College Application Series - Part 6: COMMON APP ACTIVITIES SECTION
By Karen Treon
If your student is moving along through the Common App and is ready to get to a more substantial section, we suggest diving into the Activities Section. This section of the Common App is underrated.It provides a valuable opportunity for students to convey their story and show their values. The Activities Section has ten slots allowing students to list the things they spend their time on and describe their participation in 150 characters or less (that’s short!). Many applicants do not take full advantage of these entries and write cursory descriptions. For example, a student might say that they were the Treasurer of the school Water Bottle Appreciation Club, and explain that they were responsible for submitting financial statements to the school bookstore. That’s okay, but that’s pretty obvious from the words “Treasurer of Water Bottle Appreciation Club.” An applicant would be better served by describing a fundraising program they led or a drive to provide free water bottles to students without one. College admissions offices are looking for insight into what an applicant did with a given opportunity, and the Activities Section provides the opportunity to do that.
We have a few other pointers to offer:
Importantly, the Activities Section is not at all limited to in-school activities. Students who have jobs, or who care for younger siblings, or who volunteer at their faith center or elsewhere (etc.) should list those activities in the Activities Section.
There are many ways to show leadership that don’t involve an elected position or a captain designation or an award of some kind. Taking on a challenge, increasing responsibility, or getting out of a comfort zone are important points to make.
Students will decide what order to list the ten activities in. Chronological order is almost NEVER the best order to choose! Common App instructions give leeway on the order, and most admissions consultants and advisors suggest that students choose the order of activities based on significance in their lives and/or time spent on the activity.
If you find your student reflecting on this and wondering “what does a college want to see?” ask them to instead ask “what do I want this college to know about me?” and make decisions based on the answer to the latter question.
For additional guidance on the Activities Section, we suggest these resources:
The AXS Companion section on Activities
Admissions Mom is ALWAYS a great resource, and she has a detailed Activities how-to on her blog
