titles for essays about extracurricular activities

College essay resources

How (and why) to write a college essay about your extracurricular activities | guide + examples, what to write about.

Brad Schiller

😢 Won’t anyone think of the college admissions readers? 😢

In our work as college essay coaches , we’ve lately been delighted to learn that many people are in fact worried that college admission officers might be bored — specifically due to redundant college essays that rehash all the stuff that’s in the Activities List in prose-form.

Ugh! That would indeed be horribly boring. (And it does indeed happen.) 

[Shaking head.] Poor admissions readers.

But — little nuance — you don’t have to rehash what you put in your activities list. You could instead expand upon what’s there by either: 

• Talking more about the impact you had and the actions you took to achieve that impact ✨, or 
• Showing how the activity relates to your personal brand as an applicant who will succeed in college and beyond. ✨

Bottom line: writing a Common App Personal Statement (or supplemental essay) about a meaningful extracurricular activity is often a great idea. Read on for how to do it right.

In fact, many college applications specifically ask students to describe an activity or work experience — proof that colleges are interested in learning more about them. 

What you *don’t* want to do: Redundancy & the dreaded “it makes me feel alive” trap 

While the idea that you shouldn’t write about activities in college application essays is a pernicious rumor, as college essay coaches , we must admit that this territory does come with some real danger. 

The danger is that, instead of writing an essay that sheds light on how you’ll succeed in college and beyond , you talk about the activity in a way that adds little to nothing over what’s already in your Activity List. 

Here are some approaches that have been known to tempt those facing the terror of the blank page:

• “I love soccer so much. The thrill of the game is my favorite thing. I feel so alive when I’m on the field. One time, I scored this amazing goal. [Brilliant writing describes this amazing goal in gorgeous detail.]”
• [Same as above, except substitute “music” for “soccer” and “in front of an audience” for “on the field,” and so on.]
• “Debate is my passion. I began in ninth grade knowing nothing. But I worked hard at it, and won my first award as a freshman, even though it was only 9th place. As a sophomore, my skills really improved. I came in 3rd in the Semi-All Around [editor’s note: does that sound like a believable award?]. Finally, my junior year, I came in first in the National Regionals!”

Let’s analyze.

In the first two types of essays (the “[activity] makes me feel alive!” essay) the problem isn’t necessarily writing style. You could write a beautiful piece of prose about that amazing, game-clinching goal, with drama and stakes, reveals and surprises, and soul-plumbing moments on par with something out of Squid Game . 

But if the essay doesn’t say anything about your potential to succeed — elements we’ve boiled down to the 5 traits (more about them below) — it’s not going to matter to the college. 

Lots of students love music. Lots of people are passionate about sports. 

Those things aren’t enough (on their own) to make anyone stand out. 

The last type of essay is more of an obvious clunker. This student may be brilliant at Debate, but they can’t write for their life! The issue here is that they’re just laying out everything they’ve done — the admissions officer isn’t learning anything new. All of it would fit better in their Activities List.  

At least this example shows that college essays aren’t about “showing off.” You don’t need to have insane accomplishments to write a great essay. (Great accomplishments shine better in Activities Lists — although even there, it’s easy to undersell yourself. Here’s how to sell yourself in Activities Lists .)

Rather, it’s perfectly possible to write a great essay about a smaller moment or experience, so long as the essay focuses on your character traits, and how they’ll help you succeed. 

Speaking of which, let’s move on to ...

What you *do* want to do: Show how your activity connects to your potential for success 

Alright. Here’s the good stuff.

Yes, you can absolutely write about your extracurricular activities (including paid work). You can do this to great effect either in your personal statement or in a shorter supplemental essay (or even both!). If you still don’t believe us, here’s an example of a student who got into Harvard by writing about an extracurricular activity. 

Here are some reasons why activities make great essay topics:

• Fun! You probably enjoy these activities, so you might likewise have fun talking about them.
• Experience! Even if you don’t love the activity (maybe a job), you spend a lot of time at it, so you likely have lots of interesting experiences to choose from.
• Authenticity! Activities are usually something that can represent the “real you” easily.
• Potential!! Activities are great for showing off the 5 Traits that colleges look for in essays. 

That brings us to the 5 traits.  

If you’ve read almost any of our other articles, you know that the 5 traits that colleges look for in applicants are:

• Drive (aka Grit)
• Contribution
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Diversity of Experiences

These traits show you’re someone who has it in them to succeed. They’re more important than any one success or achievement. Because, if we’re being honest, one success or achievement in high school isn’t that impressive. But having a trait within you that leads to success? That actually is impressive. 

Let’s rewrite those essay types above with the 5 traits in mind:

• “I couldn’t believe it. My soccer team was discussing whether or not to schedule an extra practice during the upcoming long weekend. “Of course, yes,” I was thinking. But, shockingly, the room was not with me. A quick consensus formed around no added practice. It was my tipping point — I finally saw that I needed to convey to this team that settling for mediocre was not an option, and that none of us would regret doing what it takes to win.”
• “Nobody is musical in my family. Piano is something I made happen all by myself. I begged my mom for my first lessons as a freshman. The lessons soon got me fascinated by music theory, which I started studying on my own, since our school doesn’t teach it. Later, I found a Saturday class where I now study it.”
• “I started Debate Club just because I thought I needed an extracurricular activity for my resume. It didn’t mean much to me. It was only at the end of freshman year when I delivered an unsurprisingly lackluster performance in our final trials — and saw the look of disappointment on my teammates’ faces — that I realized I was letting everybody down, most importantly myself. After that, I …”

Let’s analyze. 

These examples turn the admissions reader from outsiders to insiders. 

Your Activities List was a teaser trailer, heavy on the special effects and with the greatest moments edited together to pack a wallop. Now, the college wants to know more . They’re metaphorically willing to cough up movie fare and schlep out to the theater (of course donning a covid mask) to learn the full story of what created this awesome list.

In an essay centered on one or more activities, they want to see what actions you took that led to these accomplishments. They want to see what traits within you caused you to take those actions. They want to see if you have what it takes to succeed. 

For the soccer example , we’ve tossed the game-clinching goal cliche out the window. Instead, we’re focused on rare, valuable traits — in this case Drive (aka Grit). This person gets things done. No matter what. Who would you rather have on campus? A student who’s great at soccer and has scored some extraordinary goals? Or … the person who rallied an apathetic team into adding work and improving their results? 

In the musical example, you see both Initiative (challenging the status quo) as well as Intellectual Curiosity (being excited about learning). This person doesn’t just love music, they made that love of music happen, and they got deep into it. What a cool type of person to admit to a college!

Finally, in our Debate Club example , you’re seeing some Contribution (giving back, helping others) in the form of a person wanting to do better by teammates, as well as perhaps some Drive and Intellectual Curiosity , both of which likely come into play later in the essay, as this person turns their performance around. 

Another thing you might want to do: Tell a fuller version of the impact you had and how you achieved it   

Another way we, as essay coaches , have seen students successfully discuss an activity is when the 150 characters allotted for each of your activities isn’t quite enough to tell its story. 

Let’s take this Activities List description as an example:

• Won a series of 6 deadly contests without losing my humanity. Subverted VIP expectations and made possible the redemption of a teammate gone evil. 

(Yes, this is Squid Game , and no there are no spoilers up there. I mean, you know one of them is going to win, right? It’s a very mild spoiler. Email us if you’re upset.)

Well, there might be a lot more to say here about this person’s participation in the Squid Games. About …

• Drive — How they kept at it despite long odds (game #2 springs to mind).
• Initiative — How they found new ways to defeat the odds (bringing in a welcome spirit of camaraderie in an otherwise dog-eat-dog atmosphere).
• Contribution — so many examples.
• Diversity of Experiences — if emerging victorious from the Squid Games doesn’t give you a unique outlook, I don’t know what does.

If you’ve got some great accomplishments under your belt, why not elaborate beyond 150 characters? There’s almost certainly much more to explore that admissions officers would find impressive.

Just make sure that you’re focusing on your actions and how they relate to one or more of the 5 traits. Avoid going on overly long about your deep feelings for the activity or simply recounting “facts,” such as awards or achievements (that clinching soccer goal) — the college wants to know what enduring traits are behind those fleeting achievements.

More articles on Prompt.com’s admissions-boosting methods:

• Work with a college essay coach
• Strong essays increase your chance of admission by up to 10x
• Don’t let influencers influence your college essays
• Should I apply test-optional?
• Early admissions: Everything you need to know
• College Essay Help Center

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The College Extracurricular Activity Essay

Mark montgomery.

• July 25, 2023

How will you write your college extracurricular activity essay?

The Common Application used to ask you to “elaborate” on one of your extracurricular activities in 150 words. Now this essay is not quite as common. At least it is no long required on the Common App.

However, many other colleges do require it, either as a part of their application or as a “supplement” the Common Application .

Either way, this short paragraph can be an essential component of your entire presentation as an applicant.  In just a few sentences, you must convey something personal, meaningful, and interesting about yourself.

Seems impossible, right?  “How can I sum up my experience in my favorite extracurricular activities in just a few sentences?”

Well, it’s time to tackle the impossible. These tips may help you decide which activity to focus on, and how to write a well-structured paragraph that gives the reader a deeper understanding of your motivations and your priorities.

Choose the Right Activity

Don’t necessarily pick the activity that looms largest on your resume or activity list. If you are a star tennis player and a possible recruit for a college team, that fact will be clear on your activity list. If you are the best clarinetist in the city, then your activity list should reflect that fact.  Remember, the prompt asks you to “elaborate” on the activity. It doesn’t say you have to choose the one that takes up the most time, nor does it say that it must be the one that is your primary extracurricular focus.

More specifically, it may be that the activity in which you have achieved or excelled the most is not the activity that will be the best to elaborate upon in this short essay. Consider the other activities that may help to round out your application and present another view of what motivates and interests you.

Consider which activities carry the most personal meaning to you. Look back over your resume or activities list and ask yourself, “Which of these would I miss the most if I could no longer do it?” Perhaps it’s that annual scouting trip, or the weekends skiing with your family. Or maybe it’s that concert you organize at the nursing home twice a year that brings you particular joy. Choosing the right activity is the first step as you write your extracurricular activity essay.

Your “Hidden” Activities

Consider elaborating on an activity that is not on the activities list or resume. For example, perhaps your extended family shares Sunday dinner together regularly, and this ritual has had a big influence on you and helped to shape your feelings about family. Maybe you actually enjoy mowing your lawn every week, making it look nice by paying attention to details. Perhaps you ride your bike to school every morning, and you use that time to notice details on your route and get your head together before and after your workday.

Not Necessarily Your “Best” Activities

Consider taking one of your activities and giving it greater specificity and detail. As you know, the space on the application in which to elaborate on your activities is very, very limited.  So use this short paragraph to pull out some details. For example, perhaps you mention on your activity sheet that you have done volunteer work at a hospital, and that you have several responsibilities. But perhaps there is one responsibility, in particular, that you most enjoy. That one responsibility could be the focus of your extracurricular.

To take another example, perhaps you are a guitar player, and your activity list indicates that you’re fairly good, but not great. However, there I some particular aspects of playing the guitar that you enjoy. Perhaps you don’t mind playing scales over and over in order to improve your technique.

Or maybe you go to a music store on Saturdays where a bunch of bluegrass players get together and jam, and you join in, despite the fact you aren’t the best player; or you are a huge fan of Andre Segovia and have listened to every piece he has ever recorded. These sorts of details can say a lot about the depth of your interest in an activity, even if it is not where your greatest accomplishments lie.

The Focus: “Why?”

Your activity list or resume should address the questions of “What, When, and Where?” (the “who” should be apparent:  you!). This list explains your accomplishments and the range of your commitments. But it doesn’t explain your motivations or your priorities. This short essay-ette gives you an opportunity to do some explaining.

As with your primary college essay and with the supplements, the aim here is to give the admissions officer reading your file a bit more information about yourself.  What you convey in this short paragraph is something that they won’t find in the essays, and that they won’t really know from reading your activity list. This is another opportunity for you to present another interesting and important facet of your personality. All the essays give your application depth and dimension. Don’t throw away this opportunity to tell the reader more about yourself.

Tips for Writing the College Extracurricular Activity Essay

Start with a list of reasons you participate in this activity. What do you get out of it? Why do you enjoy it? Why would you miss it if you suddenly were unable to do it anymore?

Remember that not every aspect of your participation may be enjoyable. Are there reasons you participate in this activity that actually help you accomplish something else that is, in fact, even more enjoyable? For example, weight training may not always be fun, but it can make you stronger. Practicing the flute may be enjoyable in some respects, and not so much in others—but practicing makes you a better player.

Once your list of reasons why you participate in this activity, pick the top three. Write your essay in 5 sentences. One to introduce the activity, three to explain why you do it, and 1 to spare, either as a conclusion or as an elaboration on your introduction.

Some Prompts to Get You Going

If you are having trouble, try completing these sentence prompts to get you going.

• When I participate in this activity, I feel ___________.
• I originally got involved in this activity because ____________.  And now I continue this activity because ____________.
• My favorite aspect of this activity is ____________.
• My friends think this activity is ___________.
• I take the most pride in this aspect of the activity: ___________.

The College Extracurricular Activity Essay – Final Notes

For most of us–adults as well as teens–our activities are good reflections of our priorities, talents, and motivations. We often demonstrate excellence through the things we do outside of school (or outside our jobs or professions).

This Common App supplemental extracurricular activity essay is a great way for you to share more about who you are as a person. If you focus on WHY you engage in these activities, you’ll be able to convey those motivations and priorities.

You have fun engaging in your extracurricular activities. Now enjoy writing about one that is especially important to you.

Need Help With Your College Extracurricular Activity Essay?

If you are having trouble putting together your college essays, including your college extracurricular essay for the Common App, then you might want to consider giving a call to the folks at Great College Advice.  We help students with every aspect of the college admissions process, and we would love to guide your toward your educational objectives.  If you’d like to learn more about what we do, contact us .  We’ll be happy to chat with you!

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How to Write a Strong Extracurricular Activity Essay

Written by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Written: 4/23/24

Landing a seat in your dream university requires more than just showcasing your academic abilities; it's about highlighting your life beyond the books, your sources of inspiration, and the experiences that have played a crucial role in shaping your individuality. 

A great way to show off your many sides is by skillfully writing an essay about your extracurricular activities. This piece of writing offers a unique opportunity for admissions officers to peek into your world outside of academics by highlighting your passions, unwavering commitment, leadership prowess, and personal evolution. 

This comprehensive guide will delve into the intricate yet rewarding process of crafting an engaging and compelling extracurricular activity essay. It will help you figure out which activities are best for you to focus on, and it will also give you a bunch of interesting questions to get your creativity going.

We’ll also provide you with a curated list of extracurricular activity essay examples, Acting like a guide and a good example for you to follow as you write.

By being thoughtful, real, and creative, your essay about your outside-of-school activities could be the special thing that helps you get into the college you really want.

Keep reading to learn how to turn your passions and experiences into an engaging narrative that truly reflects who you are.

How to Choose Which Extracurricular to Write About

Selecting the most suitable extracurricular activity to write about for your college application essay requires careful consideration and introspection. Each choice holds the potential to shape the narrative of your essay and provide valuable insights into your character, values, and personal growth. 

To ensure a comprehensive exploration of this topic, let's discuss a few factors you should consider when choosing which extracurricular to focus on:

1. Personal Significance

When contemplating which extracurriculars to highlight in your essay, take the time to reflect on the experiences that have had the most profound impact on your life. Consider the activities that have shaped your character, influenced your values, and ignited your passions. 

It could be a community service project that opened your eyes to social injustices, a musical instrument that became your creative outlet, or a sports team that taught you the value of teamwork and perseverance. 

Choose an activity that resonates with you on a deeply personal level. This will enable you to authentically convey your emotions and the growth you have experienced.

2. Depth of Involvement

While showcasing a long list of extracurricular activities may be tempting, prioritizing quality over quantity is important. Admissions officers are interested in understanding how deeply you are engaged with an activity, as it demonstrates commitment, dedication, and the potential for impact. 

Evaluate the level of your involvement in each activity and focus on the one where you invested significant time and effort. This could involve leadership roles, taking on challenging responsibilities, or contributing to the activity's growth and success. 

By selecting an extracurricular where you had a meaningful and substantial involvement, you can provide a more detailed and insightful account of your experiences.

3. Leadership and Initiative

If you have taken on leadership roles or demonstrated initiative within a particular extracurricular activity, it can add an extra layer of depth to your essay. Admissions officers value applicants who display leadership qualities and the drive to initiate positive change. 

Reflect on instances where you assumed leadership responsibilities, whether it was captaining a team, organizing events, or spearheading projects. Share how you influenced others, made strategic decisions, and motivated team members to achieve common goals. 

Highlight any innovative ideas or initiatives you introduced and the impact they had on the activity and its participants.

4. Unique Experiences

Consider highlighting an extracurricular activity that stands out from the crowd. While popular activities like sports or clubs can still make for compelling essays, choosing a less common or unconventional activity can help your essay stand out and capture the reader's attention. 

Think about unique experiences you have had outside the mainstream activities, such as starting a niche interest group , participating in an underrepresented sport, or pursuing an uncommon hobby. These experiences can provide a fresh perspective and reveal different aspects of your personality and interests.

5. Alignment with Your Goals

When choosing an extracurricular activity to write about, consider its alignment with your future goals and aspirations. Admissions officers are interested in understanding your passions and how you plan to pursue them in college and beyond. 

Select an activity that showcases your dedication to a particular field of study, career path, or cause. Explain how your involvement in the activity has shaped your understanding of your chosen path and provided valuable insights into the skills, knowledge, and experiences required to succeed in that area.

Demonstrate how the activity has fueled your ambition and inspired you to make a meaningful impact in the future.

6. Overcoming Challenges

Admissions officers appreciate stories of resilience and personal growth. Consider discussing an extracurricular activity in which you encountered obstacles or adversity and how you overcame them. Reflect on the challenges you faced and the strategies you employed to navigate through them. 

This could involve overcoming physical limitations, balancing demanding commitments, or addressing conflicts within the activity. You can showcase your determination, adaptability, and problem-solving skills by sharing the lessons you learned from these challenges.

7. Diversity of Experiences

If you have been involved in multiple extracurricular activities, consider showcasing a variety of experiences to demonstrate your versatility and well-roundedness. Admissions officers value applicants who have explored different interests and engaged in diverse pursuits. 

Discuss how each activity has contributed to your personal growth and provided you with unique perspectives and skills. Show how your various involvements have influenced and complemented each other, highlighting the valuable transferable skills and insights you have gained from navigating different domains.

8. Impact on Others

Consider the impact your participation in an extracurricular activity has had on others. Admissions officers are interested in applicants who excel individually and contribute to the growth and well-being of their communities. Reflect on the ways your involvement has positively influenced others. 

This could involve mentoring teammates, organizing community service projects, or supporting fellow participants. Share specific examples of how your actions have made a difference, emphasizing the values of compassion, empathy, and leadership you have demonstrated.

By considering these factors when selecting which extracurricular activity to write about, you can choose the most compelling and meaningful topic for your essay. Remember, the goal is to provide a genuine and insightful portrayal of your experiences, passions, and personal growth. 

Through thoughtful introspection and effective storytelling, you can craft an engaging and impactful essay that leaves a lasting impression on admissions officers.

What Structure Do You Need to Use for Extracurricular Activity Essay?

When writing your extracurricular activity essay, consider two clear structures to effectively showcase your experiences. First up is the "Powerwall" approach, inspired by Elon Musk's presentation style for the Powerwall. Here's how it breaks down:

• Start by identifying the problem you faced in your extracurricular activity. Keep it simple and straightforward.
• Explain why overcoming this challenge was important. What were the stakes?
• Describe exactly what you did to tackle the problem. Be specific about your actions.
• Clarify your role in the situation. Why were you crucial to the success?
• Finally, share the impact you had and any lessons you learned. Show how your work mattered.

If you didn't encounter any specific challenges but still want to highlight your experiences, try the "Uncommon Connections" approach. This one focuses on making unique connections between your activities and your personal growth, interests, or values. 

It's all about showing what's meaningful to you and why. Whichever approach you choose, the goal is to communicate your initiative, leadership, and impact within your community in a straightforward way. Use concrete examples and clear language to make your essay stand out to admissions committees.

How to Brainstorm Beliefs for Essay

To nail your extracurricular activity essay, follow these steps: complete the BEABIES Exercise, identify a challenge, explain its importance, describe what you did, highlight your role, and show the results. Let’s take a closer look at each of these tips. 

1. Complete the BEABIES Exercise

Allocate some time, approximately 15-30 minutes, to complete the BEABIES Exercise. Think of it as assembling all the necessary ingredients before cooking a meal – essential for a successful outcome.

2. Identify a Challenge

Reflect on your extracurricular engagements and pinpoint a specific challenge you encountered. Whether it was navigating social dynamics or overcoming logistical hurdles, choose an issue that resonates with you.

3. Explain Why It Matters

Elaborate on the significance of the challenge you identified. Why was it crucial to address this? Provide context to underscore its importance, whether it impacted your community, organization, or personal growth.

4. Describe What You Did

Delve into the actions you took to tackle the challenge head-on. Offer detailed insights into the strategies you employed, initiatives you spearheaded, or contributions you made to address the issue effectively.

5. Talk About Your Role

Highlight your individual role in addressing the challenge. Articulate why your contributions were indispensable to the project or club's success, whether through leadership, initiative, or a unique skill set.

6. Show the Results

Lastly, showcase the outcomes of your efforts. Discuss the tangible results, positive changes within your community, or valuable lessons learned as a result of your actions. Use concrete evidence to illustrate the impact of your contributions.

By following these steps, you'll be well-prepared to craft an essay that demonstrates your leadership, problem-solving abilities, and commitment to making a difference. Keep your writing clear and concise to ensure your narrative resonates with your reader.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Extracurricular Activity Essay

In this section, we'll discuss key mistakes to avoid when writing your extracurricular activity essay. From being too vague to neglecting self-reflection, we'll cover common pitfalls and how to steer clear of them. Let's dive in.

Being Too Vague

When writing your extracurricular activity essay, it's crucial to avoid being vague or generic. Instead of simply stating that you participated in "various activities," provide specific details about each activity. 

For example, if you were involved in a community service project, describe what the project entailed, how you contributed, and what impact it had on the community or on you personally. By providing concrete examples, you paint a clearer picture of your involvement and its significance.

Quantity Over Quality

Admissions committees are more interested in the depth of your involvement in extracurricular activities rather than the sheer number of activities you participated in. 

Rather than listing a long string of activities without much detail, focus on a few key experiences and explore them in depth. Discuss the skills you developed, the challenges you faced, and the lessons you learned. This allows you to showcase your growth and accomplishments more effectively.

Missing the Point

It's essential to carefully read and address the prompt provided for your extracurricular activity essay. Make sure you understand what the prompt is asking and tailor your essay accordingly. 

Avoid going off on tangents or including information that isn't relevant to the prompt. By staying focused on the specific topic or question provided, you demonstrate your ability to follow instructions and communicate effectively.

Forgetting the "Why"

In addition to describing your extracurricular activities, it's important to explain why they were meaningful to you. What motivated you to get involved in these activities? What did you enjoy about them? How did they align with your interests, values, or goals? By sharing your personal connection to the activities, you give the admissions committee insight into your passions and priorities.

Not Reflecting on Growth

A crucial aspect of writing an effective extracurricular activity essay is reflecting on your growth and development. Don't just focus on what you did; also, discuss how your experiences shaped you as a person. 

Reflect on the challenges you faced, the lessons you learned, and how you grew as a result. This self-reflection demonstrates maturity, resilience, and self-awareness, all of which admissions committees value in applicants.

Exaggerating or Faking

Honesty is key when writing your extracurricular activity essay. Resist the temptation to embellish or exaggerate your accomplishments, and avoid fabricating experiences that didn't actually happen. 

Admissions committees are adept at spotting insincerity, and being dishonest can seriously damage your credibility and chances of admission. Instead, focus on presenting your genuine experiences and achievements in the best possible light.

Ignoring Basics

Don't overlook the importance of basic writing skills such as grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Careless errors can detract from the overall quality of your essay and create a negative impression. 

Take the time to proofread your essay carefully, or even ask someone else to review it for you. Paying attention to these details demonstrates your professionalism and attention to detail.

Being Too Formal

While it's important to maintain a professional tone in your extracurricular activity essay, don't be afraid to let your personality shine through. Write in a natural, conversational style that reflects your voice and perspective. 

Avoid using overly formal or stilted language that can make your essay sound robotic or impersonal. Instead, imagine you're having a casual conversation with the reader and write in a tone that feels authentic and engaging.

Rushing Editing

Finally, don't rush the editing process when writing your extracurricular activity essay. Take the time to revise and polish your essay until it's the best possible representation of your experiences and achievements. Look for areas where you can improve clarity, coherence, and organization, and make sure your essay flows smoothly from beginning to end. 

Don't hesitate to seek feedback from teachers, counselors, or peers, and be willing to make revisions based on their suggestions. Remember, your essay is an opportunity to make a positive impression on the admissions committee, so invest the time and effort needed to make it stand out.

By paying attention to these common mistakes and taking the necessary steps to avoid them, you can write a compelling and impactful extracurricular activity essay that effectively highlights your experiences, accomplishments, and personal growth.

Extracurricular Activities Essay Prompts

To help you kickstart your writing process, here are ten thought-provoking prompts:

• Can you share a story of an extracurricular activity that has brought about a significant change in your life? How did it alter your outlook and contribute to your personal development?
• Can you delve into your experience of holding a leadership role in an extracurricular activity? How has it shaped your leadership style and impacted your personality?
• Can you narrate how an extracurricular activity influenced your future career aspirations? Can you draw connections between your pursuit and your future goals?
• Have you ever faced a considerable challenge or failure while participating in an extracurricular activity? Can you share your journey of overcoming this challenge and the lessons it imparted?
• Is there an extracurricular activity that has played a crucial role in your personal growth? Can you discuss this journey of transformation and the factors that contributed to it?
• Can you elucidate on an extracurricular activity where you demonstrated a significant level of commitment and dedication over a long period of time? How did this consistent engagement contribute to your development and learning?
• Has there been an extracurricular activity that has allowed you to step outside of your comfort zone? Can you share your experience and how this helped you grow personally and academically?
• Is there a unique or unusual extracurricular activity that you have participated in? How has this activity contributed to showcasing your individuality and distinguishing you from others?
• Have you ever started or founded an extracurricular club, event, or initiative? Can you elaborate on the motivation behind it, the process, the challenges faced, and the impact it had on you and your community.
• Is there an extracurricular activity that has enhanced your understanding of a particular subject or field of study? Can you explain how this activity has deepened your academic interest or provided practical insights beyond the classroom?

