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.htmlHarry 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?
