When choosing activities, it's important to consider your personal interests and passions. You are more likely to excel in activities that you genuinely enjoy and feel passionate about. This can also help you stand out in the college admissions process as it shows that you have a clear sense of what you are interested in and have pursued those interests.

It's also important to consider the leadership opportunities that may be available in the activities you choose. Being a leader in an activity can demonstrate your ability to take initiative, work well with others, and potentially make a positive impact in your community.

The club or activity will go on your transcript only if you have attended the minimum number of meetings/practices and have paid the pay to participate fees (this depends on your school). Schools typically only list the extracurricular activities that students have participated in and met the requirements for on their official transcripts.

If you have other activities outside of school that you are dedicated to, such as volunteering or participating in a community organization, you can include those on your college application.

Colleges are interested in seeing how students have developed their interests and passions over time through their extracurricular activities. They want to see that students have pursued their activities with dedication and commitment, rather than simply trying to pad their resumes with a long list of activities. In other words, colleges are looking for depth rather than breadth. They want to see that students have pursued a few activities in depth and made meaningful contributions to those activities, rather than trying to participate in as many activities as possible without truly engaging with any of them. Ultimately, demonstrating a strong commitment to a few activities can be more impressive to colleges than a laundry list of superficial involvements.

Colleges are interested in seeing your overall level of commitment and engagement, regardless of whether your activities are inside or outside of school. If you have extracurricular activities that are important to you and take up a significant amount of your time outside of school, you don't necessarily need to enroll in additional school clubs or activities just for the sake of building your resume. In fact, if you are already heavily involved in outside activities, it may be more beneficial to focus on developing your skills and making meaningful contributions in those areas, rather than spreading yourself too thin across too many activities. Ultimately, colleges want to see that you are dedicated, passionate, and committed to your interests, regardless of where those interests take you.

If you have a sense of what you want to major in, or if you are considering a few different options, it can be helpful to seek out extracurricular activities or volunteer opportunities that are related to those fields. This can help you gain valuable experience and knowledge in your area of interest and demonstrate to colleges that you are committed to pursuing that field. For example, if you are interested in studying engineering, you could join a robotics club or participate in a coding competition. If you are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare, you could volunteer at a hospital or participate in a medical research project. 

While extracurricular activities can be an important part of your college application, your academic performance and GPA are still the most important factors in the admissions process. That's why it's crucial to choose your activities carefully and make sure that you have enough time to focus on your schoolwork and maintain good grades. You don't want to sacrifice your academic performance by taking on too many extracurricular activities, as this could negatively impact your college prospects. Instead, try to find a balance between your academic commitments and extracurricular interests, and prioritize the activities that you are truly passionate about and can commit to without compromising your academic performance. Ultimately, colleges want to see that you are a well-rounded and engaged student, but they also want to see that you are capable of handling the academic demands of college-level coursework.

Many high school students participate in volunteer activities in order to meet the service hour requirements for the National Honor Society (NHS), which is an organization that recognizes academic achievement and community service among high school students. Typically, students become eligible for NHS membership in the fall of their junior year, and in order to be considered, they must meet certain academic requirements and complete a certain number of service hours.

Pre-Covid the requirement for most schools were 80 hours until November of junior year. Post Covid the hours are reduced for most schools, but they could be changed again (depends on your school). Please contact the NHS advisors to get the latest information. 

Some high schools may have a policy that limits the number of service hours that can be earned from a single organization or activity. For example, a school may require that no more than 50% of the total service hours needed for NHS membership can be earned from one organization. This policy is in place to encourage students to seek out a variety of different volunteer opportunities and gain a more well-rounded experience. It's important to check with your school's NHS advisors or guidance counselors to see if there are any specific policies or guidelines regarding the number of service hours that can be earned from a single organization.

Finally, it's important to make sure that any volunteer activities you participate in for NHS purposes are in line with the organization's guidelines and requirements, including being strictly for non-profit organizations, hospitals, and/or schools/communities.

Volunteering can be a valuable activity for high school students to pursue, regardless of whether they are interested in NHS membership or not. Volunteering can help you develop important skills, such as communication, leadership, and teamwork, and can also provide valuable experience in a particular field or area of interest. While it's true that many volunteer opportunities are with non-profit organizations, there are also opportunities to volunteer with for-profit businesses or organizations that align with your interests and career goals. The key is to find opportunities that are meaningful to you and that allow you to develop your skills and interests.

List your Activities

• Write your major on the top of your worksheet.

• The theme you decided earlier for your application.