Engaging in extracurricular activities not only enriches our lives outside the classroom but also provides us with invaluable experiences and lessons that shape our character, aspirations, and worldview. 

Whether it's leading a team, overcoming challenges, or exploring new horizons, these activities offer a unique platform to discover and showcase our true potential.

Extracurricular Activity Essay Examples

To help you grasp what an outstanding extracurricular essay looks like, let's dissect two examples and analyze why they make an impact:

1. Strings of Unity: My Dance with the Violin

“Every evening, as the sun set, the mellifluous notes of my violin would resonate through our home. I was six when I first held a violin, and it felt like an extension of my soul. Over the years, I practiced diligently, mastering complex compositions and performing at numerous recitals.

However, my most cherished moments were when I played at local nursing homes. Witnessing the joy and nostalgia my music brought to the elderly was profoundly rewarding. Inspired, I initiated "Melodies for Memories," a program where young musicians performed for seniors, bridging the generational gap through music.

The violin taught me discipline, empathy, and the power of connection. It wasn't just about playing notes; it was about touching hearts and creating moments of shared joy.”

Why This Essay Was Successful

Here are a few things that made this essay successful:

• Vivid Imagery : The essay paints a beautiful picture of the writer's relationship with the violin, making it easy for readers to visualize and connect with the narrative.
• Community Impact : By highlighting performances at nursing homes and the "Melodies for Memories" initiative, the writer showcases their commitment to community service and the positive impact of their passion.
• Personal Growth : The essay emphasizes the values and skills gained from playing the violin, such as discipline and empathy.
• Concluding Thoughts : The conclusion ties back to the central theme of connection and shared joy, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

This essay effectively conveys the writer's deep connection to the instrument, showcasing personal growth, community impact, and the transformative power of music.

2. Beyond the Board: Life Lessons from Chess

“The chessboard was my battleground, a place where strategy, patience, and foresight converged. Introduced to chess at age eight, I was captivated by its intricacies and the mental agility it demanded. As I delved deeper, I realized chess was more than a game; it mirrored life's challenges and decisions.

I began teaching chess to underprivileged children in my community, hoping to equip them with critical thinking skills. Through "Checkmate Challenges," our monthly tournaments, I saw these children grow in confidence, strategy, and resilience.

Chess taught me that every move has consequences and foresight is crucial. It reinforced the importance of patience, strategy, and learning from mistakes. Through chess, I not only honed my cognitive skills but also discovered the joy of mentoring and making a difference.”

This essay was successful because it included:

• Engaging Start : The essay begins with a powerful statement, drawing readers into the world of chess and its significance to the writer.
• Community Involvement : The writer's initiative to teach chess to underprivileged children showcases their dedication to community upliftment and the broader impact of their passion.
• Life Lessons : The essay effectively draws parallels between chess and life, highlighting the invaluable lessons the writer has derived from the game.
• Concluding Reflection : The conclusion emphasizes the dual benefits of chess: personal growth and the joy of mentoring

Both essays effectively communicate the writers' passions and the profound impact these activities have had on their personal growth and community involvement.

To gather inspiration from more successful essay examples , check our extensive database!

FAQs: Extracurricular Activities Essay

Writing about your hobbies for an essay? Here are some common questions and answers to help you out.

1. How Do You Write an Extracurricular Essay with a Word Count of 150 Words?

Crafting an extracurricular activity essay with a 150-word limit is both a test of your brevity and your ability to make a powerful impact. To start, you need to isolate a singular, significant moment or achievement from your chosen activity. 

This should be something that is both personally meaningful and serves as a representative snapshot of your broader involvement. Then, hook your readers right from the first sentence, making them intrigued to learn more about your story. 

You might paint a vivid picture, share a quick anecdote, or open with an interesting question. Afterward, give the reader a brief context or backstory about the activity to ground your story. This is where you quickly explain what the activity is and why it matters to you. 

Next, it's time to dive into the crux of your essay—your specific role and the impact it had. Highlight the challenges faced, the initiatives you took, and the results achieved. Be careful to maintain clarity and brevity, avoiding unnecessary details that could detract from your central message. 

Finally, wrap up your essay by tying your specific experience to a broader theme, value, or life lesson, which serves to highlight the significance of your involvement beyond the activity itself.

2. How Long Should an Extracurricular Essay be?

The length of an essay can fluctuate depending on specific application instructions. However, most hover around 150-300 words. Regardless of the word limit, remember that clarity and conciseness are your guiding principles. 

Every sentence you write should serve a specific purpose, contributing meaningfully to your overarching narrative and effectively portraying a holistic picture of you as an individual. Avoid fluff or filler content; instead, focus on delivering a tightly woven narrative that showcases your passions, commitments, and personal growth.

3. Can an Extracurricular Activity Essay Focus on More Than One Activity?

While you can mention multiple activities, focusing on one that has had the most significant impact on you is generally better. This allows you to provide a deeper, more detailed account, revealing valuable insights about your character, passions, and learnings.

Writing an exceptional extracurricular activities essay is a journey that requires introspection, authenticity, and excellent storytelling. As you embark on this journey, remember the goal is to bring to light not just what you did but who you are as a person, showcasing the experiences that have enriched your life. 

So, start reflecting on your experiences, unleash your creativity, and let your story resonate with the admissions officers.

4. Why Do Colleges Require Extracurricular Essays?

Colleges require extracurricular essays because they offer a more rounded view of applicants, going beyond mere academic accomplishments. Admissions officers want to understand who you are outside the classroom.

They're interested in your passions, long-term commitments, leadership experiences, and personal growth—all aspects that may not be apparent from your grades or test scores alone. 

5. How Do I Write About Extracurricular Activities in a Personal Statement?

When it comes to incorporating extracurricular activities into your personal statement, the goal is a seamless integration that enhances your overall narrative. It's important to discuss the activity in a way that highlights not just what you did but also how it contributed to your personal growth and future ambitions.

Elaborate on your involvement, detailing the specific roles you took on, the challenges you faced, and the skills you've gained. Then, explore how these experiences tie into your personal evolution and future goals.

Final Thoughts

Writing an extracurricular activity essay is more than just recounting what you did; it's about sharing a slice of your life that speaks volumes about your character, passions, and growth. It's about crafting a narrative that not only shares your experiences but also provides a window into the person you've become as a result. 

Whether you're speaking about the time you spent backstage in theatre productions, the hours you dedicated to the robotics club, or the weekends you spent volunteering at a local shelter, remember that the best essays are authentic and come from the heart. 

Use this opportunity to let your experiences shape your story, let your passions shine through, and let your unique voice echo in the admissions officer's mind. 

Your experiences make you unique, and this uniqueness can help you stand out among the sea of applicants. So, embrace your individuality and let it guide your journey as you write.

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How to Write about Extracurriculars in Your Personal Statement and Supplemental Essays

By Kylie Kistner

Writing Coach, Former Admissions Counselor

9 minute read

Whether you’ve completed a passion project you’re proud of or won a robotics award, you might be thinking about writing about extracurriculars in your college application.

Extracurriculars are an important part of the college admissions process for a reason.

Your out-of-the-classroom participation shows admissions officers what you care about, what you’re talented at, and what you’re committed to. How you choose to spend your non-academic time in high school will help them predict what you’d be involved in on their campus.

But there’s an art to writing about extracurriculars in a college application. Too much detail or too little explanation can lose admissions officers in the mix.

In this post, we’ll share our best tips—the ones that our clients have the most success with—for writing about passion projects and extracurricular activities in your personal statement and supplementals.

Let’s get started.

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Why write about extracurriculars?

You already put your extracurricular activities in your Common App activities section, so why use up precious essay space elaborating on them?

While admissions officers can see your activities list, they don’t always realize the full context or importance of every single one of your extracurriculars.

If there’s an activity or project that’s especially important to you, it can be worthwhile to elaborate. But if you’re going to use your essay space to write about an extracurricular, you need to make it count. You might choose to write about an extracurricular or project for the following four reasons.

Reason #1: To expand on the details an extracurricular

The 150 characters allotted in your Common App activities list isn’t much. You can convey the basics, but if you want to elaborate at all, you’re going to need more space.

Writing your personal statement or a supplemental about an extracurricular lets you write more in-depth about an extracurricular that’s important to you . Expanding on what you did and why it was meaningful will help admissions officers see why your activity mattered.

Reason #2: To highlight an impressive accomplishment

Let’s say you won a national competition, had a small role on a TV show, or raised a lot of money for an organization you care about. Or maybe you developed an independent research project and published it in a prestigious publication like The Concord Review or invented something and won the Regeneron Science Talent Search .

Your admissions officer wants to know about those accomplishments.

Remember that you want to give admissions officers a compelling story to tell committee about you. Your job is to make their job easier. Impressive extracurriculars can make you more memorable to admissions officers and can set you apart from the sea of other equally-qualified applicants.

Reason #3: To demonstrate magnitude, reach, and impact

Anything you write about an extracurricular, no matter where that writing appears in your application, should work to show the magnitude, reach, and impact of the activity.

Why? Because college admissions is all about outcomes. The more you can show that you’ve positively impacted yourself and the world around you, the better.

Admissions officers want to invite students to their communities who will have an impact, both before and after they graduate. Showing that you’re already impacting those around you can make it clear that you’re ready to take advantage of all the opportunities the school has to offer.

Reason #4: To weave your extracurriculars into a broader story that says something about who you are

Especially when writing about extracurriculars in your personal statement, you can use your activity as a springboard for writing about something else that’s important to you.

You’ve probably chosen your project or activity because it’s interesting and meaningful to you.

Extracurriculars can be an organic gateway to tell admissions officers about a more vulnerable part of who you are. Choosing to write about them in your personal statement or supplementals can emphasize how important they are to you, and it can help draw admissions officers’ attention to a core part of yourself .

Writing About Extracurriculars in Your Personal Statement

Refresher: what is a personal statement.

Personal statements —also called college essays or Common App essays—are the main piece of writing in your college application, and they typically range from 520 to 650 words.

They are tricky to write because you’ve probably never written (or even read!) one before. (We work on these with students every year , and trust us, they’re tough!)

So what’s the purpose of a personal statement, anyway?

Personal statements are meaningful reflections on an important part of your life. Their purpose is to give admissions officers insight into who you are. They are genuine, often vulnerable pieces of writing. And most importantly, the narrative you create with your personal statement should compel admissions officers to admit you.

It’s a lot to ask of a 650-word essay.

But writing about a passion project or extracurricular can be a fantastic way to communicate your interests, showcase your talents, and advocate for your admission.

With that in mind, let’s go over three important strategies for writing your personal statement about an extracurricular.

Convey Your Strengths (But Avoid Bragging)

All outstanding personal statements communicate a core strength to the admissions committee.

Think about it: when an essay clearly conveys a strength, it’s easier for an admissions officer to understand what the applicant would bring to the campus community.

Your strengths don’t have to be explicit, but they should color the overall theme of your essay.

In our work with students, some of the most common strengths that surface include intellectual curiosity, artistry, teamwork, wisdom, and problem-solving.

The key to writing a good personal statement is finding a balance between conveying your strengths and being authentic and vulnerable. You want your strengths to be clear, but you don’t want to come across as bragging.

Instead, the point is to show a genuine strength while still appearing real and human.

Focus on Outcomes

Personal statements about extracurriculars can go awry when they get too caught up in the details of the activity.

Remember: admissions officers don’t need to know every single second of how you spent your time. You want to hit only the key points that create a seamless story so you can spend the rest of your essay reflecting on meaning and outcomes.

Whatever your project is, consider these questions: What did you learn? How did you grow? How did you help others learn or grow? What did your project do to make the world a better place?

Emphasizing the outcomes will keep your essay focused on what matters most.

Implicitly and Explicitly Answer the “Why” Questions

The “why” questions are the questions that admissions officers are bound to have when they read your personal statement.

Once you introduce them to your passion project or extracurricular, they’ll wonder a lot of things, such as: Why did you choose this activity? Why did your activity matter to you? Why did it matter to others? And—the big question— why should it make me more compelled to admit you?

This last question is key.

Simply telling your admissions officer about your passion project or extracurricular is one thing. But the question you can’t loose sight of is how your passion project or extracurricular demonstrates that you should be admitted. You want to preemptively answer these types of questions in your statement. 

That doesn’t mean that you should come right out and say, “My passion project about educational equity means that I should be admitted.” Definitely don’t do that!

But it does mean writing about your activity in a way that draws on your strengths and outcomes so your admissions officers can envision you joining their campus community. Put another way, every essay you write should give your admission officer a clear reason to admit you to their campus.

Writing About Extracurriculars in Your Supplemental Essays

Refresher: what are supplemental essays.

Supplemental essays are additional essays some schools require applicants to write. At around 50 to 500 words, they’re typically shorter than a personal statement.

Since supplemental essays only go to one school, they’re the perfect opportunity for you to make the case that you’re a good fit for the school and its academic community. Your goal in a supplemental essay is to show values-based and academic alignment with the school in question.

Supplemental prompts often fall within a few standardized categories that ask questions like “Why are you interested in attending X?” or “How have you contributed to your community, and how will you contribute to ours?”

One of the most popular supplemental prompt types is the extracurricular activities essay . In these prompts, schools ask you to elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities. If your extracurricular relates to academics, you might also respond to an academic interest prompt.

In short, you’re allowed to write about your passion project or extracurricular in a supplemental essay whenever you feel it’s appropriate.

Make Relevant Connections to the School

Whether you’re responding to an extracurricular activity, academic interest, community, or other prompt type, strong supplemental essays often make explicit connections to the school.

Why do they do this?

Because that’s how you show that you’re a natural fit for the campus community.

It also shows admissions officers that you’ve done your research and are invested as an applicant.

Let’s say you have a passion project about Type 1 Diabetes . Through your research, you learned about Dr. Damiano’s ground-breaking Type 1 Diabetes research at Boston University. Now you have the perfect connection to work into your BU supplemental essay .

Emphasize Meaning and Impact

We’ve already gone over the importance of focusing on the outcomes of your extracurricular, but it’s worth restating.

Emphasizing the meaning and impact of your activity is especially important in supplemental essays because they’re shorter, more purpose-driven in response to a prompt, and often more straightforward than a personal statement.

Take this example essay (“Community Essay: The DIY-ers”) in response to one of MIT’s prompts. The applicant writes about a passion project, building a telescope, but doesn’t stop there. They also go on to explain the meaning of the project (how it helped them connect with their family) and the impact (how it shaped their career goals as an aspiring environmental engineer).

So as you write, be sure to draw out the meaning and impact of your activity for your admissions officers. Don’t leave the guesswork up to them.

Think About Values

The final way to take your supplemental essays to the next level is to think in terms of values.

If you’re choosing to pursue a passion project or spend a lot your free time time on an extracurricular, then chances are it’s something you value.

Use that to your advantage by aligning with values at the institutions you’re applying to. You can do this in any supplemental essay, but your case will be much stronger when you have a passion project or extracurricular to emphasize your alignment.

Perhaps you completed a passion project looking at corporate sustainability practices —something you’re really invested in. Well, let’s also say that you’re interested in the University of Pennsylvania because of Wharton’s Business, Energy, Environment, and Sustainability concentration.

Because of your passion project, you now have the ability to make a very natural, compelling case that your values line up with Penn’s. Showing your commitment to similar values will help admissions officers imagine all the ways you’d contribute to and benefit from their community.

Key Takeaways

We spend our time on what we value most. As a high schooler, you have limited time outside of your school day. Admissions officers appreciate seeing how you’ve committed yourself to projects, activities, and causes outside of the four walls of your high school.

Writing about an extracurricular or passion project in your personal statement or supplementals can be one of the best ways to expand on an activity that is important to you and forge significant connections with the schools you’re applying to.

No matter what kind of college essay you’re writing, avoid getting too caught up in the minutiae of your activity, and be sure to emphasize the meaning and outcomes.

Above all, take stock of your application narrative, and consider how your extracurriculars make you a more compelling candidate for admission.

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80+ Real Examples for Writing Your Extracurricular Activity List

I happen to think the activities list is one of the most underutilized spaces on the college application.

I think your activities list can make the difference in your application.

Want proof? Compare these two:

Created art pieces and organized school club

Founder, Art Honors Society

Organized and ran meetings, set up field trips, brainstormed and created group art activities, wrote and sent newsletter to members.

First description: Who cares?

Second description: Whaaaaaaat?! Rockstar.

Want to know how to write an amazing activity?

Cool. But I’ll keep it short so we can get to the examples.

How to write an amazing activity in your activities list:

State role and organization name in top box.

Emphasize tangible, measurable impact.

Use active verbs!

To save space, use lists and cut extra words. No need for complete sentences.

Aim for variety.

Avoid extreme language.

Wanna know more about these tips?

Click here for 10 tips on how to up-level your list of activities . Click here for tips on deciding which extracurricular activities to write about.

Below are a ton of extracurricular activities examples to give you an idea of what a great activities list description looks like.

Extracurricular Activity Examples

Member (9th/10th) Treasurer (11th/12th) National Honors Society, Ridgefield High School Chapter We are amongst the highest academically achieving students at our school, who collectively and consistently participate in community service projects.

Student, Class TA Robotics Fundamentals, Online Course at Carnegie Mellon University Learned the fundamentals of computer programming, robot assembly, and worked as a team in competitions. 

Intern (Summer 2019)  Center for Advanced Head & Neck Surgery, Paid Summer Internship Learned how to operate screening & diagnostic technologies under Dr. Anderson; assisted in patient care & diagnosis in Otolaryngology & Oncology.

Leader/Concertmaster (10th-12th) AMAC Youth Chamber Ensemble (AYCE), audition-based community choir  Lead ensemble in rehearsal and performance, coordinate rehearsal times, aid younger members in learning music, present free community concerts yearly.

Volunteer (June 2012 - August 2012) Boys & Girls Club, youth tutoring/mentorship afterschool program  Served as mentor for K-8 grade kids. Helped prepare lunch, entertain, and tutor students in math and science 25 hrs/wk, 4 wks/yr. 

Number 3 Singles Starter (August 30th, 2013 - November 11th, 2015) Varsity Girls Tennis, Little Creek High School Practiced and conditioned daily, led daily stretches, competed in district and regional matches against other schools (13 hrs/wk, 11 wks/yr).

Number 1 Doubles Starter (9th-12th), Captain (11th-12th) JV/V Beverly Hills High School Tennis Team Three year League Champions; planned and hosted team banquet; led team warmups and meetings; Coach's Award Recipient (11th); Team Spirit Award (12th). 

Local Violin Tutor (Summer 2018) Independent, self-started business Provided foundational instruction on music and basics of classical violin, demonstrated proper technique, developed strong interpersonal/musical skills. 

Part-time EMT  (11th - 12th) Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, 1 of 5 EMTs selected for job out of 100 Responded to emergency calls, performed BLS protocols, interacted with patients/families, assisted paramedics, organized ambulance rigs (24 hr/week).

Volunteer (9th-12th) American Red Cross, Baskins High School Club Assisted supervisors, filed paperwork, made phone calls to donors, prepared facilities for training programs by helping with class planning. 

Treasurer (11th-12th), elected by majority vote Medical Science Academy Student Government Two year Top Class Performer & Best Medical Presentation Awardee, led club meetings, & presented annual budget breakdown to panels of parents and faculty.

Staff Member (11th) Music Makes Miracles, community youth theater  Staged and performed in four benefit concerts throughout the school year, coordinated club events and fundraisers, raised money for American Red Cross. 

Producer/Host (11th-12th) School-sponsored television program  Worked camera, sound board, and teleprompter every morning with my peers to produce daily broadcast. Co-hosted and scripted news segment every Tues/Thurs.

Student (10th) Brown University Intensive Summer Program, Leadership and Global Health Class  Reinforced background knowledge on issues of social justice; investigated biopsychosocial determinants of the Global Burden of Disease (35 hrs/wk, 2 wks/yr). 

Volunteer (June, 2012-June, 2013) Children’s Institute Inc., non-profit dedicated to children with special needs Organized parties for kids, set up crafts, led activities, baked cookies, supervised children aged 6-12, and cleaned facility (5 hrs/wk, 5 wks/yr).

Orchestra 1 Treasurer (10th-11th), Concertmaster (12th) Orchestra Council, musical leadership group at Prince High School Assisted orchestra directors, planned orchestra events, worked during concerts and tours by loading/unloading trucks, setting up, cleaning. 

Peer Advisor (11th-12th) Erving High School Student Ambassador Program, selective application-based leadership team Organized and led orientation; served as a year round leader, mentor, tutor, and friend to freshmen; helped with class scheduling.

Student Coach (9th - 12th) Middle School MathCounts Team Taught strategies, selected competitors, hosted weekly practice sessions and lectures. Led team to 2nd place victory at State Mathematics competition (11th).

Chief Facilitator (11th) Reimagining Leadership Conference, annual convention on youth leadership strategies Developed lesson plans, lobbied businesses for sponsorships, held marketing sessions, established partnerships to run leadership camp (65 hrs/wk, 4 wks/yr).

Protein Modeling Team Leader (10th) Science Olympiad, Burke High School Club Supervised building of protein molecule model, taught peers to use 3D molecular program Jmol; placed in top ten in 2017 regional competition.

Leader (11th) Books on Global Health Equity and Social Justice, advocacy-focused peer discussion group Researched global health equity/social justice , assigned weekly readings for group discussion, brainstormed questions to generate input from members.

Webmaster and Secretary LEO Club, organization devoted to promoting good government and citizenship Managed club website; organized club activities with club officers; brainstormed events to increase membership and strengthen LIONS Club International. 

Junior World Affairs Council President (9th-12th) Academy of Global Studies, 4 year research program combining a published thesis and capstone project Researched impact of education on child marriage for girls in India, synthesized data, published and presented findings to peers and program professors.

President (9th-12th) National Art Honor Society, only one student inducted from each eligible high school per year Ran public workshops and art critiques, displayed work in five gallery shows, participated in art community service, and coordinated field trips.

Teen Volunteer (Summer 2019) Centreville Medical Center Interacted with patients; assisted nursing staff in providing clinical care; designed, produced, and delivered holiday greeting cards to patients.

ANOTHER GREAT READ: HOW TO WRITE YOUR COMMON APP college ACTIVITIES LIST

Co-Founder and Tutor (10th-12th) Taurus Peer Tutoring Program, self-started business Launched program through which students can request coaching in math/science, instructed concepts in chemistry and precalculus (1 hr/wk; 30 wks/yr).

Concertmaster (11th-12th) Jordan High School Symphony Orchestra Lead violins in rehearsals and concerts, tuned/warmed up orchestra, assisted the directors in orchestra functions; Outstanding Musicianship Award (12th).

Founder/Leader (10th - 12th) Engaged Art Afterschool Program, self-started event for youth to learn about and make art Organized art-related activities for elementary school aged students every day, researched teaching pedagogy, provided positive feedback to encourage kids.

President (10th-12th) Robotics Club, Bryson High School Recruited club members, organized seminars for freshmen, and coordinated team preparation for various competitions. State Champions (11th).

Competitor (9th) British English Olympics Preparation, opt-in afterschool training offered for Raleigh HS students 8 months intensive preparation on English language proficiency and presentation skills for British English Olympics. Won 6th place out of 50 schools.

Tutor - (10th) Creekside Elementary Afterschool Tutoring Program Personally asked to tutor six special education 5th grade students at an elementary school, who did not pass the STAAR test (2 hrs/day for 3 wks). 

Head of Media Team (10th) MUN Club, Meadows School Recruited and assigned team members as photographers, writers, editors, and marketing advisers. Developed, designed, and maintained club website.

Editor/Cover Artist - (10th - 12th) Visions Literary Arts Magazine, Granite Bay High School Lead team in creating an annual 80-page publication and drew cover art for each edition. Organized, workshopped, and critiqued submissions.

Counselor In Training (Summer 2018) Educational Prep Programs, leadership training program for aspiring counselors Learned leadership and group dynamic skills, focusing on responsibility, maturity, and accountability, with a final project of cleaning the camp.  

Volunteer (July 2015 - October 2015) Museum of Life and Science  Sold souvenirs in museum gift shop, took inventory, managed sales/financial accounts, and completed all administrative tasks 14 hrs/wk, 16 wks/yr).

Academic/Personal Mentor (9th-12th) Henderson Youth Center, community resources for underprivileged youth in Henderson County Responsible for helping 11-12 year olds on school work and planning activities, all while enhancing their self-esteem, social skills, and respect for others.

Manager (12th) Falling Whistles, local indie rock band Attended benefit concerts and other fundraising events, helped organize fundraisers, scheduled gigs, and organized sponsors.

Graffiti Removal Team Leader (11th) Towson County Youth Commission, youth-led faction of the Towson government dedicated to civil service Lead a group of classmates in coordination with the city to remove graffiti, in an effort to reduce crime based on the broken window theory. 

Manager/Administrator (Summer 2019) ViolinMan Resource, secondhand store for renting used musical instruments Approved and updated online information database on classical music instruments for use by music enthusiasts. Cleaned and distributed instruments for use.

Starting Center Midfielder (9th - 12th) United Club Soccer  Premier level team, practice every weekday, traveled out of state for tournaments, competed against nationally ranked teams, State Cup Finalist 2017. 

Intern (Summer 2018, 2019) Faircloth & Supply, feminist fashion blog Wrote blog posts about women and education, photographed for website, used InDesign to help with graphic design, assisted with social media accounts.

