How to Complete the Activities Section of the Common Application

After filling in your profile information, start your college applications with this section. Organizing and describing your activities will communicate your interests and passions to college admissions officers. If you are applying to selective colleges, the majority of applicants will have high GPAs and test scores, the Activities Section is one of the places where you can demonstrate your individuality. Completing the Activities Section will also help you focus on potential topics for any supplemental essays. Here are some strategies to make your Activities Section stand out.

Format of Activities Section

The Common Application allows room to list 10 activities. First, select the “Activity Type.” There are 29 specific types listed. Try to choose the most specific option for your activity rather than defaulting to the broad option of “Other Club/Activity.” 

There are three other subsections, each with the following character limit:

Position/Leadership-50 characters,

Organization name-100 characters,

Activity details, honors won, and accomplishments 150 characters.

Be thoughtful in the wording you use to complete these sections to clearly describe the activity.

Strategies to make the most out of your Activities Section.

1. List your activities in order of importance. You want the college admissions officers to see the most significant activities first. 

2. Use the character limits wisely. Use the space provided in the Organization Name and Position/Leadership sections to specifically describe the activity and your role so you can save the room for more in the details section. Use lists to save space.

3. Use active and varied verbs to describe your activities, but make sure they sound like your voice. Use the past verb tense if it is something that has already been completed and present tense if it is a continuing activity.

4. Be specific in your descriptions. Use numbers and details to illustrate the significance of your activity.

5. Proofread your list at least two times to catch any typos or other mistakes.

Which activities do I include?

You do not need to fill up all 10 spaces. If you do a few activities but they take up all your time, it is fine to leave some of the spaces blank. In a separate document, draft a list of all the activities you have participated in during high school (do not include middle school activities if you did not continue them in high school). 

If your list has more than 10 activities, review each of them and ask yourself whether it communicates one of your interests or values. If it doesn’t, delete it. Similarly, if you only participated in the activity for one semester during 9th grade, it should probably not be listed on your Common Application. As you evaluate which activities to include, be mindful that selective colleges are looking for depth of activities, including how committed you were to an interest and how much time you spent on it.

What if  I haven’t participated in many activities in school?

Think about what you do spend your time doing. Are you responsible for taking care of a sibling or family member? What are your hobbies? If you do things like these regularly, they can be listed in the Activities Section. This section allows college admissions officers to learn more about each applicant so you can list hobbies that highlight your interests. Just remember to be honest on your Common Application. Do not make up or exaggerate your activities.

After you have completed the Activities Section, review it to see if the list illustrates who you are as a person. Does it communicate your values and interests? Keep in mind that the admissions officers only have a limited amount of time to read each application and the goal is that your activities list will give them a clear idea of what you would contribute to their college community.

Need help brainstorming your activities list or have other questions? Visit Excelsiorcollegeconsulting.comwww.excelsioradmissions.com

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