Many students struggle to decide which extracurriculars to include on their Common App activities list and which activities to cross off. With only ten spots available on the Common App, it can be hard to decide which extracurriculars make the cut. This challenge is understandable, given the multitude of activities students participate in over the four years of high school and how selective colleges have become. HelloCollege is here to help, answering all of your questions about your Common App activities list.
Why are extracurricular activities so important for the Common App?
GPA and test scores carry significant weight in college admissions decisions. Admissions officers appreciate students with strong academic backgrounds, but they also want to know your interests and passions, as these can give them a better picture of who you are and your potential to succeed in college. Including impressive activities that highlight your best qualities can set you apart from other applicants and offer admissions officers more personal insight into who you are.
How many activities should I put on my Common App activities list?
Ten is the maximum number of activities you can add on the Common App activities list, but it is not a requirement. While some applicants might decide to pad their applications with numerous activities to make sure it is full, adopting a more focused approach is better. You want to focus on activities that are time-intensive, require significant effort, and mean a lot to you. If that is only 4-5 activities, great! Showing how and why you do the activity through strong 150 word descriptions will help admissions officers get to know you, even through only a handful of activities.
What if I do not have ten activities?
If you only have one or two activities, it might be time to think outside the box when it comes to your Common App activities list or start an activity ASAP to strengthen your application. Many people think that school sports and clubs are all that count as extracurricular activities, when in actuality, anything you do outside the classroom could count, including hobbies you do by yourself.
Have you built your own computer or taught yourself coding? Add it! Do you watch YouTube videos on how to create digital art and then replicate it on your own? Add it! Are you obsessed with LEGOs and build the largest sets available? Add it! Have you helped in the nursery at your church for all of high school? Add it! If it will tell colleges who you are and what you are passionate about, add it.
Still need more? Consider starting a service activity as there are always organizations that could use help. Again, don’t just do any service to pad your activities section. Instead, pick a cause or organization that is meaningful to you and volunteer as often as you can. For example, if you love animals, try volunteering for a shelter or rescue on a weekly basis.
What activities should I avoid on my Common App activities list?
Not everything you have done in your life has a place on your Common App activities list. Here are some activities to cut, especially if you don’t have the space:
Extracurricular Activities From Middle School
While those extracurriculars may have made an impact, colleges only want to see activities from high school. This provides a better understanding of who you are now. You have likely grown a lot since middle school. Of course, if you continued the activity in high school, you can include it. For example, if you started piano lessons in 4th grade and still play, include all the years on your application.
Activities You Didn’t Participate in Past 9th or 10th Grade
College applications should reflect an applicant’s best qualities and attributes, so including activities that were abandoned after a year or two can work against you. Applicants should demonstrate to admissions officers their ability to make commitments and pursue their passions.
Activities You Only Did Once
Listing one-off activities can send the wrong message to a college. Admissions officers seek committed students who follow through on their passions. Unfortunately, many volunteer experiences fall into this category. Participating in a volunteer experience is commendable, but unless it was something you did on a regular basis, was a cause you were passionate about, or you made a significant impact, leave it off. This advice also applies to other short-lived experiences like occasional tutoring, brief dog walking stints, or other one-time jobs and activities.
Summer Camp
Summer camp can be a blast, but it might not be a good fit for your Common App activities list. While engaging in meaningful activity over the summer is great, these paid activities don’t demonstrate long-term commitment and may not highlight your passions and skills. Exceptions exist, such as competitive summer programs at top universities or summer program that allow you to explore your future major or career. In most cases, however, listing summer camps mostly conveys to admissions officers that an applicant has the money and privilege to attend these camps.
Missions Trips
As with volunteer work, including mission trips on your Common App activities list depends on your level of involvement and the impact of these experiences. If you’re genuinely passionate about mission work and have participated in trips every summer, it might be worthwhile to include it on your application, especially if it demonstrates your leadership abilities. But, if mission trips are merely listed as volunteer experiences to bolster your application, it’s better to leave them off.
Extracurricular Activities You Aren’t Passionate About
In general, it’s best to avoid listing extracurriculars that you aren’t passionate about. Any activities included should demonstrate sustained interest throughout all of high school. Demonstrating capabilities beyond academics can be highly influential, but only if presented sincerely and thoughtfully.
What should I do if I have more than ten activities for my Common App activities list?
So, you removed all of the above activities and still have a list of more than ten meaningful activities. Now what? Unfortunately, you can’t expand the Common App activities list, but you can incorporate the additional activities into other parts of your college application.
You will have to write a personal statement essay and likely additional supplemental essays. You can incorporate other activities as examples in these essays where appropriate. Many colleges allow you to include a resume with your application. If so, you can include all of your activities on that resume, and with extended descriptions. So, for your Common App activities list, pick the ten activities you think best define who you are, what you excel at, and what you are passionate about and see where you can integrate the rest in other places on the application.
In what order should I list my activities on the Common App activities list?
The order in which you list your activities on the Common App activities list matters. Your impactful activities, those that are most important to you and that you think will be most impressive to college admissions officers, should go first. Consider that an admissions rep may have hundreds of applications to review and not a lot of time to review them. If they just skim the beginning of your activities list, what is most important thing they see and learn about you? Those are the activities to rank the highest.
Conclusion
Carefully considering the activities included in a college application and the order you present them in ensures that they accurately represent who you are and your abilities, strengths, and passions. By avoiding the inclusion of less impactful or less relevant activities, you can create a more compelling application that truly showcases your potential as a college student.
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