Theater Volunteer (11th-12th) Non-Profit American Cinematheque, community blackbox theater Collected tickets, mounted posters, distributed flyers, answered phone calls, assisted with organizing film forum panels, photographed events.

Hired Quartet (11th-12th) Symphony Orchestra III, well-known touring orchestra in Virginia State Perform for professional gigs, from mayor’s banquet to Boy Scout ceremonies; often hired to play at community centers, local churches, and hotels. 

Co-Head Coach (9th - 12th) AYSO Girls Soccer, recreational soccer league for girls aged 6-12 Organized drills, modeled proper soccer technique for practices, prepared line-up, coached team, sent emails to parents to coordinate drop offs and pickups.

Student (Summer 2020) Harvard University Summer School, synchronous online class on Public Speaking Obtained confident & powerful public speaking techniques, explored professional speeches, mastered improvised speech, & incorporated theatrical skills.

Medical Volunteer (9th-12th) Trips to Thailand, NGO that coordinates trips to Thailand for infrastructure/healthcare development Networking with local health workers and ngo officials; assisted pharmacists delivering medicine to mountain tribes (18 trips, 108 hrs/wk, 2 wks/yr).

Drummer (9th-12th) Raspberry Jam, audition-based jazz band at Elton High Schoo l Played drums at community meetings, performed at three school concerts per year, selected songs to perform, adapted sheet music for percussion section.

Co-Founder/Manager (10th-12th) Choice Performance Club Coordinated monthly performances at community venues, opportunity for performers in theater, music, poetry, etc. to serve others through talent.

Staff Member (11th-12th) Yearbook, Crestview High School Traveled to photograph sporting events, worked with Photoshop and InDesign, mentored new staff members, and helped run a summer editing workshop.

Graphics Editor and Editorial Writer (9th - 11th) East Side High School Newspaper Designed graphics (backgrounds, typesets, layouts, digital drawings); wrote and proofread peer articles; updated print newspaper to digital format.

Team Member (10th), Captain (11th-12th) Science Bowl Team, Westing Charter School  Directed practices, assigned each member roles, supervised preparation for competition, coordinated transportation to competitions (2 hrs/wk, 28 wks/yr).

Co-President (12th) Foreign Film Club, Bayside High School Selected several international films, facilitated discussions, updated members about local film events, watched The Motorcycle Diaries , Mustang , etc.

Student (Summer 2018) Turley Program for Gifted Artists, intensive summer program for 100 selected HS artists in the Bay Area Sketched drawings of still life sets/real life models, developed ability to creative ideate and engage with unconventional materials in critical workshops.

Volunteer (10th-11th)  Alzheimer’s Family Services Center  Taught watercolor classes to Alzheimer’s patients; encouraged greater patient participation & creative expression to mitigate the effects of dementia.

President  (10th - 12th) National Latin Honors Society Organized weekly class meetings, sent official announcements, led first council in school history to host non-profit fundraisers (2 hrs/wk, 30 wks/yr).

Public Forum Debater (9th-12th) Speech and Debate Team, Broadview High School Researched monthly topics on political and social issues, organized evidence, developed ability to speak extemporaneously, coached younger debaters.

Volunteer (Summer 2018) CACH Medical Center Aided Renal, Labor, and Delivery departments by monitoring front desk and organizing six years worth of backlogged medical records (8 hrs/wk, 20 wks/yr).

Sprinter/Hurdler (9th-12th), Captain (12th) Cross Country/Track Team, Golden Oak High School  Top-3 Soph/Frosh runner, led boy’s sprinting team in meets and races, aided coaches in organizing daily workouts, emotionally supported team members. 

Coxswain (9th - 10th) Varsity Crew Team, Summerfield High School  Executed drills in boat and indoor training, discussed strategies and plans with coaches, assessed strengths and weaknesses of individual rowers.

Student (Summer 2019) Georgetown U’s Medical Institute, intensive summer program for high schoolers interested in medicine Studied medical techniques (took vital signs, drew blood, analyzed human cadavers) to prepare for clinical medicine career. Treated patient simulator.

Lead Decorator (12th) La Familia Club, school club devoted to increasing cultural awareness about the Latinx community Organized community cultural events about Latinx cooking and holidays, coordinated creation of traditional Mexican art mural installation on campus.

Mentor (9th-10th) Girl Scouts Troop 43250 Mentored 10 young girls in arts and crafts; spearheaded troop exhibit representing Italy at cultural community fair; brainstormed troop activities.

Student (10th) Brown University’s Online Pilot Course: Making an Impact  Selected participant in Brown University’s Leadership Institute, analyzed social change model of leadership development and applied lessons to GCLI.

Flute First Chair (11th-12th) Concert Band, Oakwood High School 500+ hrs. over 4 yrs. 8 tournaments, 22 concerts. Received Div.1 at 2016 Solo and Ensemble Contest. Attended band trips to Dallas/Austin/Orlando.

Starting Point Guard (10th - 12th) Varsity Girl’s Basketball Team, Foothill Academy 500+ hrs. over 4 yrs. Conference title. Learned the value of strategy, teamwork, and positivity. Led warmups. Trained everyday afterschool.

Volunteer (9th) Doha Beach Clean Project Participated in beach cleanups and environmental education for locals and expats, spread the word about organization events in school and local community.

Chief Volunteer (10th-11th) Tutor of Peers in Education, cross-cultural tutoring program between American and Korean students Developed study plans for tests, taught fundamental math skills to 3 underprivileged students in Siheung, established interpersonal connections with tutees.

Team Member (9th-12th), Captain (11th-12th) JV and Varsity Tennis Team, River Fork Academy Number 1 Singles, Number 2 Doubles. Attended the University of Notre Dame and Pepperdine University tennis camps to improve accuracy and strength of shot.

Intern (Summer 2017) Holston Medical Center - Neurology Department Recruited students for study on relation between cerebral microbleeds and head contact sports, used data to expand Center’s ability to provide effective care.

Delegate (9th-12th), Captain (12th) Model United Nations, Dulaney High School Debated world issues with peers in various conferences; Selected and traveled to UC Berkeley and London to compete in a conference. (See Add’l info.)

Founder (11th-12th) Global Connective Leadership Institute, an international nonprofit organization with 501c3 status  Distributed international social justice resources to the local community. See additional info and short extracurricular essay for details. www.gcli.net

Board Member (10th-12th) Parish Services Board, in charge of arts funding for partner Title I school First trimester leader for the community service board. Led the chapel talks and schoolwide fundraising events, chose each trimester beneficiary.

Representative (10th-12th), Commissioner of Media (11th-12th) Sophomore Class Council, Brady High School Brainstormed ideas for school events, coordinated weekly grade-level meetings and activities. Produced, and edited all short films for school events.

Math Tutor (Summer 2020) Self-started tutoring business Dedicated one-on-one tutoring for arithmetic/geometric sequences and series, trigonometry identities analysis, and factorial/exponential combinations.

Volunteer (10th-12th) Boys and Girls Club, Pearson County Local Chapter Tutored students and facilitated games once a week, established and taught a summer tennis clinic for a group of ten year old students.

Founder & President (10th-11th) SAT Skill Building Club, Shady Hill Charter School Organized weekly meetings and lessons, coached students on techniques for the three parts of the test, raised money for resource costs and upcoming lessons.

Co-founder and Vice President (10th-12th) Feed2Food, outreach organization providing food/shelter for homeless people in Kansas City Helped alleviate homelessness and develop relationships by collecting toiletries and handing them out to the homeless in Midtown, Westport, and Armour Hills.

President (August 30th 2015 - June 9th, 2016) National Art Honors Society Organized and ran meetings, set up field trips, brainstormed and created group art activities, wrote and sent newsletter to members (5 hrs/wk, 20 wks/yr).

Delegate (10th-12th), Director of Technology (12th) Model United Nations Supervised conference technology access, managed MUN website to optimize navigation. Improved public speaking and research skills serving as a delegate.

Academic Interviewer (11th-12th) Student Ambassador Club, Hillside High School Personally talked to undecided students about their plans for the future both academically and non-academically, provided guidance and moral support.

Secretary (11th) Teen Educational Foundation, youth group focused on increasing access to critical educational resources Fundraised for our community/surrounding communities, organized City Council/Board of Education forums, and donated grants to High School clubs.

Volunteer (Summer 2015, 2016) Special Olympics World Games, annual sports event for children with special needs Ran the information booth, gave parking directions, escorted athletes to venues, organized shuttles, helped athletes navigate the activity booths.

Junior Volunteer (Summer 2019) Meredith Hospital Led 2 hours of music therapy tri-monthly for patients, visitors, staff; assisted with paperwork, patient needs, cleaning, and orienting hospital visitors.

another great read: 160+ college interview questions from top universities

Intern (Summer 2016, 2017, 2018) Crouch Engineering Corporation Assembled semiconductors by applying thin film coating, used metal evaporator machine, and diced semiconductor wafers (8 hrs/wk, 32 wks/yr).

Member (9th-12th) Rotary Club of Calcutta Set up and maintained a school for 80 children in a slum area. Provided primary education, cleaned clothes, prepared a midday meal, and taught English.

Intern (September 2013 - June 2016)  Steward Mental Hospital Used art as therapy for those with Bipolar depression/schizophrenia, set up patient art shows, taught art lessons, organized field trips for patients.

Freelance Artist (Summer 2016, 2017) Self-started business Staged and framed personal artwork to be sold, displayed art at Carrack Gallery, consulted buyers, donated all proceeds (~$800) to school art program.

Volunteer (Summer 2015, 2016) Revlon Breast Cancer Marathon Coordinated pre-registration and raffle off, distributed cups of water, encouraged runners, checked-in participants, and monitored runner health. 

Team Member (11th-12th) Varsity Cross Country, Bright High School Ran 20 miles a week for practice, organized middle school cross country meets, qualified to go to state, 2nd place at annual Bull City XC Run.

Tutor (10th) Spanish Honors Society, Lincoln High School Tutored students in Spanish, promoted interest in Hispanic studies, updated tutees about cultural events in the surrounding Philadelphia community.

Executive Officer (10th-12th) Association of Latin American Students, affinity group for student of Latin American descent at Woodland HS Organized meetings and trips to conferences/colleges, advertised cultural events, planned fundraisers, delegated responsibilities between members.

Co-President/Co-Founder (11th-12th) Cookies for Cancer, fundraising organization for families who can’t afford chemotherapy Orchestrated & publicized bi-weekly bake sales, led club members, maintained accounting, raised $2000 for the Children's Cancer Research Fund.

Volunteer (Summer 2019) Migrants’ Rights Advocacy Center, org campaigning against exploitation of worker rights in Qatar Translated and spread information regarding rights in Nepalese and provided health aid, organized fund drive to financially support workers’ families.

Secretary (10th-12th) Working Towards The Future, national career advising and academic resource hub for high school students Organized meeting discussions, informed students of financial aid opportunities, and recorded minutes for cabinet meetings (3 hrs/wk, 40 wks/yr).

Member (11th - 12th) The Giving Society, charity organization Raised funds for new advocacy org each semester. Causes include: homelessness (Urban Ministries), climate change (Sunrise), animal cruelty (ASPCA).

Vice President (10th - 12th) Key Club, international service organization for high students Led both officer and club meetings, arranged club events with community venues, planned fundraising yoga nights, encouraged activity of members.

Intern (10th - 12th) Ovarian Cancer Lab  Published journals, conducted independent projects, facilitated cell maintenance, attended lab meetings, collaborated with fellows and graduate students.

School Tour Guide (9th - 12th) Northview Academy Student Ambassador Club, application based position  Toured prospective families and visitors around campus and presented information about course offerings, facilities, student life, etc. 

Vice President (12th) Pajama Mama Club, Cypress Charter School Sewed pajamas each semester using recycled materials, donated the handmade pajamas to over 50 children of Alexandria’s House, a non-profit organization.

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How to write the ‘Extracurricular Activity’ essay

How to write the “extracurricular activity” college essay.

Bonus Material: Examples of real supplemental essays that worked for schools like Princeton and Yale

If you’re in the process of applying to colleges, you likely already know that many universities (especially top-tier schools like Ivies) ask you to write essays in response to supplemental prompts. 

When it comes to selective schools, these supplemental essays make a huge difference! Some schools even prioritize your supplemental essays over your Common App personal statement. 

One of the most common supplemental essay prompts asks you to expand on an extracurricular activity you’ve been involved with. This is what we call, for obvious reasons, the Extracurricular Activity essay . 

While it might seem simple, many students misunderstand what colleges want when they ask this question. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through what you need to do to write this supplemental essay in a way that gets you to stand out to elite universities. 

As universities get more and more selective, you’ll want to make sure you do everything possible to ensure your admissions application is perfect. At PrepMaven, that’s exactly what we do: for years, our expert tutors have guided students through the college application process, helping them land acceptances at schools like Princeton, Harvard, and MIT. 

Read on for our guide–backed up by years of experience–on how to approach the Extracurricular Activity essay prompt. 

Download 50+ Real Supplemental Essays for Ivy+ Schools

Jump to section: What is the “Extracurricular Activity” essay? Examples of “Extracurricular Activity” prompts What are colleges looking for in this supplemental essay? How to write the “Extracurricular Activity” essay Example of a successful extracurricular essay Analysis of a real extracurricular essay How to choose the topic for the extracurricular essay Next steps

What is the “Extracurricular” essay?

This is pretty much what it sounds like: many universities will, as one of their supplemental writing prompts, ask you to expand upon an extracurricular activity you’ve been involved with. 

But while the directions are pretty clear, what top colleges actually want from you here can be harder to figure out. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about the Extracurricular essay prompt: what the prompts look like, what admission officers want, and how to structure your essay. 

In addition, we’ll break down a real sample essay and analyze how it effectively checks all the boxes for an incredibly strong Extracurricular supplemental. 

After the “Why us?” prompts (on which we have a detailed guide here ), this is one of the most common supplemental essay prompts you’ll encounter, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re ready for this one well ahead of the application deadlines. 

Below, we’ll walk you through what these prompts look like, and what you need to do to answer them effectively. 

Examples of “Extracurricular Activity” prompts

Lots of schools ask a version of this question, but each university has their own spin on it. Take a look below for some examples from the 2023-2024 application cycle: 

Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (Harvard) Most students choose their intended major or area of study based on a passion or inspiration that’s developed over time – what passion or inspiration led you to choose this area of study? (300 words, Carnegie Mellon) What academic areas are you interested in exploring in college? (200 words, Emory University)

As you can see, each of these looks a bit different, but really they all want to know the same thing: what interests you, and how have you gotten involved with it?

What are colleges looking for when they ask about extracurriculars?

Simply put, they want to see whether you’re really passionate about something. Almost nothing is as impressive to college admissions officers as real, demonstrated passion for some particular interest. 

In our broader guide on the college application process , we talk about the importance of highlighting your extracurricular profile for elite colleges’ admissions committees. While that happens in your Activities List, of course, the Extracurricular essay is your biggest opportunity to show them how you’ve engaged deeply with a particular activity. 

But admissions officers don’t just want to see you’ve been involved with something .

What they want to see in your extracurricular profile are: 

• Initiative 

These may feel like buzzwords (they are), but they really are how admissions committees evaluate your extracurricular profile. 

Did you just compete in a robotics activity, or did you win a state championship? The former is nice; the latter is excellence . 

Did you start volunteering at a local homeless shelter this year, for an hour a week? That’s good, and colleges will appreciate it. But compare that to someone who’s been volunteering for years, dedicating multiple hours a week to the same task: that’s dedication . 

Leadership is more or less self-explanatory: did you participate, or did you hold specific positions, with demonstrated (positive) effects on the club/team/organization you were a part of?

Initiative can be murkier, but it basically has to do with how much effort you had to put in to pursuing your extracurricular in the first place (this often intersects with the other three categories). For example: did you join an existing club, or found your own because of your intense desire to pursue what interests you?

In a nutshell, then, the extracurricular essay prompt gives you the rare and valuable opportunity to show admissions committees one or more of these traits. As you write your essay, think about it in those terms: how can you show your excellence, dedication, leadership, and/or initiative in whatever activity you choose to write on. 

Below, we’ll run down what one of these essays needs to have to wow admissions officers. Although this guide should give you the information you need, there’s never a substitute for a real college essay expert who can help you with your essay live–we always recommend reaching out to one of our essay coaches if you want to maximize your chances of admission.

How to structure an Extracurricular supplemental essay. 

Although every essay is different, there are certain things that the Extracurricular should always do, and there’s a straightforward structure to help you do it. Below, we’ll break down each step of the structure and analyze a real example. 

Generally, though, these Extracurricular essays follow a similar structure: 

• Start with a story
• Give an overview
• Show your passion
• Reflect on how the activity has shaped you

Below, we’ll get into each of these in detail, so that you can have a more precise understanding of what’s expected of you when it comes to this supplemental essay. 

This is often the advice with all college essays, and it’s no less true here: you want to start with something that grabs the reader’s attention. The best way to do that is, more often than not, by throwing the reader right into the middle of a scene or moment. 

As you most likely did in your Common App essay, try to begin with a short paragraph recounting a moment that showcases you in action. Perhaps it’s you in the lab, working on a hypothesis about plant nutrition. Or maybe you’re an artist, and have just dragged your easel and canvas into the forest to paint a landscape. Whatever you do, don’t just tell us–show us you in action. 

The story exists to hook us in, but it won’t tell us everything we need to know. Set aside a small part of the essay to give a broader background for the activity you’re describing so that admissions committees can understand more about the activity itself. 

This part of the essay won’t be the most exciting or flashy, but it will let you convey a lot of information very quickly–making it an excellent place to highlight things like your dedication or initiative when it comes to this extracurricular. 

What does the “overview” part of an extracurricular supplemental look like? We’ll actually take a look at a real sample essay later in the post, but we can describe it briefly here. 

Say you’re writing an essay about performing in musicals. 

The first section (the story ) of your essay might describe you on stage, about to belt out some showtunes. 

The second section (the overview ) might begin something like, “Since the age of 7, I’ve leaped at every chance to perform in musicals: at schools, in local productions, and even with a touring theater troupe.” In just one sentence, you can show us how long you’ve been engaged with the activity and what some of the highlights were. Then, you can continue on by describing more about what your involvement in this extracurricular entails: your role, how your involvement has changed, that kind of thing. 

A word of caution: don’t turn this into a list of your accomplishments and awards. That should already be reflected in the Activities Section of your Common App. But also, it won’t make for a very good essay, and it’ll sound like you’re bragging. Only include accomplishments if they naturally integrate with the story you’re telling. 

Not sure how to balance an overview so that it conveys the right information without becoming bloated or braggy? The best way to be sure is to work with someone who has experience wowing admissions committees themselves. That’s why we always recommend getting a bit of professional help from one of our many Ivy League essay tutors and checking out or collection of real supplemental essays from successful applicants below 

We say it in almost all of our essay guides, but it’s true: nothing makes an essay stand out to admissions committees like a believable, personal description of the passion you feel for what you do. It’s human: we love people who really love what they do.

Whatever you choose to write about, the next section of your Extracurricular essay should focus on conveying the passion you feel for this activity or the satisfaction you gain from it. As always, specific details are key!  

Don’t just say “I love to ride dirt bikes.” It’s not specific, it’s not detailed, it’s not convincing: do you really believe that the person who has nothing more to say than that really loves what they do?

Connect the passion to specific details or moments that you’ve experienced while pursuing this extracurricular. Maybe it’s the specific sensation of dirt showering on you as you land the bike from a jump; maybe it’s the moment a student you tutor turns to you and says how much you’ve helped their confidence. 

Convey your passion by integrating it with the unique details that only you can recount. That’s what makes the difference between a generic, ChatGPT-style extracurricular essay and a compelling, personal one that can wow college admissions committees. 

As always, the extracurricular activity essay isn’t just about the extracurricular activity: it’s about showing how something you’re deeply involved with has affected who you are on the cusp of college. 

What does that look like? It could be a lot of things! Maybe your extracurricular activity actually shaped what you want to study, or how you live your life–if so, great. But it’s also no less important if your extracurricular activity is simply a source of peace or joy, something that takes you away from the stresses of school or other obligations. 

In any case, it’s important to show that you’re the kind of person who thinks about how the things in your life shape you. This section doesn’t have to be long–a sentence or two will do–but it should show the admissions officers what it is you’ve gained from the pursuit of this hobby, passion, or job. 

Example of a successful Extracurricular Essay

Below is an example of a really excellent response to an Extracurricular essay prompt. This sample actually comes from our guide on how to respond to the University of California’s supplemental prompts, but it’s the kind of essay that could easily be used to respond to any college’s Extracurricular supplemental essay prompt. 

The stall horn blares, and the plane sways under the control of my feet. Shoulders tense, I look outside to maintain balance: even a small tap of a foot or shift of the stick could throw the plane into a downwards roll. The plane begins to shake- my cue to recover. I pitch the nose down and push the throttle full forwards. Despite high-stress situations, piloting is my dream career. Whether airliners or navy jets, I know I will be happiest in the air. I started out building model airplanes out of paper and pencils at Civil Air Patrol meetings, which first introduced me to basic aviation principles: pitch, roll, and yaw. From there, a presentation in my computer science class taught me about Joby Aviation, a local startup working on electric gyrocopters for everyday travel. Already knowing I wanted to fly, I felt inspired to work with aircraft as an engineer as well. I decided to enroll in flight lessons and subsequently took a job as a receptionist at my flight school. When flying, time passes by as fast as the air around me. As warnings blare, pilots chatter over the radio and the plane’s glass bubble gets swelteringly hot. There’s a lot to be aware of, but I’ve learned to multitask and focus amidst distractions. Similarly, being at the airport quickly thrust me into the world of aviation. I found myself fascinated not only by aerodynamics but also by fuel chemistry, avionics, and materials. Sumping fuel from the fuel tanks, I wondered, how do different fuel textures affect planes’ engines? Running my hand along the propeller, I pondered: how would the aircraft fly if this were wood? Plastic? I became fascinated by the specificity and variability of aerospace materials and eager to learn more about them. My love for aerospace is part of why I am eager to study engineering. I imagine myself designing new aircraft and optimizing the ones I fly. Whether I become a pilot or an engineer, the lessons I learn flying will be beneficial in any future paths I take.

Analysis of a real Extracurricular supplemental essay

Take another look at the above essay, and notice how it actually neatly follows the structure we’ve been talking about. 

The essay starts suddenly, and with a ton of detail: a stall horn (what’s that?), a plane swaying, a lot of tension. 

It’s important that the story is, itself, hooking and attention-grabbing. But that’s not the sole purpose of the story: the real key here is that it shows the writer in action. They’re not a passive observer or someone along for the ride. They’re making decisions and taking control of a situation, displaying both confidence and competence. 

Those elements together are the key to a successful opening for the extracurricular essay: get our attention, and show us you in action. 

Notice how the second paragraph feels totally different. It’s no longer a pulse-raising story: it’s a quick but detailed overview of how the writer got involved with and pursued this extracurricular activity over a long period of time. 

What do we learn from this overview? The writer started simple, with models at Civic Air Patrol meetings; they continued pursuing this passion through a compsci course and a local internship; they took flight lessons and got practical work experience at a flight school. 

It’s all super quick, and super efficient. There’s some nice details in there (the models, the gyroscope), but the primary function of this section of the essay is just to put the story in context. Think about it as the background that explains how we got to the story in the first place. 

The next paragraph immediately begins by conveying why this activity is so meaningful to the author. We learn that time (literally) flies, that the author learns how to multitask and stay focused under pressure, and that all this leads to a fascination with the science and engineering behind flight. 

Remember when we talked about specifics being the key to conveying passion? Here’s what we meant. The author doesn’t stop at saying what fascinated them. They go way further, posing multiple hyper-specific questions that convey the author’s real, sustained engagement with this activity. 

• Reflection/change

As you can see, this section can be super short! It really just needs to wrap up the essay by showing us how this extracurricular affects the writer. In this case, it has helped shape what the student wants to pursue, even if the student isn’t yet 100% certain about what that path will look like. 

But this essay could have worked just as well if this student wanted to be an English major. The essay would simply have ended with a different kind of reflection, one about the value or lessons that they’re able to take away from the experience of flying. 

At heart, these essays aren’t complicated. But that doesn’t mean they’re easy. Writing the perfect Extracurricular supplemental essay can be incredibly challenging: how do you balance the story, the overview, the passion, the lesson? And all within a very short word count! 

Taking the right approach can mean the difference between boring an admissions committee and stunning them, so it’s not the place to take risks. It’s why we recommend working with a one-on-one PrepMaven essay coach. Not only have our tutors been accepted to the most prestigious schools in the country, but they’ve helped countless students get their own acceptance letters. 

How to choose the topic for an Extracurricular essay

This is a crucial decision, and you don’t want to take it lightly. 

Many students simply pick the activity that they’ve excelled most in, or the one they spend the most time doing. 

That’s often the wrong choice. Not always, of course, but often!

The key consideration is what activity will add the most to your application when described in essay form, as opposed to merely being summarized in 150 characters on your Activities List. 

Sometimes, that really is the same thing as the one you’re most active in; sometimes it’s not. 

For example, let’s say you’re an absolutely amazing athlete who has won titles and awards and all sorts of stuff. Your activities list can, if you’re careful with word count, convey all of those titles, awards, etc. If you were to write a whole essay about your sport, would you really be able to add much that the admissions committee won’t already see?

On the other hand, let’s say that in addition to being an all-star athlete, you’re also a tutor or mentor for a younger student. On the activities list, that won’t look impressive: so many students do peer tutoring that an admission officer’s eyes will glaze right over. But what if you actually developed a strong relationship with a student you mentored? There’s no way to convey that in 150 characters, but it might make for a nice story in 150 words. 

Wherever you can tell the best story, that’s your topic for the extracurricular supplemental. 

Before writing, you should always spend time reading through sample essays. We’ve collected over 50 supplemental essays from our tutors in response to prompts from Ivies and other elite schools. They’re totally free, and you can download them below to see what worked for past applicants. 

Though the steps here might seem simple, they can be astoundingly hard to pull off in just 250 words or less, which is usually the word count for this kind of supplemental essay. But if you can thread the needle and do everything listed above on this kind of essay, it can make a huge difference for your application. 