• List all the activities that you plan to write. Don’t worry if you have less than 10 or more than 10. You do not need to fill in all 10 slots and if you have more, you can combine some into one or cut out unwanted ones.

• Think about the importance of each activity to you. This can be in terms of …

• How many years you have been doing this activity (only high school years)

• How much time do you spend on it.

• Do you have a leadership role in that activity?

• Does that activity relate to your major choice in any way?

• What kind of impact that activity has on your community

If you have less than 10, you might want to think through all the things you do outside of your school and any test prep. Do you have a hobby that you spend a significant amount of time on, do you have a job, family responsibilities, volunteer work. All of these can be written up as activities. But make sure every activity you have listed is meaningful to you.

Guidelines

Once you have your list of extracurricular activities, follow these steps to write the Common App Extracurricular Activities section:

• Be concise: Start by writing a brief description of each activity, including the name of the activity, the organization or group you were involved with, and your role or position within the group. Be sure to include any leadership positions you held or specific achievements or accomplishments you made. You have limited space to write about each activity, so make sure you get to the point and use clear language.

• Use action verbs: Use action verbs and specific details to describe your involvement in each activity. Focus on what you did and what impact you had, rather than just listing the responsibilities or tasks associated with the activity. Start each bullet point with an action verb to make your descriptions more engaging and dynamic. For example, instead of saying "I participated in a fundraiser," you could say "I organized and executed a successful fundraiser."

• Focus on your impact: Colleges want to see how you've made a difference in your community, so make sure you highlight the impact of each activity. How did you contribute to the group or cause you were involved in? What positive change did you help bring about?

• Be specific: Use concrete details to describe what you did in each activity and try to quantify your accomplishments when possible (for example, "raised $1,000 for charity" or "led a team of 15 volunteers").

• Show your range: It's okay to have a few activities that are closely related to your intended major, but it's also good to show that you have diverse interests and talents. Include activities that demonstrate a range of skills and experiences and try to avoid listing multiple activities that are very similar.

• Don't leave out any gaps: If you took a break from an activity or didn't participate in any activities during a certain time period, explain why in the additional information section. This will help the admissions officers understand your overall involvement and commitment.

• Consider the order: The order in which you list your activities can also be important. You may want to prioritize the activities that are most significant or impressive, or you may want to group similar activities together to show a progression of skills or interests.

• Be humble: While it's important to highlight your achievements and leadership roles, avoid sounding arrogant or boastful. Instead, focus on how your contributions helped the group or cause, and give credit to others who were involved.

• Be honest: Don't exaggerate your involvement in an activity or try to make it sound more impressive than it was. Admissions officers can usually tell when someone is being insincere, and it's better to be honest about your level of commitment than to try to deceive them.

• Use your own voice: While it's important to follow the guidelines and be clear and concise, don't be afraid to inject some personality into your descriptions. Write in your own voice and try to convey your enthusiasm and passion for each activity. This will make your application more engaging and memorable.

• Use correct tense: When filling out the Common Application, it's important to use the correct tense when describing your extracurricular activities.

If you are currently participating in an activity at the time, you are filling out the Common App, use the present tense to describe it. For example:

• I participate in the school's debate team and regularly attend weekly meetings and tournaments.

On the other hand, if you have stopped an activity, use the past tense to describe it. For example:

• I volunteered at the local animal shelter for two years, where I helped with cleaning and socializing with the animals.

Using the correct tense helps to clearly communicate your past and current involvement in extracurricular activities and demonstrates your ability to write with proper grammar and syntax.

• What not to write: Activities like family trips, test prep classes, or pay-to-play summer courses are not typically considered extracurricular activities because they do not involve active participation, leadership, or skill-building. Similarly, hobbies like watching TV or reading are also generally not considered appropriate for inclusion on the Common Application.

Instead, focus on activities that showcase your leadership, teamwork, creativity, and dedication. Examples may include participating in a sports team, volunteering at a local nonprofit organization, taking part in a school club, pursuing a creative hobby like photography or music, or engaging in research or other academic pursuits outside of the classroom. These types of activities demonstrate your commitment to personal growth and development and show that you have a well-rounded perspective on life.

• Proofread: Finally, make sure to proofread and edit your descriptions for spelling, grammar, and clarity. Ask a teacher, counselor, or parent to review your activities section and provide feedback before submitting your application.

Use the additional information section to provide context or background information that may not fit in the main activity description. For example, you may want to explain why you chose to participate in a particular activity, or how it has influenced your personal or academic growth.

