Having a decent rating, assuming it is coming from a reputable organization like USCF/FIDE, would be a nice bullet point to list. If you want to make it part of your branding narrative into your application, you can highlight that point. However, it is - for the purposes of admissions - an EC at best. How strong it appears will be a reflection of how strong your application is overall, and how well you can tie it into your narrative (your personal statement is your soapbox).
I would not, for instance, oversell it as a reflection of personal excellence. But rather a vehicle, perhaps amongst others, for how you learned lessons about persistance, or other values which can be manifestly supported by the performance listed in your application.
This would be extremely helpful as a current high schooler, but I was wondering if chess is considered as a good or above average EC in terms of applying to a good college (such as UC Berkeley) and if so what would make it impressive? Would having a high USCF/FIDE rating such as 1850+ including a title or even starting a chess club be beneficial to applying to college?
I am aware that colleges are looking for talent, dedication, persistence and the valuable insights you gain from your ECs, but would chess showcase this? How impressive would a 1800 USCF rated player be, and is chess even a good EC to begin with?