Most people don’t treat the supplemental essays as if they were particularly important, but they absolutely are: each college has put time and resources into coming up with these supplemental essay prompts because they want to see what you have to say. 

If you’ve read this guide carefully, then it’s time to start drafting! If you want to ensure that you’re writing the kind of essay that can get you into a top tier school, however, it often pays to get a second opinion. Our college essay experts have helped thousands of students get admitted into their dream schools, and are ready to help you do the same as soon as you’re ready. 

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Blog > Essay Advice , Supplementals > How to Write an Extracurricular Activities Supplemental Essay

How to Write an Extracurricular Activities Supplemental Essay

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Kylie Kistner, MA Former Willamette University Admissions

Key Takeaway

This post is one in a series of posts about the supplemental essays. You can read our core “how-to” supplemental post here .

What is an Extracurricular Activities supplemental essay?

Extracurricular supplemental essays are one of the most common kinds of supplemental essays. As you can probably guess, they ask you to write about an extracurricular activity—obviously!

But you might be wondering why schools ask you to expand on an extracurricular activity when you’ve already taken the time to curate your Common Application activities list. Since the Common App activities list only gives you 150 characters to explain your activities, Extracurricular essays are the perfect opportunity to show how you’ve interacted with your community through one of your activities.

Simply describing your extracurricular activity, however, probably isn’t enough. Admissions officers don’t need to hear about the logistics of your club soccer team's travel schedule or the detailed interpersonal dynamics of the restaurant you work at. They’ve heard those stories again and again.

What they really need to hear about is you . As a high school student, the way you spend your time outside of school says a lot about you. Admissions officers know that your time is limited and precious. Seeing the activities or causes you’ve dedicated yourself to reveals a lot about what’s important to you.

1: Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt offers a community where students find balance between their academic and social experiences. Please briefly elaborate on how one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences has influenced you.

(Psst: Want to know how to answer this prompt specifically? We have a post breaking down the Vanderbilt supplemental for you.)

2: Colorado College: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (no more than 250 words)

Extracurricular essay strategy.

As with any supplemental essay, it’s important to approach Extracurricular supplementals strategically. In particular, your Extracurricular essays should do two main things.

Show magnitude, impact, and reach.

When admissions officers evaluate an applicant’s activities list or Extracurricular supplemental essay, they are looking at these three criteria. Let’s take a second to define each term:

Magnitude: How big of a deal is your extracurricular?

Impact: How are you and others affected by your extracurricular?

Reach: How many people do you reach by participating in your extracurricular?

Now, your Extracurricular essays don’t have to be manifestos about how great you are at your activity. In fact, they shouldn’t be.

But when it comes to your supplemental essay strategy, a good way to approach your Extracurricular essays is by writing meaningfully about how your extracurricular has helped you have an impact on the world. Since colleges want to admit students who positively influence the world around them, your extracurricular essays can help you show how you do just that.

Reflect on personal meaning and influence.

The best extracurricular essays are ones that revolve around personal meaning and influence.

Colleges ask you to respond to Extracurricular prompts because they want to know more about how your activities meaningfully impact you and the world around you.

A supplemental essay that only goes into details about your activity without reflecting on its meaning or influence doesn’t do enough to make your case for admission.

Let’s look at a quick example.

In Debate Club, I led my team to victory in the final round. We were debating about climate change solutions, and I brought it my all.

While that example elaborates on an extracurricular activity, it doesn’t make any effort to reflect on why the activity or the writer’s actions were important. Let’s look at a better excerpt:

My Debate Club was in the finals, and I was our last hope. But we were in luck: the topic was “climate change solutions,” something I’m deeply passionate about. By harnessing the support of my team and the weight of my environmental activism, we didn’t just win the finals. I also became more confident in my ability to advocate for change.

This second version speaks more to meaning. It goes beyond a simple explanation of the activity to expand on 1) why the activity was important and 2) what it meant to the writer.

Now that you have a few strategies under your belt, it’s time to start writing.

How to Write an Extracurricular Supplemental Essay

Step 1: Read the prompt closely.

If you’ve read any of our other supplemental essay guides , you might be familiar with this step. You may even be sick of hearing it. But it’s important to carefully dissect the prompt so you know exactly what admissions officers will be expecting you to address.

In the case of Extracurricular Activities essays, reading the prompt is essential. I’ll use the Vanderbilt and Colorado College prompts as an example.

Notice that the Vanderbilt prompt asks you to “briefly elaborate on how one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences has influenced you ,” while the Colorado College prompt simply says, “Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.”

So what’s the difference? The Vanderbilt prompt asks you specifically to discuss how your activity has influenced you, but the Colorado College prompt gives you more freedom with what part of your activity you can focus on.

Step 2: Choose your extracurricular activity based on the values, impact, or lessons you want to show.

Remember that your personal statement, supplemental essays, and other application components work together to form a cohesive application narrative . Your essays should each show one of your best strengths, and together they should communicate your overall personal brand.

As you choose which extracurricular activity to write about, be sure that you’re thinking strategically about what you want your activity to say about you to an admissions officer.

Here’s a chart that might help you out. I’ve filled out an example first row so you can get the hang of it. Try filling in your own information to see what sticks.

Step 3: Outline.

Okay, let’s say that you’re the debate team member we met earlier and you’re working on the Colorado College prompt. Since the prompt doesn’t specify which aspect of your extracurricular you should focus on, you get to choose what you think will be best.

Let’s also say that your personal statement already talks about your role on a team, so you want to supplement your personal statement (this is a supplemental essay, after all!) by focusing instead on how this activity has advanced your passion for climate justice.

Before you begin writing, it might be a good idea to outline what you want to write about to make sure your essay covers everything you want it to.

Here’s an example outline to get you thinking.

I. Introduction: Introduce the activity and lay out what’s at stake.

II. Body: Discuss impact, personal meaning, or reach.

III. Conclusion: Reflect on the activity and drive home how it showcases your chosen strength.

Clearly organizing your essay in a way that gives concrete details while focusing on meaning will help admissions officers understand the importance of your activity.

Extracurricular supplemental essay mistakes

Writing a thinly-veiled Academic Interest essay instead of an Extracurricular essay

Because you’re applying to college to be a student, some applicants think that you need to write about an extracurricular experience related to your academics. This kind of essay might include topics like debate, robotics club, Model United Nations, coding experience, independent research, and more.

Co-curricular activities that are related to your academic interests aren’t off-limits. But you do have to be careful not to overstate the academic importance of your activity. If admissions offices want to know more about one of your academic interests, then they’ll ask you to answer an Academic Interest prompt.

But because they’ve asked you to write an Extracurricular supplemental, then you’ll need to keep your focus on the “extra” part of “extracurricular.”

Going into too much detail at the expense of personal meaning.

I know—it’s hard not to unleash your passion and expertise when writing about your favorite extracurricular activity. Doing so can demonstrate its importance to you and your knowledge of the subject.

But the problem with going into too much detail is that it can outshine the true purpose of a supplemental essay, which is to show personal meaning and school fit.

Focusing on a superficial “non-extracurricular.”

If you’re not quite sure what extracurricular to write about, let me give you a quick warning. You need to write about a real extracurricular activity. Some students want to put a creative twist on the prompt and focus on an “extracurricular” that is more of a personal interest than an actual activity.

A good example of a superficial “non-extracurricular” would be an essay about going on long drives while listening to music. Sure, you might be able to write an interesting essay about that. But that kind of topic doesn’t fulfill the expectations of a supplemental essay, and it doesn’t give you the information you need to make your case for admission.

Extracurricular Supplemental Essay Example

Example essay: the journalist.

Colorado College: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (no more than 250 words)

As an impressionable six-year-old, I watched Meryl Streep-portrayed Miranda Priestly shape fashion history with a single word of disgust. I longed for my words to have such an impact.

Now, as an editor-in-chief myself, I oversee daily operations of The Hallway , my high school’s newspaper. Instead of shaping global fashion trends, I impact my community by ensuring everyone stays informed.(( The writer highlights their community impact.))

My place as editor-in-chief was solidified when, in March of last year, we published a breaking story. After a tip to our newspaper email address, a fellow reporter and I uncovered an academic dishonesty scandal. We conducted interviews, dug into school files, and reviewed old test keys to discover the cheating. My reporter wrote the story, and I edited it and put it on the front page. Our story became so big that it was republished in our city’s local newspaper.(( This paragraph points to the student’s reach. They didn’t just impact their school community—their efforts also reached their city.))

Leading my team through this investigation taught me just how important journalism is.(( This paragraphs reflects on the meaning of the activity to the writer.)) Even when people might be upset with what you write, what’s most important is the truth. People can’t make decisions if they’re uninformed about the facts. And reporters can’t investigate and write those stories without the support of a leader who’s willing to put in the work, too.

I doubt I’ll ever predict what we’ll be wearing next spring. But I know that my words will continue to have a deep impact on my community, and I can’t wait to find the next big story at The Catalyst. ((The writer offers a brief but specific reference to the institution.))

Looking for more examples? We've got a bunch of other college essay examples for you to read —check them out!

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Extracurricular Activities Essays (Examples)

224+ documents containing “extracurricular activities” .

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Extracurricular activities.

Extracurricular Activities and Student Success: a Connection Extracurricular activities are very popular with students from elementary school through college. These activities can run the gamut of things from sports to drama, from chess to yoga, and everything in between; extracurricular activities really cater to a student's individual interests, and there are groups for just about every imaginable interest. Extracurricular activities are normally conducted outside of the normal school day, are entirely voluntary, and students do not receive grades for participating in them (Holloway, 1999). Nevertheless, these activities remain extraordinarily popular, thereby reinforcing the notion that school is not just about grades to most students. However, despite the fact that extracurricular activities are not associated with academics (in most cases) and have nothing to do with grades, a growing body of research suggests that participation in extracurricular activities may in fact have a beneficial effect on a student's academic performance. This paper….

Bleeker, Martha M., et. al. (1998). "The Effects of Extracurricular Activities on Self-Esteem, Academic Achievement, and Aggression in College Students." Psi Chi: The National Honor Society in Psychology. 3(1).

Eccles, J.S., and Barber, B.I. (1999). "Student Council, Volunteering, Basketball, or Marching Band: What Kind of Extracurricular Involvement Matters?" Journal of Adolescent Research. 14(1), 10-43.

Extracurricular Activities." (1995). The Condition of Education. Retrieved on July 2, 2003 at  http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/ce/c9543a01.html .

Gerber, Susan. (1996). "Extracurricular Activities and Academic Achievement." Journal of Research and Development in Education. 30(1), 42-50.

Extracurricular Activities I Always Enjoy

We had prepared presentations for the college authorities as well as for the students. We explained to the college administration and senior professors about the ways in which our organization can benefit their students in long run. Moreover, we also took permission to give presentation to the students in the college and encouraged them to join our firm as internees now and employees afterwards. Handouts were also provided to them, which also contained details about our company and the skills and abilities that internees can learn by working with us. We also pitched the colleges to advertise us on their notice boards so that the students who missed to attend the presentation can also avail the opportunity of working at a better place. As a result of our efforts, many internees joined our company and were provided training. I also joined their group and learned so much about the basic HR….

Effect of Extracurricular Activities on Career

Gender and Career Success On many resumes, the applicant will list their extracurricular activities and interests. If nothing else, it gives the interviewer something with which to break the ice, a conversation starter that is not all that relevant to the job for which the applicant is being interviewed. Or is it? People put down their extracurriculars in part because they think that companies want to know those things. It can look good to say that you help the homeless, or referee youth soccer. But does any of that actually matter in terms of career success? There has not been much work done to measure the link between extracurricular activities and career success. A lot of the research that does exist comes from the education field and relates to students. At that level, at least, there is evidence to support the idea that extracurricular activities are beneficial. Students who participate in extracurricular….

Career Building (2014). Extra-curricular activities -- why are they important on a resume? Performance Education Group. Retrieved November 17, 2015 from http://www.performance.edu.au/news/Extra-curricular-activities-in-your-resume

Chickering, A. (1994). Empowering lifelong self-development. NACADA Journal Vol. 14 (2) 50-53.

Fabricant, F. & Miller, J. (2014) Creating career success: A Flexible plan for the world of work. Wadsworth: Boston.

Mahoney, J., Cairns, B. & Farmer, T. (2003). Promoting interpersonal competence and educational success through extracurricular activity participation. Journal of Educational Psychology. Vol. 95 (2) 409-418.

How Extracurricular Activities Influence the Success of Peoples Career

extracurricular activities encompass the activities that students take part in, which are not constituted in the sphere of normal curriculum of the schools. These activities are perceived in all school levels. Extracurricular activities (ECA) include different activities, such as clubs, sports, art, music, drama and even the school student newspaper (Massoni, 2011). The purpose of this paper is to highlight the positive impacts of ECA on the eventual career prospects of the students and their level of success through different literature reviews. esearch shows the level of participation in extracurricular activities is significant to companies. This is for the reason that, participation in these activities signifies potential soft-skill capabilities and proficiencies, such as leadership skills, organizing skills, social and relational skills and cooperation. Ming Chia (2005) examines the impacts of emotional intelligence, extracurricular activities and academic performance with respect to prospective accounting-major graduates on the results of their individual cross-examining….

Huang, Y. R., Chang, S. M. (2004). Academic and co-curricular involvement: Their relationship and the best combinations for student growth. Journal of College Student Development 45, no. 4: 391-406.

Massoni, E. (2011). Positive Effects of Extra Curricular Activities on Students. ESSAI, 9(1), 27.

Ming Chia, Y. (2005). Job offers of multi-national accounting firms: The effects of emotional intelligence, extra-curricular activities, and academic performance. Accounting Education, 14(1), 75-93.

Vermeulen, L., & Schmidt, H. G. (2008). Learning environment, learning process, academic outcomes and career success of university graduates. Studies in Higher Education, 33(4), 431-451.

Extra Curricular Activities Leading to Career Success

Extra-Curricular Activities and Career Success Leadership is defined as a set of attitudes and skills, which can be practiced and learned at a very young age. Through community service activities, sports, and school clubs, the adolescents explore their strengths and learn how to make a difference on their parts. Several adolescents who have taken active part in the extracurricular activities have reported to have strong opportunities of leadership and a much greater voice in the process of decision making. Different extracurricular activities have provided different success patterns in the adolescents; studies have suggested that those who were involved in the sports activities had positive results as compared to the ones who were not involved in organized activities (Hancock, Dyk, & Jones, 2012 ). An environment that involves learning increases student motivation, resulting in the increase in learning results. This shows an important relationship with the success in the beginning phases of the….

Bibliography

CHIA, Y. M. (2005). Job Offers of Multi-national Accounting Firms: The Effects of Emotional Intelligence, Extra-curricular Activities, and Academic Performance. Accounting Education: an international journal, 75-93.doi: 10.1080/0693928042000229707

Hancock, D., Dyk, P. H., & Jones, K. (2012 ). Adolescent Involvement in Extracurricular Activities: Influences on Leadership Skills. Journal of Leadership Education, 84-101.

Storey, K. L. (2010). Bridging the Gap: Linking Co-Curricular Activities to Student Learning Outcomes in Community College Students. Dissertations.

Vermeluen, L., & Schmidt, H. (2008). Learning environment, learning process, academic outcomes and career success of university graduates. Studies in Higher Education, 431-451.doi: 10.1080/03075070802211810

Extracurricular Activities and Procurement

Procurement Analyst. espected Sir or Ma'am, This letter is in response to a job post or advertisement for the position of procurement analyst. I believe I am the perfect candidate for the position. I have both education and experience. Along with my Bachelor's degree I also have 15 years of experience as a procurement analyst in NYC and 7 years of experience as a contracting agent. I am highly proficient with using a multitude of computer aided management tools and programs such as FMS and APT. My strengths lie in preparing and analyzing spreadsheets and feel comfortable in teams, leading and training others as well as utilizing software for business management. I am an excellent communicator and have advanced time management skills. My experience has prepared me to handle a plethora of various tasks. I am dependable, consistent, and committed to my work. My resume along with this letter offers information on my….

References Reference name, Company

Contact Information

Street Address, City, ST ZIP Code -- Telephone -- Email

Positive Effects of Extracurricular Activity

Objectives During the proposed study's process, the researcher plans to fulfill the following objectives. Objective 1: Address each of the proposed study's research questions during literature review: Examine the effect athletic participation has on student GPAs; Identify the effect athletic participation has on student DC CAS math scores; Determine the effect athletic participation has on student DC CAS English eading scores; Explore the effect music participation has on student GPAs; Investigate the effect music participation has on student DC CAS math scores; Discover the effect music participation has on student DC CAS English eading scores. Objective 2: Complete study with 150 tenth grade student participants in the first semester of school year 2008-2009. Objective 3: Analyze test results and compare with findings from literature reviewed. One of the Best Investments Despite current reported budget cuts and constraints in education, high school activity programs continue to constitute one of the best investments schools can make, as cost range from only one to three percent (less….

Baker, Christina. (2008, August). Under-represented college students and extracurricular involvement: the effects of various student organizations on academic performance. Social Psychology of Education, Volume 11 (3). Retrieved January 27, 2009 at http://www.springerlink.com/content/b6432j1361233004/

The case for extracurricular activities. (2008). National Federation of State High School Association. Retrieved January 23, 2009 at  http://richwoodstrack.com/extracurricular_case.htm 

The Columbia World of Quotations. (1996). Columbia University Press, New York. Retrieved January 27, 2009 from www.bartleby.com/66/.

Draper, Michelle. (2008, September 7). Vic: Principals link mental health to academic achievement. (www.highbeam.com/Search.aspx?q=publication:%22AAP+General+News+(Australia)%22&sort=DT&sortdir=DAAP General News (Australia). Retrieved January 28, 2009 from HighBeam Research:  http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-156068940.html

Activity or Accomplishment That Is

My broadcasting career began early, when I anchored for our high school's Hawk News Network (HNN). It was then that I realized for certain what I wanted to do for the rest of my life: to be of service to all people and leave a legacy through effective communication and journalism. A plan to pursue broadcast journalism by taking rigorous courses that directly pertain in my field of interest. I also intend to stretch my boundaries and step outside of my comfort zone by taking challenging coursework in unrelated areas, areas that might expose and therefore strengthen my weaknesses. Another way I intend to pursue my academic interests is through clubs, organizations, and other extracurricular activities that relate to broadcast journalism. Just as I became actively involved in student-run television stations in high school and college, I will also involve myself deeply with such resources at USC (CHRISTINE: YOU MIGHT….

Participation in Ext-Curricular Activities Affect

Significant findings were that the survey revealed that "participants in any type of extracurricular activity were significantly more likely than non-participants to exercise and consume nutritious foods, to like school and do homework, and to express positive attitudes about self, peers, teachers, and parents. Involved students were less likely to skip school, get into fights, vandalize property, smoke cigarettes or marijuana, binge drink, or have sexual intercourse. Students who participate in sports are less likely to suffer depression than non-participants. " 3. The Involvement Principle: Reported in the Journal of Higher Education (1995) the work entitled "The Other Curriculum: Out-of-Class Experiences with Student Learning and Personal Development" sought to understand the relationship between leadership and socialization skills in relation to the personal development that seemingly takes place during extracurricular activities. According to the author of this work George D. Kuh, graduates believe that participation in student's organizations, part-time work as well….

Porter, A.C. (1991) Creating a System of School Process Indicators. Education and Policy Analysis 13(1), 13-29.

Chambers, Elisha A. (2002) After-School Pursuits, Ethnicity and Achievement for 8th and 10th Grade Students. The Journal of Educational Research 1 Nov 2002.

Gopalakrishman, Narayan (2003) Differences in Behavior, Psychological Factors, and Environmental Factors Associated with Participation in School Sports and Other Activities in Adolescence. Journal of School Health 1 Mar 2003.

Kuh, George D. (1995) The Other Curriculum: Out-of-Class Experiences Associated with Student Learning and Personal Development. Journal of Higher Education 1 March 1995.

Co-Curricular Activities High School Can

2007)." The authors also explain that there is a great deal of interest in the concept of school engagement because it is believed to be influenced by environmental changes (Fredricks et al., 2004; Dotterer et al. 2007). As a result of racial and ethnic achievement gaps, the study of school engagement amongst students of color is essential to closing these gaps. Previous research uncovered a pattern of underachievement in African-American students who have lower grades and receive less education than non-Hispanic White students (Dotterer et al. 2007). According to Jimerson et al. (2003) there are three dimensions of school engagement: affective, behavioral, and cognitive. The affective dimension is associated with an emotional connection to school and the sense of belonging that students have with their school. Additionally this dimension of school engagement is often referred to as school attachment (Johnson et al., 2001). The affective dimension of school engagement "reflects….

Dotterer a.M. Susan M. McHale Ann C. Crouter. (2007) Implications of Out-of-School Activities for School Engagement in African-American Adolescents. J Youth Adolescence (2007) 36:391 -- 401

Dworkin, J.B., Larson, R., & Hansen, D. (2003). Adolescents' accounts of growth experiences in youth activities. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32, 17-26.

Feldman, Amy F.; Matjasko, Jennifer L. (2005) the Role of School-Based Extracurricular Activities in Adolescent Development: A Comprehensive Review and Future Directions Review of Educational Research v. 75 no. 2 p. 159-210

Fredricks J, Blumenfeld P, Paris a (2004) School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Rev Educ Res 74:59 -- 109

Community Working Placement in the

The visits would also include the distribution of basic food items to help alleviate the food shortages and associated hunger in the area. The country is one that has a high reliance on agriculture and subsistence farming, but with the recent civil war the poverty is exacerbated with a need to recover. Recovery is needed for both production and the access to funds that may be realized from the sale of agricultural goods. This is an ongoing issue which one is constantly aware of when handing out food, knowing it is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. However other projects do exist which are seeking to address this issues. The visits also involve medical checks, with doctors and healthcare workers visiting people in their homes to help with medical issues to carry out checks and to give advice. This was also a learning experience, seeing the range of medical issues….

ED Students and Teacher Behavior

This study used quantitative techniques to measure the dependent variables, but the answers obtained have a high level of subjectivity present in them. Confounding Variables Aside from the independent and dependent variables, almost every study has a number of factors present that affect the results obtained in the study and the ability to interpret them. In this study, there are a number of factors that must be addressed in regards to the teacher responses to the survey. Confounding variables can be internal or external factors over which the researcher has no control. It id difficult to find a study that has absolutely no confounding variables that could affect the results. In this study, the first confounding variable is dependent on the interactions of other confounding variables. The student's type and severity of emotional disturbance are the first factors that affect the results obtained in this study. Neither the teachers, nor the researcher….

Hyatt, K. & Filler, J. (2007). A Comparison of the Effects of Two Social Skill Training

Approaches on Teacher and Child Behavior. Journal of Research in Childhood

Education. 22 (1): 85.

Lane, K., Wehby, J., Robertson, J. & Rogers, L. (2007). How Do Different Types of High

Recreation Pros and Cons of

To these kids playing video games is an extracurricular activity and they don't see any reason to do anything else. The major problem with this is that the incidence of childhood obesity in the U.S. is three times higher than it was 40 years ago. esearch shows that the increased use of technology by children during leisure time has transformed play from what used to be more physically active to sedentary. Children are often engaged in an environment that exposes them to food advertisement that encourages even more caloric consumption. Despite the linkage between technology and sedentary behavior, no consistent policy exists at the federal level that articulates government's role to address this issue (Campbell, Gilmore, McGinty, Pickering and amos, 2009). A new study shows that every hour that a child plays video games or watches television may double their risk of obesity. This is not the first study to associate….

Campbell, Casie, Gilmore, William, McGinty, James, Pickering, Jennifer and Ramos, Joseph.

(2009). Minimizing Technologies' Contribution to Childhood Obesity. Retrieved March 2,

2010, from Web site: http://wmgilmore.iweb.bsu.edu/technology_assessment.html

Do violent video games contribute to youth violence? (2010). Retrieved March 2, 2010, from Pro

Social and Academic Culture at

Learning should be a natural part of life, not seen as something confined to the classroom. To improve my school, first and foremost, I would allow for periods of class discussion, so students would have the freedom to question what they have learned. I would have smaller classes, so students could have enough time to discuss the lesson in a meaningful fashion and engage in hands-on problem-solving activities in math and science. I would allow for more open-ended and creative assignments in my humanities and social science classes. I would make the arts, including music and drama, an integral part of the curriculum so students could enjoy the pure pleasure of learning and use their knowledge in the process of creation and self-discovery. Introducing greater number of extracurricular activities at my current school is essential: sports are a passion of mine, but I would also like to write for a school….

Education and Identity in His

With Kim's help, I saw that I had a knack for helping people. I was able not just to be supportive of others, but I could really connect with people and help them. I also had a great knowledge of course planning for almost every major at UConn, because I liked to read through the course booklet and see what kinds of classes were out there and see the different majors and what the requisites were for each. Also, I realized that I often helped my friends with their course selections and major planning before they went to their own advisors. Therefore, I decided to major in Human Services, where my concentration was in academic advising. Thus, in my own way, I was able to travel through each of the seven vectors identified by Chickering and elucidated by eisser, ultimately arriving at the final point: the development of purpose in….

Chickering, a.W. Education and Identity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1969.

Straub, C. And Roberts, R.F. "An Exploration of Chickering's Theory and Women's

Development." Journal of College Student Personnel, 1986, 27, pp. 216-224.

Reisser, L. "Revisiting the Seven Vectors." Journal of College Student Personnel, 1995, 36, pp.

How to write an outline about online learning and impact on teens

How you write your outline for your essay on how online learning is impacting teens depends on the structure of your essay.  Most academic essays are done in the same manner, with an introductory paragraph, supporting body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.  The default length for a basic academic essay is five paragraphs, but the outline we are providing is for a six-paragraph essay because we think you should define online learning and explain why people are using it and then look at the educational , social, and mental impacts of online learning.

