What makes a good EC?
I'm wondering what makes a strong Extracurricular, because a lot of website list olympiad teams, mathletes, and etc. But my school personally doesn't offer that at all, and It's to late in the year to start up those programs. Is it fine if I start an olympiad team in my school senior year, or will that not be worth it to put on my application. (I'm going to start in anyways, because I'm interested in it.)
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2 answers
A strong extracurricular demonstrates leadership and determination. You should show that you are passionate about that certain field/topic. It's important to have multiple strong extracurriculars for top colleges. Starting an olympiad team is great-- it shows leadership and determination. It will definitely boost your application, especially since your school didn't have anything similar before. Always be true to yourself. Don't participate in extracurriculars that you think colleges want to see. They know what is genuine and what isn't. Do what is enjoyable and interesting for you.
Extracurricular activities are broken down into tiers (tier one being the highest/most impressive). College Vine has a great blog post that gives examples of activities in each tier: https://blog.collegevine.com/breaking-down-the-4-tiers-of-extracurricular-activities/
Starting a olympiad team in senior year is worth putting on your college application. If it is an especially meaningful EC to you, you could also consider writing a supplemental essay about it. This would show AOs that, even though you didn't start the activity until senior year, it is important to you and something you are genuinely interested in.
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