Carly Altman | Head Editor
February 6, 2025
While academics are the centerpiece of college applications, other factors such as essays, awards, and extracurriculars have become a prominent aspect of differentiating yourself as a candidate for admission. The Common Application (Common App), a crucial college admissions application for those looking into universities across the nation, features an activities section that is sent to each of the universities you apply to. Allowing applicants to list up to ten activities and providing 150 characters to detail each extracurricular, there are several strategies to maximize the impact of your Common App activities section.
Order your activities effectively
Common App instructs you to “list your activities in the order of their importance to you.” Consider which activities mean the most to you: these may be the extracurriculars you feel best exhibit your character, display your passion, or spend the most time doing. You don’t need to fill all ten slots; focus on creating an effective list that exemplifies your interests and dedication outside of the classroom.
Focus on leadership
If you hold leadership positions in any of your extracurriculars, be sure to include and emphasize them. Examples of leadership include status as a club president, sports team captain, shift lead at a part-time job, editor of yearbook or newspaper, and much more. “I believe that holding a leadership position really enhanced my applications,” explained senior Madelyn Mitchell. “By making sure to highlight the position I held and detail the expectations and commitments associated with it, colleges were able to get a full picture of my role.” These positions call attention to your capability to lead, responsibility, skill, hard-work, and dedication to your activities.
Prioritize activities that you have had long-term involvement in
Focusing on activities that you have had extensive, multi-year involvement in emphasizes your commitment to and passion for pursuing your interests. Common App requires you to detail your grade levels and timing of participation, as well as your weekly hourly time commitment for each activity. If you have been involved in an extracurricular activity for several years, be sure to include it and detail your long-term involvement. “I feel that my most impactful extracurriculars were the ones I spent multiple years doing,” explained senior Isabella Noble. Similarly, if you have an activity that you dedicate a large amount of hours to on a weekly basis, be sure to include that as well.
Make the most of your limited characters
Since you are limited to only 150 characters per activity description, make sure to take full advantage of each character you use. You are not required to use full sentences in this section, so avoid wasting your characters on unnecessary words. Additionally, use strong verbs (ex. initiated, achieved, coordinated, mentored) to maximize the descriptions of your activities. If you are able to quantify the impact of your extracurriculars, be sure to do so. For example, if you raised money for a cause, detail the dollar amount you raised. There are other values you can also quantify, such as number of awards received, students tutored, works created, and so on.
While filling out the Common App activities section is a lengthy process, put your best foot forward and work to maximize your extracurricular involvement. Begin compiling a list of your activities early and allocate time for composing and editing a successful extracurricular section.
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