Online Learning Essay Outline:  Impact on....

how can government help schools in the rural area

Government can support schools in rural areas in various ways to help them provide quality education. Here is a suggested answer with proper spacing and formatting: 1. Infrastructure development: The government should allocate funds to improve the infrastructure of schools in rural areas. This includes constructing well-equipped classrooms, libraries, laboratories, and administrative buildings. Adequate spacing within the school premises should be ensured to accommodate a sufficient number of students and facilitate their learning experience. 2. Technological support: Governments should invest in providing schools with necessary technological infrastructure such as computers, projectors, and internet connectivity. This will enable teachers in rural areas to....

should schools need more funding

Yes, schools definitely need more funding. Adequate funding is essential for providing quality education, supporting teachers, maintaining facilities, and offering resources and programs to enhance student learning. Insufficient funding can lead to overcrowded classrooms, outdated materials, limited extracurricular activities, and difficulty attracting and retaining qualified educators. Investing in education is vital for the future success of our students and society as a whole. In addition to the immediate benefits for students and teachers, increased funding for schools can also have a positive impact on the overall economy. Research has shown that a well-educated workforce is crucial for economic growth and prosperity.....

How to write an academic preparation response?

When writing an academic preparation response, it is important to follow a proper format to ensure clarity and organization. Here is an example of how you can structure your response: [Your Name] [Your Address] [City, State ZIP Code] [Email Address] [Phone Number] [Date] [Recipient's Name] [Recipient's Title] [Recipient's Organization] [Organization's Address] [City, State ZIP Code] Dear [Recipient's Name], I am writing in response to your request for information on my academic preparation for [specific program or position]. I have carefully considered the skills and knowledge needed for this opportunity, and I believe my academic background has prepared me well for success in this role. Firstly, I have completed a Bachelor's degree in [relevant field]....

Extracurricular Activities and Student Success: a Connection Extracurricular activities are very popular with students from elementary school through college. These activities can run the gamut of things from sports to…

We had prepared presentations for the college authorities as well as for the students. We explained to the college administration and senior professors about the ways in which our…

Communication

Gender and Career Success On many resumes, the applicant will list their extracurricular activities and interests. If nothing else, it gives the interviewer something with which to break the ice,…

extracurricular activities encompass the activities that students take part in, which are not constituted in the sphere of normal curriculum of the schools. These activities are perceived in…

Extra-Curricular Activities and Career Success Leadership is defined as a set of attitudes and skills, which can be practiced and learned at a very young age. Through community service activities,…

Procurement Analyst. espected Sir or Ma'am, This letter is in response to a job post or advertisement for the position of procurement analyst. I believe I am the perfect candidate…

Research Proposal

Objectives During the proposed study's process, the researcher plans to fulfill the following objectives. Objective 1: Address each of the proposed study's research questions during literature review: Examine the effect athletic participation…

Communication - Journalism

My broadcasting career began early, when I anchored for our high school's Hawk News Network (HNN). It was then that I realized for certain what I wanted to…

Significant findings were that the survey revealed that "participants in any type of extracurricular activity were significantly more likely than non-participants to exercise and consume nutritious foods, to…

Dissertation

2007)." The authors also explain that there is a great deal of interest in the concept of school engagement because it is believed to be influenced by environmental…

The visits would also include the distribution of basic food items to help alleviate the food shortages and associated hunger in the area. The country is one that has…

Research Paper

This study used quantitative techniques to measure the dependent variables, but the answers obtained have a high level of subjectivity present in them. Confounding Variables Aside from the independent and…

To these kids playing video games is an extracurricular activity and they don't see any reason to do anything else. The major problem with this is that the incidence…

Learning should be a natural part of life, not seen as something confined to the classroom. To improve my school, first and foremost, I would allow for periods of…

With Kim's help, I saw that I had a knack for helping people. I was able not just to be supportive of others, but I could really connect…

Are you seeking one-on-one college counseling and/or essay support? Limited spots are now available. Click here to learn more.

Complete List of Extracurricular Activities – 250+ Examples

February 26, 2024

There are many reasons to participate in extracurriculars. They’ll allow you to develop skills and widen your social circle. Plus, they’re fun! Moreover, extracurriculars are not only personally and professionally enriching, but can also be a critical component of your college applications. In fact, there are ten blank spaces for extracurricular activities on the Common Application. Now, do you need ten extracurricular activities? Nope. While you should feel free to experiment during your freshman and sophomore years, it is fine—preferrable, actually—to focus on a few core activities your junior and senior years. That is, focus on quality over quantity (scroll down for 250 extracurricular activity examples).

In addition, one’s ability to participate in extracurricular activities is shaped by a number of factors including academic load, personal and familial obligations, economic circumstances, and availability. It’s difficult to join a ski club if you live in Florida, write for the student newspaper if your high school doesn’t have one, or participate in after-school activities when you have younger siblings to babysit or a part-time retail job. Admissions officers will account for these factors, and you should as well.

Why Are Extracurriculars Important?

Different schools place different weight on extracurriculars. Generally, the more competitive the school, the more your extracurriculars can help you stand out amongst a field of academically-qualified applicants.

More specifically, extracurriculars:

• Give insights into your priorities and passions.
• Demonstrate commitment and initiative.
• Establish your interest in a prospective major. This is more important for some majors than others. Examples: pre-med, computer science, theater.

Extracurricular Activities Examples (Continued)

However, contrary to popular belief, college admissions officers are people, not robots. They are focused on accepting applicants who will make up a well-rounded student body , not necessarily on accepting individual students who check each and every box. This distinction is critical. Treat the activities section of your application as an opportunity to show what you have to offer to your future college community. What does your list of activities say about you? What do you want it to say about you? For example, perhaps you participated in only one club in high school—a single line item on the activities section of your application. Is that “bad?” Well, no. Let’s expand the scenario and say that you were a member of said club all four years of high school, eventually served as Vice-President, and participated in regional activities.

Now, what does that one activity say about you? It says that you are dedicated and secure in your interests. Conversely, let’s say you participated in eight different extracurriculars—some sporadically, some regularly. What does this say about you? You are a joiner. You are not afraid to experiment, but know how and when to prioritize. Both of these hypothetical students are promising candidates.

When reviewing extracurriculars, college admissions officers are looking for evidence of:

• Participation
• Achievement
• Community Engagement
• Relevant (or Unexpected) Interests
• Social Awareness
• Personal Growth

Typically, what your list of extracurriculars communicates about you is the most valuable part of this application section.

What Are Extracurriculars?

Whether you are just starting to explore extracurricular opportunities or are already considering how to complete the Common App activities section, it can be helpful to consider the range of activities. What constitutes an extracurricular activity? What are your options? Which extracurriculars fit your interests?

As the list of extracurriculars below shows, the list of potential activities is quite expansive. Use this list to brainstorm ideas or get a sense of the range of possibilities. In fact, if you are researching extracurriculars early enough in your high school career, you might even be able to establish a club or chapter that doesn’t yet exist at your school or in your community.

Alternatively, by perusing this list, you might find that are already participating in an activity without even realizing it “counts.” What do you do after school? For fun? During the weekends? That is, before you despair, are you sure that you have no extracurriculars ? No matter your circumstances, it is highly unlikely that you have nothing to include in this section of your application. Remember that an extracurricular can be any activity not related to coursework . This includes both formal activities and informal hobbies, paid work and volunteer positions, clubs and sports, etc.

List of Extracurricular Activities Divided by Category

Many of these activities could easily fit into multiple or alternate categories. For example, some language clubs are more academic and founded by and for students interested in learning and practicing a language, whereas others function more as cultural affinity groups.

Numerous organizations, clubs, or teams listed are national organizations, with students joining or belonging to a local or school-specific chapter. Where possible, we’ve linked to the national organization for more information.

Academic Clubs or Teams

Do you love science and plan to major in pre-med? An anatomy or biology club might be for you! Are you interested in practicing your Spanish skills outside of class? There might be a club for that! Join a club or an academic team because it interests you, not because you think it will look good (or, at least, not just because you think it will look good).

These groups can vary in competitiveness and levels of commitment. Academic competitions or challenges often entail some degree of travel, as well as opportunities for prizes and scholarships.

• Academic Decathlon
• Academic Triathlon
• Adopt-a-Physicist
• American Mathematics Competitions
• American Regions Mathematics League
• Anatomy Club
• Arabic Club
• Architecture Club
• Art History Club
• Astronomy Club
• Biology Club
• Business Club
• Caribou Mathematics Competition
• Chemistry Club
• Chemistry Olympiad
• Chinese Club
• Clean Tech Challenge
• Conrad Challenge (annual innovation and entrepreneurial competition)
• Creative Communication Poetry Contest
• EconChallenge
• Economics Club
• Electronics Club
• Engineering Club
• English Club
• French Club
• German Club
• History Club
• Kids Philosophy Slam
• Life Sciences Club
• Literature Club
• Math League
• National Academic Quiz Tournament
• National Geography Bee
• National History Bee
• National Science Bee
• National Spelling Bee
• Odyssey of the Mind
• Philosophy Club
• Physics Club
• Psychology Club
• Robotics Club
• Russian Club
• Science Olympiad
• Spanish Club
• Trivia and Quiz Clubs
• Web Design/Coding Club
• Writing Club

Affinity Groups

This list is not comprehensive, as these types of groups tend to vary according to the demographic make-up of one’s high school or region. Likewise, the names of these groups can vary significantly. Don’t see a group that serves you or your peers? Establish one!

• African American Student Alliance
• American Sign Language Club
• Asian Students Association
• Association of Latin-American Students
• Autism Awareness Club
• Black Students Alliance
• Black Students Union
• Buddhist Club
• Caribbean Culture Club
• Chinese Student Association
• Diversity Awareness Club
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• Feminist Club
• Filipino-American Club
• Gay-Straight Alliance
• Indian Students Association
• International Students Association
• International Women’s Club
• Jewish Culture Club
• Jewish Student Union
• Latino Students Union
• LGBTQ2S+ Club
• Multicultural Student Union
• Muslim Student Union
• Muslim Students Association
• National Organization for Women
• Nigerian Student Association
• Pacific Islander Student Association
• Persian Club
• Queer Student Alliance
• Refugee Support and Awareness Club
• South Asian Student Association

Do you have a creative side, or are you planning in majoring in art or design?

• 3-D Modeling
• 3-D Printing Club
• Anime/Manga Club
• Blacksmithing
• Fashion Design
• Graphic Design
• Jewelry Making
• Knitting and Crochet
• Photography
• Video Game Development
• Woodworking

Community Involvement & Service Organizations

Many school clubs or societies require community service, as do many scholarships. Likewise, some college applications provide a separate section for listing your community service. However, you might also consider volunteering more regularly or joining a service organization. Not only can it be more enriching than a one-off volunteer opportunity, but it also counts as an extracurricular. There are many established service organizations, or you can look up local groups and reach out about volunteer opportunities.

• Adopt-a-Highway
• American Cancer Society
• Amnesty International
• Animal Rights Club
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America
• Do Something
• Environmental Club
• Food Pantry/Soup Kitchen Volunteer
• Girls Lean International
• Habitat for Humanity
• Hospital Volunteer
• Humane Society
• Kiwanis International
• March of Dimes
• Missionary Work
• Nursing Home Volunteer
• Peer Tutoring
• Red Cross Club
• Religious Institution Involvement (Church, Mosque, Synagogue, Temple Involvement)
• UNICEF High School Clubs
• Volunteer Fire Department
• Youth Groups

Employment & Professional Development

Are you worried about your extracurriculars because you want or need to work instead? Well, don’t. Holding down a job is serious business, and demonstrates responsibility and resolve.

• Educators Rising (for future educators)
• Entrepreneurship Club
• HOSA (organization for future health professionals)
• Internships (paid and unpaid)
• Lifeguarding
• Landscaping
• Pet sitting
• Retail Work
• Service Industry Work (waiting tables, housecleaning, etc.)
• Teacher Assistance
• Tutoring (paid and volunteer)

Government, Leadership & Activism

From serving on your student council to volunteering for a local (or national) political campaign, there are many government-adjacent extracurricular opportunities. Other ways of cultivating your leadership skills including checking out one of the many established youth leadership groups or working with an organization that represents your political interests and concerns.

• Civil Air Patrol
• The Climate Initiative
• Current Events Club
• Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA)
• Foreign Affairs Club
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
• Girl Scouts
• High School Democrats of America
• Junior ROTC
• Junior State of America
• Mock Trial Club
• Model Congress Club
• Model United Nations
• National Beta Club
• National Speech & Debate Association
• National Teen Age Republicans
• Political Campaign Involvement
• Racial Justice Club
• Sierra Student Coalition
• Sunrise Movement
• Student Council
• Student Government
• Team Enough
• Young Democrats of America

Honor Societies

Commitment level and degrees of selectiveness can vary.

• Mu Alpha Theta (Mathematics Honor Society)
• National Honor Society
• Quill and Scroll (International Honor Society for High School Journalists)
• Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society
• Science National Honors Society
• Tri-M Music Honor Society

Media & Writing

Even if there is no club or group that fits your media or writing interests, anyone can start a blog or a podcast!

• Blogging (personal or through an established web publication)
• Creative Writing (poetry, fan fiction)
• Culture Reviews (books, films, television)
• Literary Magazine
• Playwriting Club
• Radio (school or local station)
• Scriptwriting Club
• School Newspaper
• Sports Writing
• Television (school or local channel)
• Yearbook Committee

Music & Performance Art

Remember that this category includes more than performance. Do you love theater but have terrible stage fright? Join the stage crew to help with costumes or design. Do you want to support musical groups but can’t carry a tune? Offer to do the lighting or work as an usher during concerts.

• Acapella Group
• Chamber Music Group
• Choreography
• Chorus/Choir (school or community)
• Comedy Club
• Concert Band
• Dance (ballet, jazz, modern, tap, etc.)
• Improv Club
• International Thespian Society
• Marching Band
• Slam Poetry Club
• Spoken Word
• Theater (school or community, acting or production)

Special Interests

There is (or can be) a club for any interest.

• Astrology Club
• Bridge Club
• Cooking Club
• Dungeons and Dragons Club
• Forensics Team
• LARPing (Live Action Role Playing)
• Pokemon Club
• Renaissance Faires
• Society for Creative Anachronism

Sports & Recreation (Teams and Clubs)

You don’t have to be the MVP to get (and stay) involved with athletic extracurriculars. In fact, pursuing a sport even if you’re not an all-star demonstrates commitment and teamwork. If your school doesn’t offer a sport, look for recreational or intramural opportunities.

• Bird Watching
• Bodybuilding
• Cheerleading
• Climbing Club
• Cross Country
• Equestrian Club
• Flag Football
• Hiking Club
• Intramural Sports
• Marital Arts
• Quidditch Club
• Skateboarding
• Skiing & Snowboarding
• Surfing Club
• Track & Field
• Ultimate Frisbee Club
• Weightlifting

Remember, you can always start a club if you’re intrigued by one on this list and it is not already available at your school or in your region!

Other blogs that may be of interest include:

• Computer Science Competitions for High Schoolers
• 98 Passion Project Ideas
• 1oo Best Clubs to Start in High School
• NHS Essay Examples
• Should I Join NSHSS or NHS?
• Extracurricular Activities

Jordan Conley

Jordan received her BA from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, where she majored in Religious Studies and Classics. Following her undergraduate work, she spent several years teaching elementary school--first in northern Thailand as a fellow with Princeton in Asia, then in Bozeman, Montana. Jordan went on to receive a Master's in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and is currently working toward completing her PhD at Boston University, focusing on religions of the Ancient Mediterranean.

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Other High School , College Admissions , Extracurriculars

How do you like to spend your time after school? Did you know that how you choose to spend this time could be one of the most important ways you shape your future?

Extracurricular activities are a critical component of your college application, and you need to impress colleges with your interests. But you might not know what good extracurricular activities look like or what you should be spending your time on.

We've got you covered here in our guide of hundreds of examples of extracurricular activities. Read on to get some inspiration for how to spend your valuable free time during high school!

What Is An Extracurricular Activity?

An extracurricular activity can be almost anything that isn't required for high school credit or paid employment that you do while you're in high school. These activities will become very important later, such as when you are applying to colleges, because they help you develop your talents, interests, and passions. They can also teach you practical skills like time management.

With so many options out there, all students should be able to find an extracurricular that they are interested in and can develop a passion for!

Remember that extracurricular activities do not have to be sponsored by your school, so you should also consider things that you do with your family or within your community as viable options.

Below I've listed many popular activities that you may not have thought of as extracurricular activities. Take a look at the list and see if your activities are already on the list, or if anything you hadn't considered before catches your eye.

Of course, this list isn't complete, because you can turn almost any interest into an extracurricular. If you are actively involved in something that you don't see here—meaning you spend a significant amount of time doing an activity that is allowing you to develop a talent or interest, be a leader, or help out your community—then you should definitely consider that an extracurricular activity, as well!

What doesn't necessarily count as an extracurricular? Any interest of yours that's very self-centered is probably not going to make the cut.

An extracurricular should be an activity that demonstrates a talent or primarily contributes value to other people. If you have to really contort to find justification for something being an extracurricular (my taking drivers ed will make the roads safer for everyone! Keeping my vaccinations up to date helps immunocompromised people!), then chances are, it won't count as an extracurricular .

There's a spectrum here, though—for example, improving your hair quality or braiding hair for fun isn't really an extracurricular. But starting a YouTube channel around beauty tips or creating a club for teen health enthusiasts definitely does.

But if you're still unsure if something counts as an extracurricular, or you need some inspiration, then read on for our complete list of extracurricular activities.

How Should You Use This Extracurricular Activities List?

Not sure how you should use this list of extracurriculars? Just follow the six steps outlined in this section, and you'll be on your way to choosing the best extracurricular for you!

Step 1: Brainstorm Extracurricular Ideas

What are your interests? Have you always wanted to try out something related to art, but weren't sure if it would be worth your time, or if it would be viewed favorably by a college admissions team? Keep in mind that colleges don't really care about what kind of activity you are doing—instead, they want to see that you are doing something that you are passionate about. So make a list of all of your interests—both things that you are already interested in and other areas that intrigue you and you'd like to learn more about.

Step 2: See Which Extracurriculars Fit Your Interests

Look through the list below and see if any of the activities match your interests. You may see some ways that you hadn't thought of before to pursue an interest! Keep in mind that there can be a lot of different outlets for each interest you have. For example, if you want to play an instrument, you can take private classes, play in your school's marching band, play in a community concert band, or work as part of the orchestra for your school's next musical.

Step 3: Research Different Extracurricular Options

Research to see if these activities are available at your high school or in your community. If there is something you are very passionate about that's not already offered, consider starting up a group of your own. But if you aren't sure that the interest will stick and you only want to try it out, it's probably best to find a different outlet for your curiosity.

Extracurriculars List by Category

This list is organized into categories to make finding an activity that matches your interests easier. However, we recommend at least skimming all the extracurricular options below, even if you think they're categories you're not interested in. You never know what might catch your eye!

Note: not all schools will offer formal clubs in all these categories. If you see something you're interested in that your school doesn't offer, try joining a community group or even a national or online group to explore the interest further! Many of these topics are available as summer camp activities, as well.

You can also consider starting a club at your school if you are looking for a way to get involved in something you are interested in while also showing leadership and initiative.

These activities are based on a certain academic subject, and include both clubs (groups to discuss and practice certain subjects) and competitive teams. Academic teams have competitions that take place at all levels, from local to national.

• Adopt-A-Physicist
• Architecture Club
• Astronomy Club
• Biology Club
• Chemistry Club
• Economics Club
• Electronics Club
• Engineering Club
• English Club
• Distributive Education Clubs of America
• History Club
• Life Sciences Club
• Literature Club
• Literary Magazine Club
• Mu Alpha Theta: Math Honor Society
• National Honor Society
• Peer Tutoring
• Poetry Club
• Physics Club
• Psychology Club
• Quill and Scroll
• Robotics Club
• Science National Honors Society
• Trivia and Quiz Clubs
• Web design/coding club
• Writing Club

Academic Competitive Teams

• Academic Decathlon
• Academic Triathlon
• American Mathematics Competitions
• American Regions Math League
• Caribou Mathematics Competition
• Chemistry Olympiad
• Clean Tech Competition
• Creative Communication Poetry Contest
• EconChallenge
• Educators Rising
• FIRST Robotics Competition
• High School Innovation Challenge
• Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
• Kids Philosophy Slam
• Math League
• National Academic Quiz Tournament
• National French Contest
• National History Bee
• National Spelling Bee
• Odyssey of the Mind
• Poetry Out Loud
• Questions Unlimited
• Science Bowl
• Science Olympiad
• Other Trivia and Quiz Competition Teams

These activities will allow you to express yourself artistically—on paper, through a lens, on stage, and through several other media. Unleash your creativity!

• Anime/Manga Club
• Art: drawing, painting
• Blacksmithing
• Fashion design
• Graphic Design
• Jewelry Making
• Photography
• High School Theater Program
• Community Theater Program
• Video Game Development Club
• Woodworking

Cultural and Language

These activities may help you reconnect with your roots, or allow you to get a taste of the world's diversity without ever leaving home. There are many other cultural and language-related activities that you can participate in. Some of the most common ones are listed below.

• African American Student Alliances/Clubs
• American Sign Language Club
• Chinese Club
• French Club
• German Club
• International Food Club
• Pacific Islanders Club
• Russian Club
• South Asian Student Society
• Spanish Club

These activities will allow you to get involved in your community.

• Community Festivals
• Do Something
• Habitat for Humanity
• Kids Helping Kids
• Mountaineers Club
• Sisters on the Runway

Interested in making a difference in your school, community, or on a larger scale, through policy? Try a government-related activity to see if this could be a career interest for you!

• Community Youth Board
• Student Council
• Student Government
• Community Government

These activities could be a fit if you're a natural leader, skilled at motivating, directing, and inspiring others.

• National Beta Club
• Peer Leadership Group

If you love writing and communicating, consider getting involved in a media activity to help bring news and information to your school or community.

• School or local magazine/journal
• School or local newspaper
• School or local radio station
• School or local television channel
• School or local web site
• Work on a movie
• Yearbook Committee

If you are interested in learning about discipline, teamwork, and leadership, then you may be interested in a military-based extracurricular activity.

• Civil Air Patrol
• Junior ROTC

If you want to try playing an instrument or singing, there are many opportunities to try music-related activities. These are usually available both in your school community and in your wider community.

• Any musical interest club
• School Chorus/Choir
• Community Chorus/Choir
• Church Chorus/Choir
• Chamber Music Group
• Concert Band
• Singing Lessons
• Marching Band
• Your own band
• Tri-M Music Honor Society

Performance Art

Love to ham it up? You'll find there are many outlets both in your school and in your community to get on a stage and make an audience laugh and cry.

• Comedy Club
• Choreography
• Classic Film Club
• Film Production Club
• International Thespian Society
• Slam Poetry Club
• High School Theater Group
• Community Theater Group

You can usually find these groups in your community.

• Church groups
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• Jewish Student Union
• Missionary work
• Youth Groups

Roleplaying/Fantasy

Did you know your love of fantasy can also be an extracurricular activity? Participating in one of these groups can show a dedication to many different creative skills.

• The Civil War Reenactors
• Dungeons and Dragons Club
• Gamers Club
• LARPing (Live Action Role Playing)
• Renaissance Faires

Social Activism

These groups may have chapters in your school or in your community. If there's a cause you're passionate about, seek out the local group that supports it.

• Amnesty International
• Animal Rights Club
• Breast Cancer Awareness
• Cancer Foundation
• Environmental Club
• Fair Trade Club
• Gay-Straight Alliance
• Girls Lean International
• NOW —National Organization for Women
• SADD —Students Against Destructive Decisions

Special Interest

You will often find these groups in your school or supported by the community. If you have a special interest in something that you can't find a local group for, consider creating one or join a national group. You can communicate with other people who have the same interest online, and attend meet-ups throughout the year.

• Equestrian Club
• Entrepreneurship Club
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
• Girl Scouts
• Horticulture Club
• Model Railroads
• Quilt Making

Sports and Recreation

You probably already know about the sports teams at your schools, but there are also many opportunities to participate outside of those. Try doing extramural sports, join a club league in your community, or consider coaching a youth team.

• Baseball and softball
• Bodybuilding
• Cheerleading
• Climbing Club
• Hiking Club
• Intramural Sports
• Martial Arts
• Ping Pong Club
• Quidditch Clubs
• Skate Board Club
• Track & Field
• Ultimate Frisbee Club

There are a lot of ways to make a difference in your local community. Look for volunteer groups in your school, your church, or elsewhere in your neighborhood. There are many websites, such as Volunteer Match , that can help you find a local community service project that is of interest to you.

• Adopt-a-Highway
• Animal rescue
• Best Buddies International
• Church outreach
• Hospital volunteer
• International volunteer program
• Red Cross Club
• UNICEF High School Clubs
• Volunteer Fire Department
• Work with a local charity
• Work with a local soup kitchen

If none of the above activities are for you, you're still in luck. Why? You can always create your own extracurricular activity!

Did you know that almost any hobby can be turned into an extracurricular activity?

Starting a business or a website, volunteering, or any unusual hobby can be turned into something that you can write about for college. And if it's unique enough to not be on this list, you can be sure that it will be something new for the college admissions committee, as well!

What matters most is that it's an outlet for your passion, creativity, and leadership.

So instead of thinking you don't do anything interesting, take the opportunity to find a new passion, or to turn something you already love into an activity you can share with the world.

If you think there's something we left off that you want to see something added to this list, leave a comment below.

What's Next?

Now that you know what extracurriculars look like, read about how to write about extracurriculars on your college application.

Did you know that you can use community service work to help pay for college? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to win community service scholarships.

Want your extracurriculars to really stand out? Check out our guide of three amazing extracurricular examples that are sure to impress colleges.

Mary Ann holds a BA in Classics and Russian from the University of Notre Dame, and an MA from University College London. She has years of tutoring experience and is also passionate about travel and learning languages.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

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Writing About Extracurriculars in Your College Essays

Are you a high school student gearing up to apply for college? Are you unsure how to effectively showcase your extracurricular activities in your college essays? Join us for an informative webinar designed to help you master the art of writing about your extracurriculars in your college applications!

