> I once read that a candidate was rejected because, having an enormous amount of extracurricular activities in his CV, was deemed "too intense".
While “too intense” is poor wording (and perhaps shorthand), I’m guessing that the activities had the following traits:
1. Limited to unspecified “participation”, the substance of which was not verified or confirmed in other parts of the application. Typically elite schools are looking for leadership roles as well as moving the needle in some way.
2. Looked like resume/application boosting since no one can reasonably participate in a quality manner in this many activities.
In certain communities, especially in the NE corridor, racking up mostly low-engagement ECs is a hobby.
While “too intense” is poor wording (and perhaps shorthand), I’m guessing that the activities had the following traits:
1. Limited to unspecified “participation”, the substance of which was not verified or confirmed in other parts of the application. Typically elite schools are looking for leadership roles as well as moving the needle in some way.
2. Looked like resume/application boosting since no one can reasonably participate in a quality manner in this many activities.
In certain communities, especially in the NE corridor, racking up mostly low-engagement ECs is a hobby.