国产第一福利影院草草

For all of the first-class treatment applicants give to their Common App essay, the Common App Activities Section is all too often relegated to steerage. If antiquated steamship analogies do little for you, a more apropos comparison might present the essay as the mean, attention-hogging prom queen in a teen movie, and the activities list as the nice, quiet girl, who also looks like a model, but no one notices because she has glasses and wears her hair up.

You get the point鈥攁 poorly crafted Common App activities list is one of the most common issues we encounter when working with students, even those with Ivy-caliber credentials and otherwise flawless applications. Yet, as already alluded to, this list rarely receives appropriate attention from applicants, perhaps because it, rather deceptively, appears to be a fairly rote exercise; more of a chore of filling in boxes than an opportunity to tell a unique and compelling story.

What activities should I include in my Common App activities section?

Perhaps humans simply possess an unstoppable psychological drive to fill any blank space they see with something, anything. It would certainly explain much of the modern experience: 24-hour news, suburban sprawl, or that one drawer in your kitchen that is overflowing with useless items you can鈥檛 bring yourself to throw away (C鈥檓on, you know that Krazy Glue dried out six years ago…).

A similar compulsion rears its head when students see the Common App activities section with its ten blank templates. Your first thought is, 鈥淥kay, I鈥檓 going to fill these ten spots even if I have to include the ten seconds last week when I picked up a stray Sierra Mist can off the sidewalk and tossed it in the recycling bin. That can count as volunteer work, right?鈥�

When it comes to your activities section, be judicious with what you include. Having fewer than ten activities is not going to hurt your chances at admission鈥攕eriously, we promise. As you start to brainstorm which activities to include on your list, begin by asking:

1. How do I currently spend my time?
2. How have I spent my time over the past four years?
3. What activities鈥攑ast or current鈥攃ommunicate something about who I am, what I鈥檓 proud of, and/or what I鈥檝e accomplished?

The activities that come to mind could include clubs, volunteer work, paid employment, summer programs, athletics, hobbies, or musical/artistic/theatrical pursuits. The best activities to include are ones that you鈥檝e engaged with on a regular basis over an extended period of time. For example, volunteering at a soup kitchen for a summer or on a weekly basis through your place of worship should definitely be included; volunteering once for 45 minutes might not make the cut.

How should I order my activities?

In math, we remember the order of operations through the presumably embarrassing behavior of our Dear Aunt Sally (please excuse her). To date, no helpful mnemonic exists for the order in which you should list activities on your Common App, yet it is extremely important to master the rules of this game. One frequent move is listing your activities in pure chronological order (or straight reverse chronological order), which is highly problematic. If you were asked to succinctly tell someone a captivating version of your life, you wouldn鈥檛 lead off with:

Baby/Toddler, 2002-2005
Passed meconium, cried, cried some more, mastered object permanence, etc.

Putting your most important activities first is the way to go. This may flow in something close to a reverse chronological order since the activities that most demonstrate your passion, leadership, and abilities are likely ones that you stuck with over the years. While there may be no hard and fast set of rules telling you to address parentheses before exponents, there is a correct thought process to adopt while ordering your activities.

Sample Common App activities section thought process鈥�

Meet Mark.

He was the vice president of his class as a freshman but became disillusioned with the seedy world of high school politics and never participated in student government again. Mark next turned his attention to the mock trial and tennis teams, both of which he continued through his senior year. In fact, as a junior, his team qualified for the National High School Mock Trail Championship. Further, he plans to continue debate in college. As a senior, Mark is on the varsity tennis team鈥攈e鈥檚 not talented enough to be NCAA material but is interested in joining a club team.

As we help Mark decide how to order these three activities, let鈥檚 review some important considerations. We are looking to give preference to activities that鈥�

• You plan to continue in college.
• Demonstrate commitment and dedication.
• You have participated in state or national-level competitions (winning something is always a huge bonus).
• Show off your leadership skills.
• Are recent.

With these rules in mind, we can determine that Mark should put Mock Trial first鈥攊t鈥檚 something he plans to continue in college, has participated in a national competition, has been involved with for three years, and is still presently doing. Tennis should come second, since he has shown dedication to the sport and may play at a club or intramural level at college. While vice president of his class was the most impressive title he ever held, it was only for one year in 9th grade, making it the clear third-place entry in this activities list.

How do I fill out the activities section on the Common App?

On the Common App, each activity entry will have six available fields:

1. Position/leadership description
2. Organization name
3. Activity description
4. Participation grade level(s)
5. Hours spent per week
6. Weeks spent per year

Between the first three fields, you’ll have 300 characters worth of description at your disposal. However, many students make the mistake of using the activity description box to restate (or state for the first time) their role, the name of the organization, the years in which they participated, or the amount of time they’ve been involved.