Former admissions officer Stacey Tuttle will delve into the importance of highlighting your extracurricular involvements and the significant role they play in your college admissions process. She will provide you with valuable insights and practical tips to ensure that your essays truly shine.

Key Learnings to Expect:

• Understanding the role of extracurricular activities in college applications: Discover why extracurriculars matter beyond academics and how they can help you stand out among other applicants.
• Identifying your unique story: Learn how to identify and articulate your most meaningful extracurricular experiences, demonstrating your passions, leadership skills, and personal growth.
• Crafting compelling narratives: Explore effective storytelling techniques to engage admissions officers and make your essays memorable.
• Showcasing impact and personal development: Gain insights into showcasing the impact you’ve made through your extracurricular involvements and how they have influenced your personal growth and character development.
• Avoiding common pitfalls: Understand common mistakes to avoid when writing about your extracurriculars, such as vague descriptions, generic statements, and lack of focus. We’ll provide you with strategies to ensure your essays are authentic and impactful.
• Tailoring your essays to different colleges: Learn how to tailor your extracurricular stories to match the values and interests of specific colleges, making your application stand out in the highly competitive admissions landscape.
• Leveraging supplemental essays: Discover how to effectively utilize supplemental essays to delve deeper into your extracurricular experiences and provide additional context to your application.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain invaluable insights into writing about extracurricular activities in your college essays! Join us for an engaging webinar that will equip you with the tools and knowledge to present your extracurricular involvements in the best possible light. Register now and embark on your path to college success!

Webinar Transcription

2023-07-18 – Writing About Extracurriculars in Your College Essays

Anesha: Hi, everyone, and welcome to tonight’s webinar. My name is Anesha Grant. I am a senior advisor at CollegeAdvisor, and I will be your moderator today. Today’s webinar is, “Writing About Extracurriculars in Your College Essays.” Before we get started, I just want to orient everyone with the webinar timing. So we will start off with the presentation, and then we will answer your questions in a live Q&A.

On the sidebar, you can go ahead and download our slides. questions in the Q&A tab. Now let’s meet our presenter for today, Stacey. Hey, Stacey, how are you?

Stacey: Hey, uh, thanks for the introduction, Anesha. Um, I’m really excited to be here tonight. A little bit about myself. My name is Stacey Tuttle. Um, I went to Yale University for my undergraduate degree where I focused on psychology with a concentration in neuroscience.

I then got my master’s of public health at Southern Connecticut State University, a local university near me, um, where I focused in health education and promotion. I worked in life science consulting for a time. And before I moved back to academia, where surprise I went back and worked at the School of Medicine at Yale, um, and then later to the School of Public Health at Yale, um, where I got all of my admissions experience.

Hence why I’m with you today. I’m a former admissions officer, um, at the Yale School of Public Health. I’m still at the Yale School of Public Health today as the Director of Student Affairs, um, and I, um, Love, you know, college advising. I was a first generation college student. I’m really passionate about talking about these, talking through these topics and providing resources to students who might not otherwise have them.

So I’m really excited to be here.

Anesha: Excited to have you. Um, and I always, I always forget you went to Yale and I’m like, why don’t we have more of a rivalry? We just ignore it, but I think, I

Stacey: think this is fine.

Anesha: We’re

Stacey: like really good friends. We got a Harvard, Yale match over here.

Anesha: Yeah. Um, I forgive you. No. Um, okay.

So we’re going to do our first poll. So for folks in the audience, let us know what grade level you are in or the grade level that you will be starting in the fall. So we want to know, so to give context on how Stacey can help you where you are in the process and where you are thinking about your extracurriculars.

Do you have? An extracurricular that stood out for you that you wrote about in your application, Stacey, all those,

Stacey: yeah, thanks for asking this question. It was the topic, the main focus of my personal statement when I applied to college, um, with theater, I was heavily involved. I actually didn’t know I was interested in theater when I was in high school.

Um, until my sophomore year, um, where I then got really heavily involved and it really changed my life. Um, and that’s why it was the focus of my essay. Which I will talk a little bit more about in a bit.

Anesha: We are kindred spirits. My essay was also about theater, but not, but I was like tech theater. So I was like stage manager, light design.

So we, we, we should put together a show one day. Okay. We’ll go ahead and close our poll. The majority of folks who are with us today are seniors. So about 67 percent of those in the room with us are seniors, followed by about 22 percent are in the 11th grade. We have one freshman. Welcome. We’re excited that you’re thinking about this question so early.

And then, uh, About 10 percent of our folks are, um, in the 10th grade. So the majority of folks are in the writing mode, getting ready for supplementals, um, or so it seems. So I will stop talking. I’ll hand it over to you. I’ll be back a little bit later.

Stacey: Thank you. All right. So let’s get started. Um, number one question to begin, where in the application can I talk about extracurricular experience?

And so obviously the, the title of this webinar alludes to the fact that you can certainly talk about these in essays, but, uh, the very first spot you’ll actually be talking about your activities is the activities list in the common application. Um, and so this is a specific area where you can list all of your relevant activities.

There’s a limited number of spots. spots to do this so that you do have a limit of 10 in the common application spots where you can describe your relevant activities. This might put some students into a whirlwind of panic because they may have a lot more than 10 activities, or they may even be working toward a lot of activities thinking that will help them in the college application process.

The truth is, it’s quality over quantity in reality. So you want to have. experiences that are meaningful to you and not just, you know, 20 experiences that are sort of meaningful, but you haven’t really engaged in them fully. Um, and so I think having a limit of 10 is actually a really good thing. It allows you to really focus in on those activities that are important to you during your high school career, um, without that pressure of needing to list more.

Um, and I always recommend. You know, focusing on those things that are most interest to you and of true passion for you, um, rather than if you will, extracurricular collecting, um, which can cause a lot of stress for students. So that’s the 1st area where you will list your extracurriculars. Uh, there is a 150.

character limit, um, in those activity sections, so you don’t have a lot of space to write about them, hence why you might decide to spread out where you talk about your activities, um, throughout your Common App. Another section that you might talk about your activities is actually in the Honors and Achievements section, so if you have a limited number of space to talk about your activities in the Activities List section, then you You won’t want necessarily to talk about an honor or an award that you got related to that activity.

You can actually separate that into the honors and the achievement section. So you can really spend the meat of your activities description talking about the activity itself and then talk about the awards and honors. If you got an award or honor related to an activity in that honors and achievements section, then, of course, what we’re going to talk about today, the personal statement and supplemental essays are also areas that you can talk about your extracurriculars, and we’re going to talk a little bit more about why you might do that specifically in those areas.

And then finally, letters of recommendation. Students don’t often think about this, but you can certainly, um, ask for letters of recommendation from Faculty or teachers or instructors that advised you, um, in an activity or extracurricular, perhaps your research, perhaps they, perhaps they advise you in a club or help you get a hub started.

Um, and those can be really powerful ways to elaborate further on your extracurriculars outside of, say, the classroom. the essays. What different extracurriculars can students describe in their activities list? So this is actually the complete list of activity categories, if you will, that you would see on the common app.

There’s a number of different categories that you can choose from that, um, you’ll select one when you’re describing your activity. So you choose the category, you describe it, and then there, there’s an area to elaborate, um, in 150, um, characters. So some of these will be intuitive. You might Be involved in debate or speech, dance, bands, music.

Um, you might have religious activities that you’re engaged with. You might be involved with robotics or math club. You might be involved in student government or athletics. Some categories I want to highlight for you today that you might not consider. Um, When you are entering your activities are family responsibilities.

So this is a way for you to talk about any activity that you’re involved with with your family life that involves a significant amount of time, a significant amount of commitment from you, for example, taking care of younger siblings or elderly family members like grandparents. Some students have, do need to spend the majority of their time doing, um, those things and having those responsibilities and you can certainly list those, um, if they do, uh, compose a significant amount of time during your week.

Another, uh, category that you might not consider, When you were completing the activity section is paid work. I worked heavily in high school and so work was an important part of my activities list. I certainly included that and you should too. Um, students often, um, exclude that from their list, uh, not realizing that it absolutely can be included.

And then finally, other club activity. This is really an all encompassing category where if you do something in your spare time that takes up a lot of time and commitment for you in high school, that really doesn’t fall into any of the other categories. You would select this option and describe that further.

So for example, I have an advisee right now who spends a significant amount of their time running a jewelry business and making jewelry. That doesn’t really fall into any of the other categories here very nicely. Thank you. And so that other club activity option might be selected. And many of you might have what we call passion projects, projects that you do out of your passion for the subject matter, the area of interest, and they really don’t fall nicely into any of these categories because it is a project that you have been inspired to pursue.

So that might be something you need to consider. Okay, so why does it make sense to write about your extracurriculars, particularly as it relates to those essays? Um, so first and foremost, the, the major reason why you would be talking about your extracurriculars in your essays, um, is to further emphasize, excuse me, your most genuine, your true authentic passions and interests.

So, You might have activities on your list that are not justified in terms of the time, the commitment, what they mean to you, uh, in that brief activity section, and really not captured well anywhere else on the application. But for you, it’s really important to convey to that admissions committee what that activity meant to you, um, and how that shaped you as a person.

And so that would be a major reason. to discuss that in your essay. Another reason that I actually don’t have listed here, um, is if there is a supplement that asks you very directly to talk about an extracurricular. And so those would be reasons to talk about your extracurriculars in your essays. Um, there is a word limit, right?

But keep it in terms of the activity section and the essays, um, and the supplements. The supplements are even shorter than the essays themselves. And so, um, while you might want to convey your extracurricular activities in an essay format in some kind of narrative format, you won’t be able to do that for all of your extracurriculars that might be meaningful to you.

So you really wanna hone in on the one or two that are the most meaningful to meaningful to you, or the ones that really answer the question being asked, right? You always wanna go back to that essay prompt. And make sure you’re actually answering that question. Um, because if you’re, you know, going on and on and on about this extracurricular, that’s great.

If you’re not answering the question, you’re not actually writing a strong essay or a strong response. And keep in mind, again, you won’t be able to elaborate on all of your extracurriculars, so if there are more than a few that you really want to talk about in more detail, keep in mind that you can leverage those letters of recommendation I talked about.

Um, see if somebody can really talk about, say, your leadership, and Or qualities on that you were that were brought forth because of your participation in a particular extracurricular like teamwork or, um, You know, communication skills or, um, management skills. Those are all things that a supervisor of that club or activity who is writing that letter for you can really touch on.

How can students write meaningful essays about their activities? So first and foremost, do not simply reiterate what is already shown in that activity section. The admissions office already has that information. You gave it to them. You wrote it. Uh, they have it right in front of them. They don’t need that information again, and that’s not a good use of the 650 word limit that you have in your common app essay or even shorter supplements.

Uh, so make sure you’re using that space wisely and elaborating on your activities further and giving more information And then what the officers already have. So, if you’re choosing to include an extracurricular or two in your essay, ask yourself these questions. I talked about this earlier. Does this actually help me answer the essay prompt at hand?

Again, go back to the essay prompts when you’re done writing that initial draft and ask yourself, Did I actually answer the question? Are all parts of this essay relevant to and important to me answering that essay prompt? Um, so does this contribute to secondly contribute to or help progress the narrative at hand or Is the information i’m providing more filler or excess information that doesn’t really add much it doesn’t add value Then it might not be useful and does that admissions committee member get more about you?

Run the information you’re providing and is that more information you’re providing important to your identity and your story and your narrative? Excuse me one second. If your essay focuses on an activity be sure to tell that story So don’t just reiterate the activity and what it was and what you did have a beginning a middle and an end So a common mistake is writing about the activity how you got involved and what the activity involves You And a story about kind of how you interacted with the activity or people with the activity or event that happened to you.

But then there’s no ending. So an ending should answer the question, so what? Meaning, so what? What does this mean for you in terms of your future, your career goals, your educational goals, your personal growth as a human being? It’s great that you had this experience with this wonderful activity that you’re involved in, but I want to know what that means for you as a person.

And so without that self reflection point, that essay is really not complete. And so always end your essay answering the question, so what, what is that next conclusion or step for you as a person beyond what you’ve told me about the activity? All right, Anesha, back over to you.

Anesha: Thank you. I’ve been trying to answer some questions.

in the chat. So I might ask you one as we get moved forward with this next poll question. So the question is, where are you in the application process? So I’m assuming some folks are getting application materials together, working on essays or starting to work on essays. Um, so let us know how far into the process you are.

And the question that I’ll pose to you, um, that someone asked because you mentioned passion projects. I said, No, but it gave a little bit of detail, but I asked a lot of does the does does your passion project have to be related to your major?

Stacey: It does not. Um, and I’d love your input on this to your passion project is very much that it’s a passion project.

So you can pick a topic. That’s of interest to you, of passion to you, um, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be related to your major choice. Almost any activity you pursue can have relevant skills that you can then relate back to the major that you’re choosing. Um, leadership skills, um, team building skills, like I said, person, personable and communication skills.

These things can come through a passion project without the passion project directly relating to major. Also, keep in mind that universities are looking for well rounded individuals, how you’re going to contribute to campus, not just your academics. And so they’re going to be looking for ways that you might be involved on campus and that might be directly relevant to your passion project.

Anesha, what are your thoughts?

Anesha: Yeah, no, I said that passion projects can be a lot of different things. I was like, they could be art, they can be poetry, they can be community service events, they can be, um, Um, whatever you kind of want them to be. So long as you demonstrate and you could talk about why you’re passionate about that thing and, um, that you’ve put in a lot of time and thought into creating it.

So, um, it’s great if it is, but I have, I was giving some examples. I’ve had students who did murals. I have a student who’s doing a children’s book, um, you know, because she was inspired by a younger sibling. She does not want to go. She wants to go into law. So, um, I think, um, it can really be whatever you want it to be.

And also, I think, to push back on, like, don’t feel the pressure to do it if there’s a project that doesn’t come to mind for you. That’s the other piece, too. It’s like, it’s something that has to, yeah, it’s something that you want to be meaningful for you and not just, I think colleges can sometimes tell if you’re just kind of doing it to fill the space.

So, um. All right, we’ll, we’ll have more time for questions, but I’ll stop rambling, um, and go ahead and close our poll. Um, and just so you know, so about 31 percent of folks, or sorry, 13 percent of folks have not started, 35 percent are still in the researching phase, uh, 32 percent are working on essays, and so I’m assuming the folks, those folks are who this is mostly for, and about 19% Are getting their materials together.

2 percent are almost done. Congrats to those 2 percent of people who are we’re nearing the end so early on Um, but yeah, okay. I’ll stop talking and we’ll hand it back over to you and be back for our Q& A a little bit

Stacey: Thank you. Okay on to the rest of the presentation here. Um, did I skip a slide? No. Okay, great Um, what are some tips to describe your extracurriculars in the best light possible?

So talked about different areas where you can talk about your activities. Um, for the activities section, use action verbs and it’s very similar to a resume. You want to be as concise and clear and specific as possible because again, you have a word limit, um, for the activities description. Um, and actually, it’s really a character limit.

So you don’t have a lot of space, uh, to talk about each of the activities. So you want to be very purposeful in the words that you’re choosing. Nothing can be fluff. You need it to be relevant and consider again, what can be included elsewhere in the application to cut down on word counts. So you can certainly include honors and awards in the honors and achievement section as opposed to in the activity section.

For essays, you’re going to want to paint a picture. And again, this goes back to what I was talking about earlier. You want to be descriptive. You want to give more than that information that was provided in the activity section alone. And during that picture painting process, we talked about the beginning, the middle, and the end.

So that, that painting, the picture, is really towards the beginning and the middle of your story. The end is that self reflection. And I say it’s an end, but it could really happen throughout your essay, um, where you self reflect on what that moment, that event, that activity meant to you. And there’s two potential areas of impact that I always talk about when you self reflect.

The impact that you had on the activity, and the impact the activity had on you. So it could go in both directions, and you can talk about both, one or both. Or. You know, um, if it’s in one direction, that’s fine. If it’s in another direction, that’s fine. Um, if it’s in both, that’s fine, but you should be talking about impact.

You should be reflecting on impact. Um, how was that impact relevant? And what did that mean to you? Don’t forget the, so what? Right. So what does this mean to you? What, what is that next step for you, given everything you’ve learned? And finally, when activities are talked about in the letters of recommendation, make sure that they’re mentioning, um, perhaps leadership that wasn’t necessarily highlighted or needs to be further emphasized from what you already included in the activities list.

Your letters of recommendation can also highlight leadership that couldn’t We included in the activities list. So maybe leadership, um, academically, for example. And qualities that you brought to the activities that you’ve engaged in that aren’t self evident in your descriptions. You might not want to, um, include details about yourself.

Like I would, I was a really great communicator, um, in this team activity. But your letter’s recommendation can certainly say that about you. So definitely have those conversations with your letter’s recommendation writers. And make sure they have, you know, those key anecdotes about you ready and prepared so they can customize your letters appropriately and make them very strong.

I can’t tell you actually how many times I’m reading an application, and it’s a good application, but then I get to letters of recommendation, and a letter, a good letter of recommendation can really push a student toward the admissions goal, um, as opposed to not. So it’s very important to have those letter of recommendation conversations.

What are some things to avoid? Again, do not just reiterate what is on your resume or already in the activity section. You want to think really critically about whether talking about the extracurricular in an essay adds value to your application. Ask that of yourself. When you read that essay back or that supplement back, did you add value to your application in providing that information?

If not, um, maybe that wasn’t the best choice of topic for your essay at hand. I hate to say it like that, but you might go through multiple drafts, multiple topics that you want to touch on, um, when you’re addressing the common app and personal statement specifically. Uh, and, you know, reflect, reflect, reflect is my main advice here.

Spend less time talking about the activity and talk more about you. Again, if you’re not self reflecting, or if you’re having a hard time self reflecting, so you’ve described it, but you’re not really able to make those connections about impact and what this meant for you, maybe that’s not a good topic for your essay.

Maybe that’s not the topic that’s gonna make you the most introspective. Maybe you need to choose a different topic as a result, and it doesn’t have to be an activity. Um, and so, When I say spend more time talking about you and less about the activity, really think about the number of words you have available to you, and think one third about the activity itself, two thirds really about you.

That’s the goal. You really want to talk more about you than you’re talking about the activity, and I find that really giving a student a limit on how much they can talk about the activity helps them avoid talking about the activity too much. Of course, you want to have enough, um, detail to cover everything that’s relevant, but it’s good to kind of use that as a compass.

Um, and note that sports is one of the most overused essay topics. I’m really sorry, um, to say that. I know a lot of students really love their sports and they’ve had really great experiences. It does not mean you can’t talk about this. It just means it’s a very common essay topic and you really need to work hard to make that stand out for you Okay, so you want to be very specific you want to dive into the anecdotes?

You want to bring the admissions officer into your shoes very vividly, um, and really bring your, uh, your takeaways from your sports experience to a personal growth level, you know, um, take it to that next level, take it to the next step, really relate to that. To other things outside of sports, um, in order to kind of step out of that commonality.

My experience in reviewing extracurricular essays, again, I talked about this in the beginning. My own essay was about an extracurricular and, you know, really beautiful experiences can come from. Those very meaningful activities in your life. That said, a lot of admissions officers actually advise against, um, writing about extracurriculars because it’s very easy for students to fall prey to those common mistakes where they just talk about the activity.

And they never talk about themselves. Essays that are not successful are ones that describe the activity and don’t say much about the individual. And essays that are successful describe how the activity impacted them and or how they impacted the activity in a meaningful way. And they go beyond the activity.

They go beyond the surface level description. And show that introspection. All right, last advice, um, for students today. Similar, it’s similar advice, um, I think that I’d like you to take away for any essay writing. Be specific. All of your words should have a purpose, right? Ask yourself, every sentence, ask yourself, does this bring value to the essay?

Be concise. You don’t have a lot of words to write in, so you want to make sure you’re being as clear and concise as possible. Be your authentic, true self. You know, you’re going to put a lot of pressure on yourself when you’re writing these essays. Uh, everybody does. It feels like a very major step and in some ways it is.

If you are being true to yourself, if you are listening to that voice inside you, um, telling you what’s meaningful for you, what’s important for you as a person, then finding the right essay topic As it relates to your identity won’t be as hard. The hard part is the writing and so give yourself a lot of grace and be open to that writing process.

So a couple of notes here, spend time brainstorming ideas in response to those essay prompts with the help of a counselor, a mentor, a friend, whatever that looks like. They can give you feedback on the initial ideas because if you’re thinking about this in a silo, it’s You’re not getting that active feedback loop, um, and therefore might make decisions around your topics in your writing that might not be perceived the same way that you think you’re perceiving them.

Um, and so it’s important to get that outside perspective. Also ask others to review your essay drafts, not just your ideas, your drafts, but not too much help. I do think students often get into this whirlwind, of asking for too many editors, too many readers, and then it kind of waters down the essay to some degree and it causes unnecessary, uh, stress on the part of the student incorporating all that feedback.

So I recommend two to three readers max. Advice specific to writing about your extracurriculars, um, goes back to all, you know, all of my prior slides. Tell a story, tell a narrative, okay? Um, don’t just describe the activity. Put me in your shoes. Tell me about an event that happened. Tell me about a specific person you interacted with.

Tell me about a specific day that really made a difference for you. Self reflect, you know, bring it back to you. Reflect on what that meant for you as a person, how it helped you grow, what it meant for you in terms of how you’re going to approach the world, your education and your career goals. And overall, um, challenge yourself to question the added value you’re bringing to the application by talking about an extracurricular in your essay versus another topic.

All right, over to you, Anesha.

Anesha: Okay, so that is the end of the presentation portion of tonight’s webinar. We are going to switch over to the Q& A. Remember that you can download the slides under the Q and a tab. And if you do have any, I’m sorry, you can download the slides under the handouts tab. And as your questions come in through the Q and a tab, I will read them aloud and then pay some of the public chat so that others can see them and give Stacey an answer to respond.

Any challenges submitting questions. Double check that you logged in through the webinar custom link in your email and not from the webinar landing page. If you are having challenges, you might have to log out log back in. We’ll still be here to answer your questions when you get back. Okay, the first question that I have for you, Stacey, is.

How important are, and you spoke to this a little bit, but how important are extramural leaders in the overall holistic admissions process? process.

Stacey: That’s a great question and I love that you use the word holistic because that is directly related to how I would answer this question. The admissions process is holistic by nature.

So to give you some insight into how I would typically read an application, I start with the academics first. So I’ll look at the transcript and the test scores if they are submitted to get a sense of where the student is academically. I often look at the major choice and then look at relevant course work, do that major choice to see how the student performed.

Also to the relevant text sections. After I review the academics, I go on to the extracurriculars. Um, and that’s where I’ll get a sense of kind of the student interests and their passions and how they’re spending their food time. So it is an important component, but it’s only one component. Component.

Then I move on, um, to the essays where. Even a deeper dive into the student’s personality. I get to hear their voice, right? I know it’s not me actually hearing it, but I get to hear their voice by reading the narrative they provided, the narratives they provide in those essays. And then finally I review the letters recommendation, which either, you know, add, reinforce, Um, or sometimes they don’t add much at all to the application So it really depends on how those letters of recommendation are written Um, but that’s typically how we read applications and we you know I I shouldn’t say we but you know, most admissions officers would review it in a similar way where they’re reviewing all Um, um admissions teams do get a plethora of uh, Applications and so often the academic review is the first Um, component for a reason because they might, you know, um, cut off at the academic thresholds that are expected of the students of the incoming class.

That’s usually not the case. It’s not always the case. Um, and most of the time it’s holistic. Extracurriculars are important. It’s just one part. Alicia, do you agree? Is that your experience too?

Anesha: I mean, you’re coming from the AO experience. And so, yes, I feel like extracurriculars matter in there and they do take pieces into account.

I know that at least for me and my own application process, I feel like they were definitely a selling point for me because it showed my well roundedness and so I can’t, I can’t, I won’t speak to the holistic review process, but I know my students who have been able to thoughtfully convey the diversity of their extracurricular activities have been it.

Fairly like more, I will say, I wouldn’t say more successful, slightly more successful than my other students. Um, but that actually pivots into the next question that I had, but because someone raised for reasons, my kid doesn’t have a lot of activities. What are the alternatives?

Stacey: This is a great question.

So the, I do challenge you to consider what an activity is. How, how is your student, child, whoever that may be, whatever relationship you have, how are they spending their time? Okay. So if they’re not doing activities, what are they doing in their spare time for whatever reason? Um, and then, Whatever that particular thing is or things are that they are doing in their spare time If you can’t list that in the extracurricular section the activity section under that other category I would use heavily use your essays and your letters of recommendation to elaborate on The reasons why.

So I can imagine there might be a personal medical reason, um, involved. That might be something that you want to touch on, um, in some way, shape, or form. And one of the written components where you can elaborate, there’s also a section in the common app where you can explain personal circumstances. Um, there’s also an ability to upload supplemental.

Um, Documents if you need them, but I would definitely spend the The or use the main parts of the application to emphasize what is actually happening in that person’s spare time Um, you’re of course going to want to make sure that those components are strong You’re going to want to make sure that essay is really strong really well written Reviewed thoroughly that your letters of recommendation can really speak strongly to the person at hand Um, and that your academics are as strong as they can be You

Anesha: So there were a few questions following up on the passion project, and so someone asked what’s the best way to write about a passion project or a research project on the Common App?

Stacey: That’s a great question. So I think I probably have to approach this from a couple of perspectives. Um, the first would be, uh, in the activity section itself. So if you have a passion project, you’re going to want to, um, that’s important to you, you’re going to want to list it there. If you’re able to do that.

Um, there’s that other category that I would encourage you to use, especially if that passion project is taking a lot of your time. If you don’t feel like you want to include that in the activity section, um, then you’re going to end up touching on it elsewhere in the application. And again, I mentioned that there’s kind of two areas where you can do that.

One is in the essays, um, either the main essay or in the supplements. Keep in mind that not every school is going to have supplements. Okay, so it’s really important to you. I encourage you to focus on that in the common app personal statement, the main essay. Otherwise, if it’s a component of your identity that you can touch on in most of those supplements, that’s another way to do it.