Remember, the extracurricular activities section is an opportunity for you to showcase your interests, passions, and accomplishments outside of the classroom. Take the time to reflect on your experiences and highlight the ones that are most meaningful to you. 

Here's how to navigate Common App activity sections:

Activity Type

Go through the list of activity type's and choose the best option that fits your activity. 

If you have multiple activities that fall under the same category, such as volunteering, it's a good idea to try to vary the activity type for each one. This will demonstrate a wider range of interests and skills and show that you have pursued different types of activities outside of school.

For example, if you have three volunteering activities, you could choose "Community Service" for one, "Political Campaign" for another, and "Fundraising" for the third. This will show that you have engaged in different types of volunteering activities and have gained different skills and experiences from each one.

Position

When indicating your position or leadership role in an activity, it's best to use the highest or most significant leadership position that you held for that activity. This will demonstrate your level of involvement and commitment to the activity and will also give admissions officers a clearer picture of your role in the organization.

For example, if you were the Vice President of a club in your junior year and the President in your senior year, you can just use the word "President" for your position in the activity section. You can also include the grade level in parentheses after the position to give additional context.

It's important to use proper case when writing your position, which means capitalizing the first letter of each word. For example, if your position is "Team Captain," you should write it as "Team Captain" rather than "team captain" or "TEAM CAPTAIN."

Organization Name

This could be the name of a club, sports team, volunteer organization, or paid job company.

If the organization is affiliated with a school, you can include the name of the school after the organization name to give additional context. For example, if you were a member of the Model UN club at ABC High School, you can write it as "Model UN Club, ABC High School.". When writing the name of a volunteering organization, it's important to use proper case.

Description

It's important to provide a detailed and specific description of each activity. Instead of simply listing the activity and what it involves, use strong verbs and nouns to describe exactly what you do and what your responsibilities are within the activity. Here are some tips to help you write a strong description:

Use action verbs: Instead of passive language, use strong action verbs to describe your involvement in the activity. For example, instead of saying "I participated in a science club," you could say "I organized weekly experiments and led discussions as the president of the science club."

Be specific: Give concrete details about your role in the activity. For example, if you're involved in community service, describe the specific tasks you do, how often you do them, and what impact they have had. For example, "I volunteer at the local food bank every Saturday, where I distribute food to over 200 families each week."

Quantify your impact: Whenever possible, include specific numbers or data to illustrate the impact of your involvement. For example, "Through our fundraising efforts, we raised over $5,000 for a local homeless shelter, which provided over 500 meals and shelter for 20 people."

Connect to your passions and interests: Describe how the activity aligns with your personal interests and goals, and how it has helped you grow or develop new skills. For example, "As a passionate musician, I joined the school band and learned to play the trumpet. Through countless rehearsals and performances, I developed discipline, teamwork, and a love for music."

By providing a detailed and specific description of your extra-curricular activities, you can help admissions officers understand the depth and impact of your involvement, as well as showcase your passions and skills.

Grade level

For regular academic-year activities, you can indicate the grade levels that correspond to the school years in which you participated. 

For summer activity, you can use the grade level that you will be entering after the summer. This is often referred to as the "rising" grade level, since it indicates the grade level that you will be "rising" to after completing the summer activity. For example, if you will be entering your junior year of high school after completing a summer program, you would indicate grade 11 (rising) in the Common App activity section.

Summer activities for The University of California (UC) are typically counted as part of the academic year that precedes the summer. This means that if you completed a summer program or engaged in some other type of summer activity, it would be counted as part of the academic year that came before the summer.

For example, if you participated in a summer program in the summer of 2022 and you are applying for admission to the UC for the fall of 2023, your summer activity would be counted as part of your junior year. This is because the academic year that precedes the summer is typically considered the most recent year for which grades are available.

Timing

Here are some guidelines to follow:

During School Year: If the activity takes place primarily during the academic school year and you participate in it during that time, select "During School Year". This might include activities such as clubs, sports teams, or academic programs.

During School Break: If the activity takes place primarily during a school break (e.g. summer, winter break, spring break) and you participate in it during that time, select "During School Break". This might include activities such as summer camps, internships, or volunteer programs.

During School Year and During School Break: If the activity takes place both during the academic school year and during a school break, select both "During School Year" and "During School Break". This might include activities such as a year-round club that meets during the school year and also has events or programs during the summer.

All Year: Only select "All Year" if you participate in the activity consistently for more than 50 weeks in a year. This might include activities such as a year-round job, a long-term volunteer commitment, or a year-round sports team.

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