Instead, use each field strategically:

1. In the 50-character 鈥淧osition/leadership description,” clearly state your role(s). For example, “President” or “Event Coordinator” or “Center Forward.”
2. In the 100-character “Organization Name” section, state the name of the organization as well as any applicable details (if it’s not immediately obvious). For example, “East High School Varsity Soccer” or “Chess Club” would not need additional descriptions. However, “Jewels for June” would benefit from some context, ex. “Jewels for June (nonprofit, handmade jewelry organization).”
3. In the activity description, describe your level of involvement. Dedicate the full 150-character activity description box to fleshing out your role, quantifiable contributions, and major accomplishments.
4. Use the checkboxes in the “Participation grade level(s)” area to indicate your year(s) of involvement.聽
5. Use the hours/week and weeks/year fields to communicate time spent.聽

How should I write each activity description?

A famous, albeit y, goes like this: Ernest Hemingway is having lunch with his buddies and bets them that he can craft a complete story in six words. He wins by scribbling six words on a napkin: 鈥淔or sale: baby shoes, never worn.鈥�

Putting aside the earth-shatteringly depressing nature of the story, it is a great example of the power of words in a limited space.聽 As mentioned previously, you only have a precious 150 characters with which to demonstrate your duties and achievements with each activity, so hold yourself to a high standard in this regard:

• Maximize impact via active verbs. “Created” is stronger than “Put together”; “Led” is stronger than “Was in charge of.”
• Lop off extraneous words and get right to the point. No need to use complete sentences鈥攅liminate articles, the use of “I,” spelled-out numbers, etc.
• Include pertinent details (quantifiable, if possible) that make your description less generic and better highlight your achievements.

Meh Example: Money was raised by my organization when we put on a 24-hour relay leading to many donations to a charity that works to cure pediatric cancer.

Improved Example: Organized 24-hour relay, attended by 300+ community members; raised over $6k for pediatric cancer research.

Extreme Makeover: Common App Activities List Edition

Everyone loves a good makeover, so let’s apply our strategies to the type of listing we see frequently:

Original Version

• Position/Leadership Description: Editor-in-Chief
• Organization Name: The Muse
• Participation Grade Levels: 10, 11, 12
• Activity Description: Edited poems and works of fiction for The Muse, our high school鈥檚 literary magazine, from sophomore year to present.

As you can see, most of the 150-character space to show off achievements was filled with information that was already stated elsewhere:

• We already know that you were the editor (stated in the position/leadership description).
• We already know that you edited The Muse. In addition, the description of the magazine can be moved to the “organization name” area to give you more space.
• You already checked off that you participated in the activity from 10th to 12th grade, so no need to include again.

Let’s re-distribute information so that you can use the space to tell us more about your level of responsibility and accomplishments as editor-in-chief:

Improved Version

• Position/Leadership Description: Editor-in-Chief
• Organization Name: The Muse (high school’s literary magazine)
• Participation Grade Levels: 10, 11, 12
• New Activity Description: Managed staff of 7 and developed/edited 10+ pieces for monthly issue; earned First Class Distinction, National Council for Teachers of English, 2025.

Proofread, proofread, proofread…

For whatever reason, even the sharpest applicants tend to eschew the conventions of good writing. Perhaps it is the miniscule character count that seems to invite a 鈥渃ovfefe鈥�-like outpouring of poor grammar, awkward syntax, and weak vocabulary. Here are some key things to remember, based on errors we frequently see students make.

• Use present tense if you are currently engaged in an activity; use past if you are not.聽
• Aim for quality vocabulary, even if your description is in list form. For example, if you have a part-time job at Shake Shack, “Prepare menu items, interact with customers, and manage order issues” is much better than “I make burgers and deal with customers.” (Just don’t go in the opposite direction and write something like “Artfully cook spherical sustenance for hordes of discerning customers.”)
• Check carefully for typos. It may require multiple reads to catch errors in this unusual format. Remember, typos can be distracting to the reader. Too many will communicate a lack of attention to detail.

国产第一福利影院草草’ Final Thoughts 鈥� Common App Activities Section

Let’s review:

• Select the school-based and outside activities that say the most about who you are and how you spend your time.
• Place your activities in an order that highlights your commitment, dedication, talent, and accomplishments. Activities that you are presently engaged with and/or are planning on continuing in college should take precedence.
• Take full advantage of the 鈥淧osition/leadership description鈥� and “Organization Name” fields to better utilize your space in the activity description area.
• Communicate as much as you can in limited space. Avoid clunky, space-eating phrases, use active verbs, and replace generic statements with specific details.
• Craft and proofread this section with as much care as your essays.

Follow these simple rules and, in the end, your Common App activities section will take off its glasses, let down its hair, and become the envy of the whole prom. Oh yeah, and admissions officers will like it too.

Looking for additional application resources? Consider checking out the following:

• How to Complete the Honors Section of the Common App
• Should You Start College Applications in the Summer?
• What is Demonstrated Interest?
• Do Colleges Look at Social Media?
• College Fair Advice for High School Students
• Common App Essay Prompts
• 25 Inspiring College Essay Topic Ideas
• 10 Instructive Common App Essay Examples