And then finally, you can ask a supervisor, somebody who has worked with you closely on that passion project. Often students will, um, get help on their passion, passion project and advisement from a mentor, you can have that person write a letter of reference. And that’s a really great way to tie that in.

Anesha: Uh, this is an entry question, just kind of generally about extracurricular activities. Does an activity have to be something where you produce something or can it consist of reading and watching movies?

Stacey: That is a great question. Um, so you do not need an actual product from an extracurricular. And this was actually a question I got earlier today.

Um, the difference between an experience and an activity. So an activity, um, I would say is one of those, uh, pieces that is more action oriented. There’s less coming out of an activity per se. And I know this is confusing because it’s called an activity section in the Common App, where you might actually be listing a collection of activities and experiences.

The activity, I think, is a little bit more passive. So you’re doing the activity, um, But there’s not a lot going on beyond actually engaging in the activity. So some people might feel this way about playing a musical instrument, whereas other people might view playing a musical instrument as an experience, meaning that they are actually gathering something for themselves, learning something about themselves, growing as an individual as a result of engaging in that activity.

And so it’s kind of framed as more of an experience. Um, if you will. So I’m not sure if that helps answer the question. And Anesha, what are your thoughts?

Anesha: Um, yeah, I think you still have to talk about what you do. So I think you still have to think about what the action words are. And then I think to your point around the introspection, if it is reading, what are you learning from it?

from the books that you’re reading. How are you engaging with it? Is it expanding your thinking? If it’s films, that’s also fine. But I think you just have to then convey what are you taking away from those activities? I think you might have to focus a bit more on the introspection aspect of talking about these activities.

If it is a little bit more passive, it might be considered the experience versus like producing something. So,

Stacey: Sorry, Anesha, I interrupted. No,

Anesha: go ahead, go ahead.

Stacey: With something like watching movies, I think anytime you engage in media and you’re listing that as an activity, i. e., social media, TV, music, movies, the challenge for you really is to articulate why that’s different for you than every other person who engages in that media every day.

So are you engaging with movies that are of a particular genre and then kind of, um, you know, engaging in thoughtful processes around, um, the movies that you’re watching? Are you talking through them with a group? Um, are you researching more? About a particular genre. Are you hoping to study film studies one day?

And that’s why it’s relevant. Maybe that’s not where you should be listening it in the activity section then. Maybe you should really be talking about that in a, in the personal statement. Because while you might be watching the movies, if you, there’s not something you can really describe about it that is particular to you, um, then it might not, there might not be much to talk about in the activity section.

But there might be a lot to talk about in your essays. Thank you. So I think it involves some strategy discussion as well, hopefully with a counselor at hand.

Anesha: I think you sparked some things when you talked about letters of recommendation, because we’ve had a few comments there. So some folks said, for letters of recommendation, how do you ask them to write about specific activities?

Do you recommend that for letters of recommendation? Do you Do you recommend we do supplemental essays or, I guess, specific essays and asking for letters? So, Ken, I guess, I, I guess if you could speak to it, I feel like it was a suggestion and not a requirement, um, for what you just shared, but if you could add, I guess, a little bit more clarity to the interplay between activities and letters of recommendation.

Stacey: Absolutely. Okay. So on the common app, you’re typically asked for three letters. Um, or I guess references to should be your choice. Um, and typically those are high school instructors. The third is your guidance counselor. Okay. So the other two are very flexible. Um, but again, typically high school instructors.

And so I think the most successful Cool. Letters are from instructors that really work closely with you as a student in the course in question and or engage with you in some capacity outside of the classroom. A, E, I, E Extracurricular work and so a lot of students will ask For a letter of recommendation from an instructor who might have taught them.

I don’t know AP lit for example And then also help them start the English club That person can really talk not just about your work in the class, but also about how you started the club and how you engaged in the club and how you led the club and those qualities that you’ve exhibited both inside and outside the classroom.

Um, you can also ask somebody who is very simply a supervisor of a club or extracurricular that you’re engaged in. Um, I see a lot of pre med students asking, uh, a science instructor who might be helping them with research outside of the classroom. I see students who are asking, um, individuals who were, was, were perhaps an instructor for them, um, but then mentored them through their passion project as well on the side.

So somebody who can really speak to you beyond, um, again, what is presented are in your application as an admissions officer. If I look at your transcript, I know you got an A in that course, right? Okay. What is your letter telling me that isn’t, you got an A in a course, you know, what, how did you get the A in the course, what, what qualities did you exhibit in the classroom, um, that made you deserve that A and beyond.

Um, and then somebody who can really talk to your qualities, add something further to the application that is beyond what is already available to me. Um, And you should, did I address all components of the question or were there kind of additional specific?

Anesha: No, it was, I think it just was in reaction to what you had shared earlier regarding letters of recommendation.

I think you spoke to it. Um, I’m going to do a quick PSA before we move forward in the rest of our questions. So you all have a ton of questions that I’m trying to go through today. But for those of you who are. For those of you in the room who aren’t already working with us, we know that the process can be overwhelming and we do have a team of over 400 former admissions officers and admissions experts like Stacey and myself who are ready to help you and your family navigate the process through one on one advising sessions so you can take the next step in your journey and sign up for a free 45 to 60 minute strategy session with an admission specialist on the CollegeAdvisor.com team by using the QR code that is on the screen. During that conversation, we’ll review your extracurricular lists, your application strategy, discuss how everything aligns, and then outline some tools that you will need in order to stand out in the competitive admissions world. So we’ll keep that QR code up on the screen, excuse me, as we move forward with our questions.

Um, the next question I wanted to ask you, which was related to a topic we talked a couple minutes ago, but, um, this person said, my son is interested in game design. and computer science and plays a lot of video games, but I’m guessing that’s not a great activity to highlight. I kind of disagree, but um, I wanted to hear your take on it.

And you know, if you, if you don’t have one, I can share mine really quickly, but I thought, yeah, what do you think about this parent’s predicament?

Stacey: I, I actually love this question. And Anesha, I really would, I think your insight would be really helpful here. Um, but from my perspective, Um, if your student, your child, your student relationship, whatever that may be, um, is extremely interested in computer science, programming, and video games, um, there is, there are definitely ways to highlight on the application those specific interests.

Um, I think it just depends. I would have to know the student a little bit better to know how I’d want to frame that, um, and how I would advise that strategically. I feel like that Is a perfect topic for a personal statement, um, or supplemental essay, um, if that’s something they’re passionate about, and they can really relate how that, um, what that means for them in terms of their interest in their educational goals.

Anesha, what was your insight there? I’d love to hear it.

Anesha: Yeah. I mean, I think yes, like if that’s if your kid spends a lot of time playing video games, then yes, they should absolutely bring that up that it is an interesting topic to talk about. Again, it’s pushing for the introspection. Have they learned teamwork?

Have they learned communication skills? Have they learned design work? Are they drawing more? Are they creative? Like there’s a lot of different things. I think we often brush aside video games or things like that to say, Oh, they’re kind of childish, but I think kids are learning a lot from them or, or, you know, intrinsically or things that are.

as a parent to parents. And so it’s just kind of pushing, uh, pushing them to talk about it. I’ve had students who are into video games, then went into character design that made them learn a lot more about like, uh, I’m not sure even of all the programs, but a little bit into computer science, creating their own characters, going into animation.

There are a lot of different directions. So I think stepping back and talking to your kid about what they get out of the video games. And I think as an advisor, we would do the same of like, okay, this is a hobby. Why do you do it? What do you enjoy about it? What, you know, and then how can we think about an essay that could come from it?

So I, I don’t think it’s kind of a lost cause just because maybe you don’t value it as much or you don’t see the fun in it in the same way that, that your child might. So I think it just might be a deeper conversation about why they enjoy it and, and then thinking about how they can talk about it reflectively.

Um, that was my, that’s my gut response, but, um, Yeah. Okay. Moving on to our next question. Um, so this is more of a writing question, but this person has asked it a couple of times. So aside from extracurriculars, is it possible to write about personal life, personal growth as an essay topic? Um, maybe someone overcame a challenge or a struggle.

Stacey: Yeah, absolutely. Um, and so really the focus of this webinar was about how to approach the topic of an extracurricular in the essay format. Right. Um, so how are you doing that successfully? Many students choose to not focus on an extracurricular in their essays, and that is totally fine. The same advisement from an essay writing perspective still applies, right?

So you want to make sure you’re self reflecting on, you know, what that experience was, you know, what that meaning was for you, how you personally growed, as you alluded to, or grew, excuse me, And, um, what does that mean for you moving forward? You know, don’t, I think the common pitfall is students will write about that challenge that they’ve experienced and then not elaborate further, right?

They’ll say, this happened to me, this is what I learned, but the so what’s missing, right? So, okay, you learn this thing, what’s next? What does that mean for you? What are you going to do about it? Um, how are you going to approach the world differently? How are you going to approach your own goals differently?

Make sure you’re always asking about the so what.

Anesha: Yeah. Yeah. I think that really speaks to the, the introspection. They just want to see that you’re growing, you’re thinking, um, but yeah. Uh, okay. Oh, this is, this is a quick question. Could the events that take place as part of a school program be listed separately as an extracurricular activity?

Stacey: So the events that take place as part of a school program.

Anesha: This person said specifically international baccalaureate. I guess there’s something specific to the classes that they’re doing or maybe projects they’re doing.

Stacey: Okay, I see. Yes. So, Um, I think, so I want to approach this, uh, from the perspective of the different parts of the application.

So if you had a significant activity in relation to a course that you took, um, and that activity involved you spending more time outside of the classroom. So in that sense, outside of your curriculum, it is an extracurricular. It should be included in the activities list. If that’s something that is important to you and you spend a significant amount of time on it.

If it really was part of the course itself, I wouldn’t include it in the activities section. I would, and it was important to you, I would elaborate on that in the essay and or ask for a letter of recommendation from that instructor who helped you through that academic pursuit or project. So those are two ways you can approach it that don’t involve listing it in the activity section.

Remember, your activity section is limited to 10 spots. Um, so if you feel like that. you know, that activity would be valuable and taking up at one spot. Great. Um, if you’re struggling, which with, with which tend to include, then maybe talk about that in an essay or in your letters of reference.

Anesha: Excuse me. The next question is if I’m starting a club that will begin in the fall, can I still, and I think this person is a senior. Can I still write about it in the activity section, even though it’s so recent and what if I don’t know the numbers in order to quantify the impact yet?

Stacey: Uh, what if I don’t know this by the thing I was qualified in?

Okay, I see. So yes, you absolutely can include in the activity section, but you will be expected to quantify it in some way. So you can’t list, you know, the way it’s phrased in the activity section is hours per week. And you know, that is certainly something that you can average or project, um, based on your experience starting into the school year.

A lot of applications will require you to submit, um, until mid fall at the earliest of October, November. At that point, you will already be into that activity for at least a month, and that’ll give you a baseline for how to estimate those numbers. You absolutely can include it. Just keep in mind that when you start an activity in senior year, um, it doesn’t show a long You know, long term commitment and show, you know, long term sustainability.

I wouldn’t start a, an activity for the sake of starting an activity. It should be something of interest to you, something meaningful to you that actually adds something to your own personal growth and your application.

Anesha: Uh, this is an international student question. So the student said, I will apply, uh, to college as an international student, but I’m living in the U.S. I’ve received a few honors and awards in my country. Would I be able to include those in my application?

Stacey: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, um, you know, there’s not a limit, uh, based on your time zone or country or location as to which honors and awards would be relevant as an international student. You should all the same advice applies.

You should focus on those things that are important to you that drive your passions that drive who you are, and those things should be included.

Anesha: Sorry, excuse me. Um, this is a quick question not related to writing, but how should we order our extracurriculars by importance, by time commitment, by how long we’ve been doing it?

Stacey: You should order by importance, and I believe this is actually even explicitly the instructions on the Common App. So number one should be, and really importance should equate to the activity that is the one you spend the most time on, typically, because that’s usually the one that is the most important to you.

So it kind of organically coincides with activities that you spend the most time on, are also the ones that are the most important to you. But I think if you’re going to, you know, get into semantics about it, it would definitely be an order of importance.

Anesha: Uh, this person said, my daughter is in an outside of school.

competitive dance class four days a week for hours a day, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for school activities. Um, how would that be viewed by admissions officer? And how can we best represent that activity in the activity section?

Stacey: That’s a great question. So this involves, I think I would actually encourage you.

I encourage all of you to take advantage of this. Um, Consultation opportunity with CollegeAdvisor. I think strategy discussions are really important to these very specific cases Um, if you have somebody engaged in dance, you might decide to in the activity section kind of break out what those Engagements are as they relate to dance So you might just, you might not just say dance as a category, right?

And then elaborate just on that. Um, and dance as, you know, one overall thing, you might have different types of dance. You might have different commitments in dance. You might have teaching, tutoring. Um, you might have competitions that you might less regular competition. So there’s different strategies you can approach to kind of breaking dance out as a major, uh, category.

commitment in that activities list. And then feel free to also talk about that in the personal statement. There’s no shame in that and reiterating that. Um, if again, the question is always, if you talk about dance in that personal statement, does it add value to the application? Does it tell, help you reiterate what’s important to your identity?

Does it help the admissions officer understand your goals and who you are? Um, and so if that’s true, you know, go on ahead and, and, and. you know, write about dance. Um, and I would imagine that your daughter would want to write about dance because it does sound really important to her and really challenge her to ask those questions, to be introspective, to be self reflecting throughout, um, because that will make for a strong essay.

Anesha: Yeah. There’s a similar question about someone who did an activity that was, um, This person’s talking about like chess. And I think to your point of like just talking through the different things they might have done through chess, uh, assuming that they just didn’t spend their time playing games, they were learning, competing, maybe teaching other people to your point, tutoring others, or, or doing that.

So try to figure out how you can expand that. the different ways that they were taking advantage of that opportunity, the competitions, the travel, and talking about the time commitment as well for, for the student in putting in that work of like practicing multiple times in addition to going to traveling to shows or traveling to competitions and things like that.

Sorry. I just wanted to add that cause someone also brought in a non dance related. So I think it applies regardless of the activity outside of school.

Stacey: I totally agree.

Anesha: Um, someone said, How can I connect my values to my extracurriculars in my supplemental essays? I feel like that’s a heavy question. But, um, any thoughts on that one?

Stacey: Yeah, I mean, again, I think this involves a little bit deeper of a discussion to Anesha’s point. Um, you so you want to, I think it’s going to happen somewhat organically when you’re writing. And you’re self reflecting, right? So you have an activity and it’s impacted you or you’ve impacted it in a specific way.

Um, What does that mean for your values? You know, how do your values um, align with the activity in question? How do how does the activity further inform which values are important to you? You can certainly answer those questions when talking about an extracurricular. Be sure to answer the prompt, right?

So when you’re talking about your values, when you’re talking about extracurriculars, that’s fabulous, wonderful. Go back to the prompt and make sure you’re still answering the prompt. And that would be my one word of caution.

Anesha: Um, this question is, will telling a sad story to show an extracurricular activity’s significance come across as unauthentic, inauthentic, or as a cookie cutter?

So I think people are, uh, trepidatious about writing sad stories. They’re trying to pull on heartstrings in, in essays. So,

Stacey: so the question, I just want to make sure I understand. Sorry,

Anesha: yeah. Will, will telling a sad story show, um, will telling a sad story as you talk about an extracurricular come across as inauthentic or cookie cutter?

Stacey: Got it. Okay. And I think this is also I understand the trepidation because I think this is also why sports essays are so common is often students who play sports experience, um, an injury, a life altering injury, or really substantially tragic, maybe potentially event in their life as it relates to that sport.

And you can certainly talk about a sad story. My, uh, because it might be important to you and your personal growth. My word of caution there is to avoid being overly negative in your description of that event, right? So you want to make sure you’re describing it as it occurred and you want to move in the positive direction.

You want to talk about, okay, this thing happened. It was terrible. Um, and there’s nothing taking away from that, right? What does that mean for you now? How does that make you want to move differently through life? How does that make you want to move forward? And as long as you’re moving in a positive direction from that story, then I think, you know, that’s going to be a successful essay.

And again, you want to ask yourself, is that story giving the admissions officer information that would make them want me to be part of their community. And it’s not that they wouldn’t want somebody who experienced this tragic event to be part of their community. They want to make sure they have somebody who will take tragedy, um, and demonstrate that they can turn it into something positive, right?

That demonstrate that they’ve turned it into something positive, demonstrate that they can overcome obstacles. Right. Um, and so you definitely wanna make sure you’re doing that self-reflection and not just talking about the story itself. Um, Anesha, do you agree with that approach?

Anesha: Yeah, I mean, I think it, it comes down to what you’re sharing, sharing about introspective introspection.

Like, I feel like we keep repeating that, but it is really important and I think to your, I, I like what you added about. It can start sad, but talk about the positive, what you learned from it, how you came through it, how you’ve grown from it. If it’s just a sad story without kind of resolution or growth or some kind of change, I think it won’t read as inauthentic, but it just won’t be as helpful to help for them to learn something about you and how you deal with challenges and sad stories.

So, um. Yeah, uh, this is, I think, a quick question but an interesting one. Someone said, for the description, um, should the tone remain formal or can you play around with other styles? I’m assuming this is in the specific, the activities list section.

Stacey: Oh goodness, I’d love to talk to this person a little bit more about what they mean by the, the playing around with the style.

style. Um, I think what’s most important again is that you’re clear and you’re concise. You don’t have a lot of wiggle room there where you really should be focusing on your voice. As an individual is in those essays and in those supplements, um, because you do have opportunity to be creative there and to really come through, um, clearly with how you would talk, how you would describe things.

Um, whereas you don’t have a lot of room in the activity section. Um, I, again, I would need to talk to you a little bit more about what you mean by playing around with style. It might not be a poor choice, um, by any means, but my advisement always is. to use action verbs, make sure every word counts, um, because you just don’t have a lot of room to play around.

Anesha: Um, we kind of already spoke to international students, but, um, the student is insisting on us answering this question. So if I just moved to the U. S. and completed high school outside of the U.S., But my country focuses more on academics and extracurriculars. Um, how do I show that on my application and how else can I make my applications stand out?

Stacey: Yeah. Again, I think this would involve more of a strategy discussion. Um, I think there are a lot of occasions where students don’t believe they have activities in their spare time that they should be talking about on their application when in fact that is not the case. I alluded to this a little bit, um, when we were talking about the case of where somebody doesn’t engage in a lot of activities perceptively.

And my challenge there was, okay, what are you doing in your spare time? How can we spend that to, um, complete your application in a meaningful way? Um, and for you, if you’re spending most of your time participating in academic, um, pursuits, then we want to think about what parts of those academic pursuits can be considered interesting to you.

areas of interest or activities that you can highlight on the application. And so again, a strategy session is probably needed. More discussion is probably needed. Each individual will be very different in how they have to approach things given their, their circumstances.

Anesha: Yeah. I just want to just do a quick PSA for some of the questions I’m seeing in the chat.

You do not have to write about your extracurriculars in your supplemental essays or in your personal statement. So today’s session is just if you choose to write about them, how can you do so effectively? But if there are other topics that are of interest to you, feel free to write about those things.

Feel free to write about any other prompt. Um, so someone asks, would it be better in the personal statement or better in the supplementals? It depends on the question you’re answering and how you’d like to answer the question, but don’t feel like you have, they will see your resume. They will see your activities list.

So you don’t have to do extra work to talk about extracurriculars. If they’re not asking that question explicitly. Um, one question. Sorry. No,

Stacey: no, no. Thank you. Thank you for that.

Anesha: What might be the last question is, is it bad? Is it a bad idea to include a religious extracurricular when applying to a non religious college?

Stacey: Absolutely not. Um, the, the question you should be asking yourself is, is this activity important to who I am and, um, my goals as an individual, um, and do I spend a lot of time participating in the activity? If all of those questions are answered, yes, include it. Um, and. You would be doing yourself a disservice by not including it.

Um, every campus wants to create a diverse community of people who are going to contribute in a variety of different ways, and that includes people of all backgrounds, um, and religions. So, definitely do not shy away from embracing religion as a part of your identity. In fact, there are schools that have whole majors, um, focusing on religious studies or a particular, a particular religion.

There are divinity schools that you may be applying to later in life. Thank you. Um, if that’s important to your identity, embrace it.

Anesha: All right, we will have to leave it there. Write about what is true for you and write about it in the way that you is best conveys how you’ve grown, what you’ve learned, um, and what you can contribute and bring to a college community.

I will say I will leave it at that. Um, and thanks so much, Stacey, for your thoughtfulness of your commentary tonight. Um, also, uh, we hope that you will join us for our future sessions. Uh, we Tomorrow on July 19th, we will have a session focusing on building a resume. So if you are thinking about how to really describe all of your activities on a resume, separate from the activities list, join us for that session tomorrow.

Also, on July 24th, we’ll be talking about Fine Tuning Your College List. So really thinking about how you find that alignment, how you built a comprehensive list. And we’ll end the month with advice from an admissions officer. I’m making a strong emphasis Overall, a college application on July 27th. So we do hope you’ll join us next time.

But until then, take care and have a great evening.

Stacey: Thanks, everyone.

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Graduates to Receive Special Recognition at CSUN’s Honors Convocation

Media Contacts :   Javier Rojas, [email protected] or Kaley Block, [email protected]  

Of the approximately 3,500 graduates invited to take part in California State University, Northridge’s Honors Convocation on Saturday, May 11, six individuals will be singled out for special recognition as outstanding graduating students.

This includes Mitul Kalra, this year’s Wolfson Scholar, the top award given to a graduating senior. It is presented each year in memory of CSUN’s first vice president, Leo Wolfson. Not only must the student have an exceptional academic record, but he or she must also have made significant contributions to CSUN or the community through co-curricular and extracurricular activities.

“It’s such an honor being selected as the Wolfson Scholar and is something I never could have imagined,” said Kalra, 21, of Irvine, who will receive her bachelor’s degree in communication studies with a minor in political science in two weeks. “It doesn’t happen without the support of those that pushed me and believed in me these last four years.”

Since she began her studies in fall of 2020, Kalra has been actively involved on campus taking on leadership roles and public service in the community. She currently serves as the Chair of Legislative Affairs for CSUN’s Associated Students — a role where she has worked to increase political and voter engagement on campus — and Vice Chair of Legislative Affairs as member of the Cal State Student Association, representing half a million CSU students to the state legislature.

“I’ve been able to represent half a million students to the state legislature and get really involved in the CSU system, which is something I was really proud of,” said Kalra. “Whether it was advocating for EBT on campus, wage transparency in AS and opposing tuition hikes at the state level, it’s an embodiment of the change I want to see in the world,”

Kalra previously worked as a district intern for US Senator Alex Padilla — gaining familiarity with federal policy and issues — then, as a LEAD California fellow, completing voter engagement projects and, most recently, she joined Indian American Impact, a political action committee where she supports South Asian candidates running for office.

She credits the support of faculty members at CSUN for her success and ability to constantly seek new opportunities. This includes her role as president of CSUN’s Communication Association, a student-run group that worked to provide community, networking opportunities and support professional development.

“Mitul deserves the Wolfson because of her love of CSUN and her unflagging devotion to creating and maintaining community on and off campus,” said CSUN communication studies professor John Kephart, who worked with Kalra as an instructor and advisor. “I have never seen anyone work harder to do more in the time they have, nor have I seen anyone with that commitment that also has her humility, her grace, and her compassion. She is among the top 1% of thousands of undergraduates and graduate students I have worked with over the previous 16 years at CSUN. I can’t wait to see what she does next.”

Following her studies, Kalra will be moving to Sacramento this fall to work in the state Senate as a member of the prestigious Capital Fellows Program. She will be working full-time as a Senate Fellow while also working towards a Graduate Certificate in Applied Policy and Government.

“This is an opportunity like no other to learn more about the inner workings of our state government and grow as a leader,” Kalra said. “I’m definitely really drawn to both leadership and public service roles, so I can’t wait to get started. “

Kalra will be taking part in the Honors Convocation ceremony at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, on the lawn in front of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library, located in the heart of the CSUN campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

The other students being recognized at Honors Convocation are:

Natalie McDonald , recipient of the 2024 Nathan O. Freedman Memorial Award for Outstanding Graduate Student

While she grew up in Los Angeles, McDonald always saw herself as a global citizen willing to learn and discover history and how the world came to be. Set to graduate with a master’s degree in history, McDonald hopes to pursue a career devoted to historical research and education.

McDonald arrived at CSUN having already published two peer-reviewed articles, while her research work received acclaim, both at her undergraduate institution, Pomona College, and from the wider scholarly community.

For the past two years at CSUN, she had the chance to develop her research interests and strengthen her candidacy for future doctoral studies. This includes the opportunity to pursue public history work as an intern on the LA State Historic Park Relevancy & History Project; as a columnist for the American Historical Association’s newsmagazine; and as a curatorial intern at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Garden.

She has also served as a member of the CSUN Office of Graduate Studies TA Fellowship Program, a teaching assistant for multiple History courses and as a tutor in the CSUN History Department’s Writing Center.

“I am eager to pursue a career devoted to historical research and education because I firmly believe the stories we tell about the past have the power to inspire contemporary change,” McDonald said.

Notably, in January, McDonald did an extensive interview about her research and was featured on Marketplace, the daily business and economics news show on National Public Radio. Her goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in history, she said.

“Now, more than ever, I believe historians share a responsibility to complicate ascendent nativist narratives, instead turning our attention to the ways transnational movement and cross-cultural interaction have shaped our contemporary world,” McDonald said. “I look forward to dedicating my career to this pressing historical project.”

Outstanding Graduating Senior — Nicole Ayala

As a first-generation Paraguayan American woman from a low-income background, Ayala has overcome societal expectations by earning a degree in cell and molecular biology and biotechnology and hopes to become a family medicine doctor. During her time as an undergraduate student, Ayala has used her experiences to fuel her commitment to developing her campus community and empowering underrepresented populations in healthcare and sciences. 

