruitment of rowers in the forseeable future. Note the "half a century" in the article below. Whether one should take up rowing for this reason is a different question.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/sports/harry-parker-dies-at-77-guiding-hand-in-rowing.html Harry Parker Dies at 77; Guiding Hand in Rowing By BRUCE WEBER Published: June 27, 2013 Harry Parker, who coached Harvard rowers with unrivaled success for more than half a century and coached both men’s and women’s Olympic medal-winning crews, died on Tuesday in Boston. He was 77.
One way to guess which ECs can be developed in high school for the sake of college applications is to look at what the elite prep schools offer. Is it a coincidence that the sports page of Phillips Exeter http://www.exeter.edu/athletics/185.aspx prominently features rowing?
Yes! Yes! Target shooting! We are looking into this for DD9 and DD7. They want to do both gun and bow. DH is a big bow hunter (for deer) and also dabbles in some bird hunting, so this is something the girls can bond with him on. There are some clubs around our area that have some scheduled competitions. The girls are more into just doing it for fun, but DD9 has a real talent with a gun, so we may try to see where that will take her.
I enjoy just the target-type gun and bow shooting, but DH always asks me if I want to get up in a tree stand and try getting a deer. I hear it can be very relaxing, just sitting in nature, waiting on the perfect opportunity, but I would probably want to bring a book with me and I'd be thinking about all the things I could be getting done.
We did recently learn how important it is to determine which eye is your dominate eye when it comes to shooting. DD7 couldn't hit the broad side of a barn when she first started shooting. We just let her do what felt comfortable to her, and she held the gun right-handed. As soon as we figured out she was left eye dominate and had her switch to a left handed hold, she improved tremendously.
If you don't already know about this it is really easy to figure out -
Bostonian, my apologies for not being clearer-- but-- OF COURSE there are "elite" sports such as sailing, crew, fencing, rugby, and lacrosse. Of course. But those are quite common at this point, which rather defeats the purpose of choosing one of those if your child turns out to have rather average ability in those domains.
Different matter, of course, if Susie turns out to be a killer rugby player, but that is also a matter of passion and genetic good fortune as much as anything else.
That's why I said that really, pick something that your kids show both interest and aptitude in, and stick with it. If they are passionate about it and good at it, that's probably a better thing in the larger picture anyway, and it COULD be helpful come college time.
My DD comes across as a bit of a dilettente on paper, I fear-- she's tried TOO MANY different things. I would never say this to her, but she is starting to look like a total MarySue.
Finally, if you are a Tiger Father dreaming of your progeny surpassing your sporting achievements, when should you insist your child specialize in one sport?
Not too young. A study of 243 Danish athletes in sports that are measured in “centimeters, grams, or seconds” (such as swimming, weightlifting, or track and field) found that burnout is a sizable threat. The most successful don’t start specializing until after age 15. Until their late teens, contra the 10,000 Hour Rule, they have fewer cumulative hours of practice than the future also-rans.
In other words, let your kid play normal schoolyard sports such as soccer or basketball for a long time before picking a specialty. The more obscure sports tend to be boring for children, so don’t make play an ordeal.
Obviously, this Danish finding, like almost all of Epstein’s book, is commonsensical. This lack of counterintuitive Gladwellian advice will no doubt limit the author’s success on the public-speaking circuit. But it may prevent a few unhappy childhoods.
We did recently learn how important it is to determine which eye is your dominate eye when it comes to shooting. DD7 couldn't hit the broad side of a barn when she first started shooting. We just let her do what felt comfortable to her, and she held the gun right-handed. As soon as we figured out she was left eye dominate and had her switch to a left handed hold, she improved tremendously.
Yep. I was somewhere around 10-12 when my stepdad took us out to the range with his .22 rifle, and for safety's sake he insisted on holding it, but let us aim and fire. As the only left-dominant shooter in the bunch (and right-handed to boot, so nobody would ever suspect), I was laughably atrocious at it... though I did come ever so close to the target on the far right when I aimed at the one on the far left.
