How Colleges Weigh Applicants’ Extracurricular Activities

High school students eager to stand out in the college application process often participate in a litany of extracurricular activities hoping to bolster their chances of admission to a selective undergraduate institution.

However, college admissions experts say that the quality of a college hopeful’s extracurricular activities matters more than the number of activities he or she participates in.

Sue Rexford, the director of college guidance at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, says it is not necessary for a student filling out the Common Application to list 10 activities in the application.

“No college will expect that a student has a huge laundry list of extracurriculars that they have been passionately involved in each for an extended period of time,” Rexford wrote in an email.

Experts say it is tougher to distinguish oneself in a school-affiliated extracurricular activity that is common among high school students than it is to stand out while doing an uncommon activity.

“The competition to stand out and make an impact is going to be much stiffer, and so if they’re going to do a popular activity, I’d say, be the best at it,” says Sara Harberson, a college admissions consultant.

High school students who have an impressive personal project they are working on independently often impress colleges, experts say.

“For example, a student with an interest in entrepreneurship could demonstrate skill and potential by starting a profitable small business,” Olivia Valdes, the founder of Zen Admissions consulting firm, wrote in an email.

Joseph Adegboyega-Edun, a Maryland high school guidance counselor, says unconventional extracurricular activities can help students impress college admissions offices, assuming they demonstrated serious commitment. “Again, since one of the big questions high school seniors must consider is ‘What makes you unique?,’ having an uncommon extracurricular activity vs. a conventional one is an advantage,” he wrote in an email.

Experts say demonstrating talent in at least one extracurricular activity can help in the college admissions process, especially at top-tier undergraduate institutions.

“Distinguishing yourself in one focused type of extracurricular activity can be a positive in the admissions process, especially for highly selective institutions, where having top grades and test scores is not enough,” Katie Kelley, admissions counselor at IvyWise admissions consultancy, wrote in an email. “Students need to have that quality or hook that will appeal to admissions officers and allow them to visualize how the student might come and enrich their campus community.”

Extracurricular activities related to the college major declared on a college application are beneficial, experts suggest. “If you already know your major, having an extracurricular that fits into that major can be a big plus,” says Mayghin Levine, the manager of educational opportunities with The Cabbage Patch Settlement House, a Louisville, Kentucky, nonprofit community center.

High school students who have had a strong positive influence on their community through an extracurricular activity may impress a college and win a scholarship, says Erica Gwyn, a former math and science magnet program assistant at a public high school who is now executive director of the Kaleidoscope Careers Academy in Atlanta, a nonprofit organization.

Five Steps to Suggesting a Change at Work That’ll Actually Get Taken Seriously

Everyone wants to be that person—the one who looks at the same information as everyone else, but who sees a fresh, innovative solution. However, it takes more than simply having a good idea. How you share it is as important as the suggestion itself.

Why? Because writing a new script—literally or figuratively—means that other team members will have to adapt to something new. So whether you’re suggesting a (seemingly) benign change like streamlining outdated protocol, or a bigger change like adding an hour to each workday so people can leave early on Fridays, you’re asking others to reimagine their workflow or schedule. Not to mention, if the process you’re scrapping is one someone else suggested, there’s the possibility of hurt feelings.

To gain buy-in on an innovative, new idea, follow these steps:

41. Great ideas don’t stand alone. In other words, you can’t mention your suggestion once and expect it to be adopted. To see a change, you’ll need to champion your plan and sell its merits. In addition, you need to be willing to stand up to scrutiny and criticism and be prepared to explain your innovation in different ways for various audiences.

42. Sometimes it makes sense to go to your boss first. But other times, it’s useful to build a coalition among your co-workers or other stakeholders. When it works, it works great—because you’re ready for your stubborn supervisor’s pushback with answers like, “Actually, I connected with a few people in our tech department to discuss how much time these kinds of website updates would take, and they suggested they have the bandwidth.”

43. One of the biggest barriers to gaining buy-in occurs when the owner of an idea is viewed as argumentative, defensive, or close-minded. Because, let’s be honest: No one likes a know-it-all. So, if people disagree with you, don’t be indignant. Instead, listen to their concerns fully, try to understand their perspective, and include their concerns (and possible remedies) in future discussions.

So, instead of saying, “Martha, our current slogan is confusing and should be updated,” you could try, “Martha raises a great point that our current slogan has a long history for our stakeholders, but I wonder if we might able to brainstorm a tagline that could build on that—and be clearer for new customers.”

44. New ideas are the grandchildren of old ones. In other words, don’t throw old solutions under the bus to make your improvement stand out. Remember that in light of whatever the problem the old system solved—or, maybe, has failed to solve in recent memory—it was a great idea at the time. Appreciating the older contributions as you suggest future innovations helps bolster the credibility of your idea.

45. When pitching a new idea, it’s important to use the language of abundance instead of the language of deficit. Instead of saying what is wrong, broken, or suboptimal, talk about what is right, fixable, or ideal. For example, try, “I can see lots of applications for this new approach” rather than, “This innovation is the only way.” Be optimistic but realistic, and you will stand out.