Ayala’s campus and community involvement includes significant leadership roles within CSUN’s Mentor Collective, the Matadors 4 Wellness Education Program, Big Buddies, University Ambassadors Program, two Greek-letter organizations – TriDelta sorority and the co-ed medical fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon – and off-campus nonprofits like Chicas Mom Inc. and Olive View-UCLA Medical Center. During her time as philanthropy advisor for the University Ambassador’s Program, Ayala coordinated the campus’ Cuddle ‘N’ Read literacy initiative, funding books for underserved schools in the community. Ayala’s experience also includes work as a homecare provider and as a Science, Math, and Related Topics (SMART) Lab student assistant at CSUN, as well as a National Science Foundation Research Experience Undergraduate Fellow at Princeton University and shadow experience in geriatric palliative care and hospice care medicine at Kaiser Permanente.

Earning scholarships and researching opportunities, Ayala has demonstrated a commitment to community service and “to excelling in the face of adversity.” Upon graduating, Ayala is determined to become a skilled physician and an advocate for underprivileged communities within the San Fernando Valley encouraging women to join STEM.

Outstanding Graduating Senior — Seth Almaraz

As a first-generation student, Almaraz plans continue his studies in psychology and eventually earn a doctorate, with the goal of one day becoming a CSU faculty member conducting research and mentoring students from culturally diverse and historically underrepresented groups. Having discovered a passion for statistics during his time at CSUN, Almaraz plans to pursue clinical research – aimed at helping marginalized ethnic and racial communities – in the university master’s graduate program.

While an undergraduate, Almaraz was selected as a BUILD PODER scholar, a training program funded by the National Institutes of Health designed to increase underrepresented students in scientific research. He was awarded the CSUN Presidential Scholarship, established to provide opportunities for intensive research with a faculty member and $10,000 in grant funding for the project. Almaraz has spent more than a year volunteering for a community crisis center near the campus called Strength United, which provides resources to those seeking help who have experienced sexual assault. Almaraz has worked as a teaching assistant in graduate psychology courses, and in two labs, psychology professor Scott Plunkett’s “Adolescent and Adult Adjustment” research lab and psychology professor Jill Razani’s “Neuropsychology Dementia and Multicultural Research” lab, conducting bilingual research.

Almaraz attributes his multiethnic and blended family — which included members from Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador and the Philippines — to the “strong sense of cultural humility” that ground his goals and future work within academia and within his community.

Outstanding Graduating Senior — Jessica Smith

With a degree in English with an emphasis on creative writing, Smith hopes to become a professor of creative writing and adding to the number of Black faces present in higher education. Smith’s work, inspired by authors like Toni Morrison and Nnedi Okorafor, centers around the feminine subject and meaningful experience of being Black.

Smith’s work in genres such as surrealism and Afro futurism has been published in The Northridge Review, The Sundial, and Kapu Sens: Africana Studies Literary Journal and three of CSUN’s printed magazines. Smith has conducted research on literature and Africana studies and has soon to be published, with Kim Young, as part of the Los Angeles Public Poetry and Prose Project. Smith revived the on campus group the Northridge Creative Writing Circle (NCWC) and is graduating as the NCWC Vice President after holding multiple significant leadership roles. In addition, Smith received the 2023-2024 Priscilla Moyer Scholarship and has been an active member of the Trans Wellness Alliance, the Black Student Union, CSUN’s Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society and Students for Justice in Palestine. Smith has also worked as a Los Angeles Valley College outreach representative, mentoring and aiding students at Panorama High School in applying for higher education.

Striving to spread the message that “every story matters,” not only does Smith want to express creativity as a writer, but also aims to break barriers, disprove existing stereotypes and give back to university-level writing students who seek meaningful experiences in education.

Outstanding Graduating Senior — Sadie Eldredge

As a transfer student, Eldredge hopes to use her Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Sciences (BSRS) to become a pediatric MRI technologist, a dream she has had since she was young.

At CSUN, Eldredge served as a cabinet member for the Radiologic Sciences Student Association, organizing events and dedicating herself to community service opportunities. Among these events were a food drive via Valley Food Bank; holiday card writing via Operation Gratitude; a holiday event for elementary school children in the San Fernando Valley under the Title 1 No Child Left Behind Act; blankets given for foster children; and a donation drive via the My Stuff Bags Foundation in which everyone in the Department of Health Sciences were invited to participate. Dedicating herself to the CSUN and surrounding community, Eldredge has volunteered time at high schools to discuss the importance of radiologic sciences and offered guidance regarding acceptance into the program. Additionally, Eldredge has committed time and energy toward aiding the radiological sciences department in planning events and serves as the BSRS Alumni Association Student Liaison.

Serving as valedictorian after obtaining two associate degrees before her time at CSUN, Eldredge is “humbled by the challenges that allowed” her to achieve current goals and looks forward to her career as a radiologic technologist.

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Extracurriculars.

Your Complete List of Extracurricular Activities: 900+ Ideas

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What’s Covered:

• What Are Extracurricular Activities?

Why Are Extracurriculars Important?

• How Do Colleges Evaluate Extracurricular Activities?

How Many Extracurriculars Should You Do?

• Complete List of Extracurricular Activities

Most colleges, especially competitive ones, are looking for a “well-rounded” student. This means that, in addition to having grades and test scores that meet their requirements, you must also display other talents and interests in your application. A strong extracurricular profile can help you make a good impression on admissions officers. You’d be surprised how many activities are out there!

What are Extracurricular Activities?

Extracurriculars are anything you do outside of academics. These can include sports, music, community service activities, jobs/internships, clubs, and more. Extracurriculars help colleges get to know you as a person: what do you care about? How committed are you?

It’s important to note that not all hobbies count as extracurriculars. For example, things like watching movies or playing video games would not be counted. Basically, recreational activities that you do for your own enjoyment don’t make the cut because extracurriculars need to involve some concerted effort and contribute to your personal development . If you started an after-school movie club where you and other members watched and then analyzed movies, or decided to develop video games on your own time, then you could list those as extracurriculars. 

While most schools are interested in extracurricular activities to some extent, they are especially important to the top 250 colleges and universities. These 250 schools get too many students who are academically-qualified, so extracurriculars help you stand out. 

The less competitive schools, like large public schools or state universities, receive so many applications that they narrow their focus. Typically, extracurriculars fall to the wayside here as more emphasis is placed on quantitative data, like GPA and test scores, because these require less time on the part of the admissions committee.

That being said, having extracurriculars on your resume, no matter where you apply to, helps you present a robust application that helps the admissions officers gain an overall deeper understanding of the type of person you are. This can make or break their decision to accept you into their university. A well-rounded profile demonstrates that you are passionate and dedicated to the things you care about, both of which are qualities that would make you a valuable addition to their student body.

In addition to showing off your many interests, extracurriculars can also help establish your commitment and interest in your prospective major. This can be especially true for pre-med students; you have to show interest in the field, so having a medical club or hospital volunteering opportunity on your resume would show initiative in that direction. Other examples are video game clubs or coding competitions for a computer science major, or heading a psychology club for an intended psychology major.

How Do Colleges Evaluate Extracurriculars?

At CollegeVine, we’ve divided extracurricular activities into 4 tiers .

Tier 1: Rare activities that show exceptional achievement or leadership. They include national awards or other prestigious achievements.

Tier 2: A little more common than Tier 1, but these activities still showcase high levels of achievement and leadership. They include leadership positions for well-known clubs and organizations, winning regional competitions, or sports/music distinctions.

Tier 3: Lack the distinction of Tier 1 and 2, but still highlight student’s interests. They include minor leadership positions for well-known clubs and organizations and smaller athletic/musical distinctions.

Tier 4: Most common and most often seen by admissions committees. They include general club/sports/musical membership and general volunteering.

Strong applications tend to have between 8 and 10 extracurricular activities. This sounds like a lot, but many activities are seasonal, so it’s possible to fit, for example, three to four sports into one year. That being said, the most important thing to keep in mind is quality over quantity . It’s usually better to try and achieve depth in one to two fields than to do a bunch of things on a surface level. You can certainly start by trying a bunch of things freshman year, but really stick with what you love and are good at. This way, you show a real passion, dedication and progression in the things you care about.

If you want to find out how your extracurriculars stack up, our free chancing engine can help you understand how your activities impact your chances. You can also see more in-depth tiers; the 4-tier system is slightly simplified and our chancing engine runs from Tier A-I.

Complete List of Extracurricular Activities 

Affinity groups.

• African American Club
• Asian Students Association
• Association of Latin-American Students (ALAS)
• Bible School
• Black Lives Matter
• Black Students Union
• Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions
• Caribbean Culture Club
• Chinese School
• Chinese Student Association
• Christians in Action
• Church Involvement
• Climate Change Activism 
• Diversity Awareness Club
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• Feminist Club
• Filipino-American Club
• Gay-Straight Alliance
• Gender and Sexuality Alliance
• Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior (GEMS)
• Girls in the Trades
• Girls Learn International
• Girls Who Code
• Gun Control Activism
• Indian Students Association
• International Students Association
• International Women’s Club
• Italian Club
• Japanese Club
• Jewish Culture Club
• Jewish Student Union
• Junior ROTC
• Latino Students Union
• Mosque Involvement
• Multicultural Student Union
• Muslim Student Union
• Muslim Students Association
• National Organization for Women
• Nigerian Student Association
• Pacific Islander Student Association
• Persian Club
• Racial Justice Club 
• Society of Women Engineers
• South Asian Culture Club
• Synagogue Involvement
• Teens Against Human Trafficking
• Temple Involvement
• Women in Business
• Women in STEM Club
• Women’s March

Community Service

• ACE Mentor Program of America
• Achieve Miami
• Achilles International
• Adopt-a-Highway
• Alzheimer’s Awareness Club
• American Cancer Society
• American Civil Liberties Union
• American Diabetes Association
• American Heart Association
• American Kennel Club
• American Legion
• Amnesty International
• Anchor Club
• Animal Rescue League
• Animal Rights Club
• Anti-Defamation League
• Autism Awareness Club
• Autism Cares Foundation
• Baseball Coaching
• Basketball Coaching
• Beach Cleanup
• Best Buddies
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
• Blankets of Hope
• Blood Drive
• Breast Cancer Awareness Club
• Cesar Chavez Service Clubs (Chavista)
• Cheerleading Coach
• Church Camp
• City Youth Council
• Civil Air Patrol
• Climate March
• Community Outreach Club
• CPR Training
• Dana-Farber Jimmy Fund
• Do Something
• Doctors Without Borders
• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT/EMS)
• English Tutoring
• Epilepsy Foundation
• ESL Instruction and Tutoring
• Feed My Starving Children
• Feeding America
• Fostering Animals
• Girl Scouts
• Habitat For Humanity
• Heifer International
• Human Rights Club
• Humane Society
• Hunger Project
• Hurricane Relief
• Interact Club
• Kids Helping Kids
• KIVA Microfinance Club
• Kiwanis Club
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• Make-A-Wish
• March for Life
• March of Dimes
• Meals on Wheels
• Mission Trip
• Missionary Work
• National Charity League
• National Down Syndrome Society
• Operation Christmas Child
• Operation Smile
• Park Cleanup
• Peer Leaders
• Peer Mentor
• Peer Tutoring
• Red Cross Club
• Relay For Life
• Roots and Shoots
• Rotary Club
• Salvation Army
• Save Endangered Species Club
• School Ambassador
• Shadowing a Physician
• Sisters on the Runway
• Soccer Coaching
• Social Justice Club
• Special Olympics
• Student Ambassadors
• Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)
• Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD)
• Sunday School
• UNICEF Club
• Upward Bound
• Volunteer at Elementary School
• Volunteer at Middle School
• Volunteer at Soup Kitchen
• Volunteer Trip
• Volunteer with Refugees
• Volunteering at Animal Shelter
• Volunteering at Children’s Hospital
• Volunteering at Food Bank
• Volunteering at Hospital
• Volunteering at Library
• Volunteering at Museum
• Volunteering at Nursing Home
• Volunteering Club 
• Volunteering with the Homeless
• Walk to End Alzheimer’s
• Water Aid International (WAI)
• Wounded Warrior Project 
• Youth Sports Coaching

Discover your chances at hundreds of schools

Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admission—and how to improve them.

• Choreography
• Community Theater
• Improv Club
• Musical Theater
• Playwriting
• School Musical
• School Play
• Standup Comedy
• Accounting Internship
• Babysitting
• Camp Counselor
• Concession Stand
• Corporate Internship
• Dog Walking
• Employment at Local Business
• Financial Analyst
• Gymnastics Coach
• Internship at Hospital
• Internship at Law Firm
• Landscaping
• Lawn Mowing
• Meal Delivery
• Public Relations
• Retail Worker
• School Radio Station
• School Store
• Snow Shoveling
• Social Media Management

Hobbies (some of these may double as other categories)

• Aviation Enthusiast
• Birdwatching
• Blacksmithing
• Bullet Journaling
• Cake Decorating
• Calligraphy
• Car Enthusiast
• Cartography
• Coin Collecting
• Cross Stitching
• Dirt Biking
• Dog Training
• Fashion/Fashion Design
• Graphic Design
• Hairstyling
• Home Improvement
• Illustration
• Indian Classical Dance
• Interior Design
• Irish Dance
• Jewelry Making
• Landscape Design
• Latin Dance
• Magic: The Gathering
• Metalworking
• Model Airplanes
• Model Railroads
• Motorcycles
• Mountaineering
• PC Construction
• Puzzle and Sudoku
• Rock Collecting
• Rubik’s Cube
• Scale Modeling
• Scuba Diving
• Skateboarding
• Sports Memorabilia
• Sports Statistics
• Stock Trading
• Tabletop Gaming
• Vehicle Restoration
• Video Editing
• Wakeboarding
• Woodworking

Honor Societies

• Art National Honor Society 
• Business National Honor Society
• California Scholarship Federation
• Dance National Honor Society
• Engineering National Honor Society
• English National Honor Society
• French National Honor Society
• German National Honor Society
• History National Honor Society
• Math Honor Society
• Mu Alpha Theta
• National Art Honor Society
• National Honor Society
• Science National Honor Society
• Thespians International Honor Society
• Tri-M Music Honor Society

Interest Clubs

• 3D Modeling Club
• 3D Printing Club
• Academic Council
• Accounting Club
• Aerospace Engineering Club
• African Heritage Club
• American Meteorological Society
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Anatomy Club
• Animation Club
• Anthropology Club
• Arabic Culture Club
• Architecture Club
• Armenian Club
• Art History Club
• Artificial Intelligence Club
• Asian Cooking Club
• Astrology Club
• Astronomy Club
• Aviation Club
• Baking Club
• Ballroom Dancing Club
• Beauty Club
• Beekeeping Club
• Bible Study
• BioBuilder Club
• Biochem Club
• Biology Club
• Biomedical Engineering Club
• Black History Club
• Board Games Club
• Bollywood Club
• Botany Club
• Brazilian Club
• Break Dancing Club
• Broadcasting Club
• Business Club
• Call of Duty Club
• Calligraphy Club
• Cancer Awareness Club
• Cartooning Club
• Ceramics Club
• Chemistry Club
• Chick-fil-A Leader Academy
• Chinese Club
• Chinese Yoyo Club
• Civics Club
• Civil War Reenactors
• Classical Music Club
• Climate Action Club
• Coffee Club
• Comics Club
• Computer Science Club
• Conservation Club
• Consulting Club
• Cooking Club
• Cornhole Club
• Cosmetology Club
• Criminal Justice Club
• Crossfit Club
• Culinary Club
• Current Events Club
• Cycling Club
• Data Science Club
• Debate Club
• Dungeons & Dragons Club
• Eastern European Culture Club
• Economics Club
• Electrical Engineering Club
• Electronics Club
• Energy Team
• Engineering Club
• Entrepreneurship Club
• Environmental Club
• Equestrian Club
• Ethics Club
• European History Club
• Fair Trade for Life
• Fantasy Sports Club
• Fashion Club
• Filmmaking Club
• Finance Club/Financial Literacy Club
• Fishing Club
• Foreign Affairs Club
• Foreign Film Club
• Forensic Science Club
• French Club
• Friendship Club
• Future Doctors of America
• Future Educators of America
• Future Engineers of America
• Future Farmers of America
• Future Law Professionals of America
• Future Physicians Club
• Future Teachers of America
• Game Development Club/Gaming Club
• Gardening Club
• Geography Club
• Geology Club
• German Club
• Graphic Design Club
• Grilling Club
• Gun Reform Club
• Hiking Club
• Hip Hop Club
• History Club
• Indian Culture Club
• International Club
• International Food Club
• International Relations Club
• Investing Club
• Irish Culture Club
• Journalism Club
• Junior Statesmen of America
• Junior World Affairs Council
• Karaoke Club
• Knitting Club
• Korean Club
• K-Pop Dance
• Latin American Culture Club
• Leadership Club
• Life Sciences Club
• Literature Club
• Mahjong Club
• Makerspace Club
• Mandarin Club
• Marine Biology Club
• Marketing Club
• Meditation Club
• Mental Health Club
• Meteorology Club
• Microbiology Club
• Microfinance Club
• Middle East Culture Club
• Military History Club
• Minecraft Club
• Morning Announcements 
• Mosaic Club
• Mountaineers Club
• Multicultural Club
• National Chinese Honor Society
• Nature Club
• Neurodiversity Club
• Neuroscience Club
• Nutrition Club
• Origami Club
• Outdoors Club
• Pen Pal Club
• Performing Arts Club
• Philosophy Club
• Photography Club
• Physics Club
• Ping Pong Club
• Poetry Club
• Political Discussion Club
• Politics Club
• Pre-Med Club
• Psychology Club
• Quidditch Club
• Religion Club
• Renaissance Faires
• ROBLOX Club
• Robotics Club
• Rock Climbing Club
• Rocketry Club
• Russian Club
• Sailing Club
• Science Club
• Shakespeare Club
• Sign Language Club
• Skateboard Club
• Slam Poetry Club
• Spanish Club
• Sports Medicine Club
• Sportswriting Club
• Statistics Club
• Strength and Fitness Club
• Sustainability Club
• Toastmasters Club
• Urban Planning Club
• Vegan/Vegetarian Club
• Veterans Support Club
• Vietnamese Culture Club
• Women In Science and Engineering (WISE)
• World War II Club
• Young Entrepreneurs Club
• Young Investors Society
• Aspen Music Festival
• Audio Engineer
• Band (Personal)
• Band (School)
• Chamber Orchestra
• Church Choir
• Color Guard
• Marching Band
• Music Composition
• Pit Orchestra
• Songwriting
• Sound Engineer
• Wind Ensemble

Non-Art Competitions

• AAN Neuroscience Research Prize
• AAPT High School Physics Photo Contest
• Academic Challenge
• Academic Decathlon
• Academic League
• Academic Pentathlon
• Academic Super Bowl
• Academic WorldQuest
• Adventure Write Kids – Totem Head’s Story Contest
• Alaska Airlines Imagine Tomorrow
• American Invitational Mathematics Examination
• American Mathematics Competitions 10/12
• American Regions Math League (ARML)
• American Sleep Medicine Foundation High School Video Contest
• Americanism Essay Contest
• Architectural Design Competition for High School
• Ayn Rand Institute Contest
• B.E.S.T Robotics Design Contest
• Biology League
• Biology Olympiad
• Blue Ocean Entrepreneurship Competition
• Botball Educational Robotics Program
• Brain Awareness Video Contest
• Capitol Hill Challenge
• Caribou Mathematics Competition
• Chemistry Bowl
• Chemistry Olympiad
• Clean Tech Competition
• Congressional Data Challenge
• Congressional Debate
• Conrad Challenge
• Cooper Hewitt National Design Competition
• Creative Communication Poetry Contest
• C-SPAN’s StudentCam
• Cubes in Space
• Cyberpatriot
• Davidson Fellows
• Debate Team
• Destination ImagiNation
• Diamond Challenge
• Doodle 4 Google
• Doors to Diplomacy – International Competition
• EconChallenge
• Economics Competition
• eCyberMission
• Educators Rising
• EngineerGirl Writing Contest
• Engineering Team 
• Entrepreneurship Competition
• Essay Contest
• Euro Challenge
• FCCLA Virtual Business Challenge
• Fed Challenge
• Film Contest
• Finance Challenge
• FIRST Robotics
• Forensic Debate
• Forensics Team
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
• Future Problem Solving Program International: International Scenario Writing
• Generation Nano: Superheroes inspired by Science
• Genius Olympiad
• Girl’s Go CyberStart Club
• Google Science Fair
• Harvard/MIT Mathematics Tournament (HMMT)
• High School Innovation Challenge
• Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
• International BioGENEius Challenge
• International Commerce Olympiad
• International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition
• International Olympiad of French
• InvestWrite
• Ithaca College High School Investment Competition
• Junior Achievement Entrepreneurship Classes
• Junior Classical League
• Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
• Kentucky Science & Engineering Fair
• Kids Philosophy Slam
• Knowledge @ Wharton Comment and Win
• Knowledge Bowl
• Lemonade Day
• Lincoln-Douglas Debate
• Mandelbrot Competition
• Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) International ROV Competition
• Math League
• Mathematics Olympiad
• Meridian Stories
• Microsoft Imagine Cup
• MIT INSPIRE
• Model Congress
• Model United Nations
• NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge
• National Academic Championship – Questions Unlimited
• National Academic League
• National Academic Quiz Tournament (NAQT)
• National DNA Day Essay Contest
• National Federation of Music Clubs- Junior Composer Contest (Class III & IV)
• National French Contest
• National Geographic Student Photo Competition 
• National High School Design Competition
• National High School Essay Contest
• National High School Ethics Bowl
• National History Day
• National Ocean Science Bowl
• National Personal Finance Challenge
• National YoungArts Foundation 
• National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
• National Economics Challenge
• Neuroscience for Kids Competitions
• North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO)
• NSHSS Visual Arts Competition
• Odyssey of the Mind
• Paradigm Challenge
• Physics Olympiad
• Profile in Courage Essay Contest
• Programming Competition
• Questions Unlimited
• Regeneron Science Talent Search
• River of Words: Youth Art and Poetry Inspired by the Natural World
• Robotics Team
• Rube Goldberg Machine Contest
• Science Bowl
• Science Fair
• Science Olympiad
• Siemens Competition
• Solar Car Challenge
• SourceAmerica Design Challenge
• Space Settlement Contest
• Speak Truth to Power Video Contest
• Speech & Debate
• Spelling Bee
• Stemanities Research Competition
• Stockholm Junior Water Prize
• Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC)
• TEAMS Competition
• Technology Student Association
• Technovation Challenge
• The Coleopterists Society- Youth Incentive Award
• The Green Idea
• The High School Bridge Building Contest
• The Stock Market Game
• TOPPS Competition for High School Psychology Students
• Toshiba/NSTA Exploravision
• UIL Academics
• University Interscholastic League
• USA Brain Bee
• Vans Custom Culture
• We the People Constitutional Competitions
• Wharton High School Investment Competition
• World of 7 Billion Student Video Contest
• World Series of Innovation
• Writing Contest
• Young Investors Society Global Stock Pitch Competition
• Youth and Government

Own Initiative

• Discord Server
• Family Responsibilities
• Instagram Account (Professional)
• Online Class
• Online Forum
• TikTok Account (Professional)
• Twitch Channel
• Venture-Backed Startup
• YouTube Channel
• Canvassing (elections)
• Congressional Page
• Girls State
• High School Democrats of America
• Internship with Senator
• Internship with Congressperson
• Local Government Internship
• Phonbanking (elections)
• Teenage Republicans
• Volunteer for Political Campaign
• Young Americans Foundation
• Young Democrats
• Engineering Research
• Humanities Research
• Medical Research
• Scientific Research
• App Development
• Coding Bootcamp
• Game Design
• MLK Essay Contest
• Programming Club
• Cheerleading
• Crew (Rowing)
• Cross Country
• Cross-Country Skiing
• Field Hockey
• Figure Skating
• Flag Football
• Hip Hop Dance
• Horseback riding
• Ice Dancing
• Indoor Track & Field
• Marathon Running
• Martial Arts
• Motocross Racing
• Racquetball
• Reserve Barrel Racing
• Rhythmic Gymnastics
• Rock Climbing
• Roller Derby
• Show Jumping
• Snowboarding
• Speed Skating
• Synchronized Swimming
• Table Tennis
• Track & Field
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Waterskiing
• Weightlifting
• Windsurfing
• Student Government
• Class Cabinet
• Homecoming Committee
• Judicial Committee (Honor Council)
• Library Advisory Council
• Prom Committee
• School Board Representative
• Spirit Committee
• Student Athlete Advisory Council 
• Student Council
• Student Diversity Committee

Summer Programs

• Achieve In Medicine (AIM-High)
• ACLU National Advocacy Institute’s High School Program
• Anson L. Clark Scholars Program
• Bank of America Student Leaders Program
• Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp
• CDC Disease Detective Camp
• College Courses
• Congress of Future Medical Leaders
• Cronkite Summer Journalism Institute (SJI)
• Economics for Leaders
• Exchange Student
• Interlochen Arts Camp
• Iowa Young Writers’ Studio
• Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop
• Leadership in the Business World (LBW)
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Summer Student Program
• Michigan State University High School Honors Science/Engineering/Mathematics Program (HSHSP)
• Middlebury Summer Language Academy
• Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES)
• NASA High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS)
• National Mathematics Summer School
• National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)
• Notre Dame Leadership Seminars
• Perimeter Institute International Summer School for Young Physicists (ISSYP)
• Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP)
• Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS)
• Research in Science and Engineering Program (RISE)
• Research Science Institute (RSI) at MIT
• Ross Mathematics Program
• Simons Summer Research Program
• Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
• Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)
• Student Conservation Association National Crews
• Study Abroad
• Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS)
• Summer Camp
• Summer School
• Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP)
• The Summer Science Program (SSP)
• Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS)
• Young Women’s Institute

Visual Arts

• Art Competition
• Art Contest
• Congressional Art Competition
• Photography
• Scholastic Art Awards
• Baseball Writing
• Blogging (Personal)
• Book Reviews
• Creative Writing
• Fan Fiction
• Literary Magazine
• Magazine Writing
• Movie Reviews
• Novel Writing
• Published a Book
• Quill and Scroll
• School Blog
• School Newspaper
• Short Story Writing
• Sportswriting
• Web Publication

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