Advice on the Common App Activities List
Very often, students will labor over their personal statement and supplemental essays, and in a desire to be done with it already, just pound out the activities list and call it a day.
Maybe don’t do that?
The activities list is really important … not because schools want to see that you’ve participated in every club imaginable, or will be most impressed with students who think sleep is optional. (Neither is true!) But because it’s another way for the admissions team to learn about who you are. Through your activities, colleges can see what you value, what you’re curious about, how you make an impact … and not for nothing, it gives them some insight on how you might show up on their campus.
Are you someone who might find and build community through sports, theater, or religious groups? Is service to others important to you? Or will you search out niche opportunities to quench an insatiable curiosity? Will they learn that you are someone who people can count on to show up and get stuff done, because you’ve worked or taken care of family members?
Your activities list is another piece or two (or ten) of your puzzle. The more you can bring your activities to life, the more that you come alive when they are reading through your application. (And I always tell students that your essay should make the reader feel like you are sitting next to them, in real life, having a conversation.)
Here is the template for the Common App activities list (along with a form asking what type of activity it is, how much time you spent participating, and whether you’ll want to do it in college):
Position (50 characters)
Org Name (100 characters)
Description (150 characters)
So, some important points to consider:
For the POSITION, don’t just say “member” or “player.” Have a little fun with this! Were you the “loudest cheerer on the sidelines” or “most consistent attendee”? Maybe a “distance miler” or “lighting and sound specialist.” I had a student write “crazy cat lady” to describe how he took care of neighborhood pets. Point is, here’s a 50-character opportunity to share some of your personality.
Provide context for your ORGANIZATION!! If you don’t live in my town (and even if you do) you may not know that Passing Notes is a student-run a cappella group, or that The Geese are an ultimate Frisbee team, or that MESH is a nonprofit providing meals and services to vulnerable members of the community. Assume your reader, especially an admissions officer out of state, will know nothing about the group you’ve dedicated hours of your time to. Use the 100 characters allowed to share important information about the organization.
But do not repeat it in the DESCRIPTION! If you’ve already described your role, and some information about the organization, use the description to talk about your impact. And this can be understood in two ways: the impact you’ve had on this organization, and the impact that being involved has had on you.
This means use numbers. What ungodly hour were you up and at the pool five mornings a week? How many rehearsals did you attend or songs did you memorize? How many students and parents did you communicate with via email each week? By what percentage did you help grow membership of a particular club from the year before? How many kids under the age of 10 did you assist with their homework, or mediate conflicts between? What seat were you in the orchestra? What arcane fact did you learn in the astronomy club? How did your debate team rank at States? What did you learn about the importance of manners while serving ice cream?
No need for full sentences; take out the word “I;” start with verbs; use semi-colons to separate tasks; eliminate periods at the end (just takes up valuable characters)
Action verbs, please! And make them impactful! Did you “attend” or “help”? Or did you coordinate, lead, spearhead, communicate, manage, research, question, mentor, learn, develop, motivate, cheer, organize, brainstorm, debate, elevate, mediate, activate, alleviate, designate … (any INXS fans out there?)
What skills did you gain? Did you become CPR certified? Navigate database systems? Learn how to use a level, or walk six dogs at once, or make a mean marinara sauce?
An extra hour of your time (or mine … happy to help!) may be well worth it.