Extracurriculars
Colleges want to see what you do in your free time outside of academics and the different activities that help make up who you are as a person! Try to focus on the impact and consistency of these extracurriculars rather than just the quantity.
What counts as an extracurricular?
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Extracurriculars account for a lot more than you may think. The most common ones include school clubs, sports, and volunteer work, but jobs, internships, family responsibilities, and personal projects (starting a small business, teaching yourself a skill, etc) also count. Anything that you spend significant time on, and shows dedication and leadership outside of school is worth including.
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How to have strong extracurriculars:
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To build strong extracurriculars, the most important thing to focus on is quality over quantity. Try to stick with a few activities that you truly care about, and can put a lot of time and effort into, rather than joining random things your senior year just to have them on your application. Then, try to grow within these extracurriculars, whether you take on a leadership role, help the group improve, or make an impact.
Checklist
✓ Choose a few things that you actually care about and want to stick with
✓ Keep track of your hours and achievements
✓ Look for ways to improve your roles in these activities
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Matching Your Extracurriculars to Your Major
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If you already know what you're going to major in, one of the best things you can do to strengthen your application is connect your extracurriculars to your major. For example, interning with an IT company may not impress the admissions officer if you're going into English studies, but it will really boost your application if you're going into computer science. It will show college admissions that you're ready and willing to take on your major.
Writing Your Extracurriculars
The Common App only gives you space for 10 activities, and you must describe each in 150 characters or fewer. It might sound difficult to show the impact of your activity with such little space, but here's how we did ours!
Caitlin's Extracuricculars
#1: Position/Leadership Position: Leadership Student
Organization Name: Camp Pinnacle
Describe the Activity: Taught archery and riflery safety and shooting, attended leadership seminars, and earned 114 service hours leading activities and supervising campers ages 7-13.
#2: Position/Leadership Position: Captain, Valorant A-Team/ Member, Overwatch Team
Organization Name: Cannon School Gaming Esports
Describe the Activity: Competed nationwide in tournaments, Won the HSEL Fall Major Valorant 2023 Gold Bracket, placed 2nd in the Bosco Tech X VHEL 2023 Fall Kickoff in LA.
#3 Position/Leadership Position: Grooming Assistant
Organization Name: So Fetch Pet Grooming
Describe the Activity: Learned animal behavior and grooming techniques by assisting a certified groomer, maintaining equipment, and sanitizing work areas.
#4 Position/Leadership Position: Camper
Organization Name: Clemson Summer Scholars: Vet Camp
Describe the Activity: Gained hands-on experience in suturing, dissection, and wet labs while learning basic animal anatomy and veterinary ethics.
#5 Position/Leadership Position: Counselor
Organization Name: Camp Cannon
Describe the Activity: Monitored and engaged groups of roughly 16 children (6-13) in games, activities, and field trips for vet, aeronautics, sports, laser cutting, and chess camps.
#6 Position/Leadership Position: Volunteer
Organization Name: Humane Society of Charlotte
Describe the Activity: Attended training to become a certified dog walker and animal enrichment volunteer, cleaned kennels, and learned and observed animal behavior.
#7 Position/Leadership Position: Camper
Organization Name: Vet Summer, Mount Saint Vincent College
Describe the Activity: Gained knowledge of prevalent pet illnesses and diseases, performed standard physical exams on dogs and cats, and studied veterinary practices at the Bronx Zoo.
#8 Position/Leadership Position: Shadow Student
Organization Name: Stand For Animals Veterinary Clinic
Describe the Activity: Prepped exam rooms and shadowed medical staff during exams and surgeries, while learning to operate anesthesia, x-ray, and blood analyzing machines.
#9 Position/Leadership Position: Hiker
Organization Name: N/A
Describe the Activity: Participated in hiking and backpacking trips, including a 3-day self-planned backpack through Carvers Gap and a 2-day, canoe trip on the French Broad.
#10 Position/Leadership Position: Member
Organization Name: Cannon School Gaming (CSG)
Describe the Activity: Installed and configured computer hardware, commentated matches for CSG’s Twitch channel, earned 39 service hours helping run the CEC 2024 invitational
Julia's Extracuricculars
#1: Position/Leadership Position: Camp Counselor
Organization Name: Wings of Eagles Ranch
Describe the Activity: Volunteered with neurodiverse population to guide participants through activities, provide encouragement and emotional support, and clean up area
#2: Position/Leadership Position: Owner of Pet-Sitting Business
Organization Name: Tender Love & Care
Describe the Activity: Created flyers for marketing, distributed advertisements, increased number of clients, collected pay
#3: Position/Leadership Position: Church Nursery Worker
Organization Name: First Presbyterian Church
Describe the Activity: Worked at church nursery with infants, completed safety and welfare training, oversaw playtime, changed diapers, and assisted in toilet training
#4: Position/Leadership Position: Varsity Orchestra Member
Organization Name: Cannon School Varsity Orchestra
Describe the Activity: Enrolled in advanced orchestra, auditioned and won first seat for violin, played in five concerts, volunteered to play at retirement home
#5: Position/Leadership Position: Homeless Shelter Volunteer
Organization Name: The Salvation Army of Cabarrus/Stanly Counties
Describe the Activity: Volunteered with the homeless population to cook food, serve meals, set up tables, talk to participants, wipe down area, and tally meals served
#5: Position/Leadership Position: Youth Council Member
Organization Name: First Presbyterian Church
Describe the Activity: Elected Youth Council Member; plan and organize community events and fundraisers, collaborated with other members on youth needs
#6: Position/Leadership Position: Vacation Bible School Volunteer
Organization Name: First Presbyterian Church
Describe the Activity: Volunteered with three year olds to carry out activities, serve meals, supervise playtime, mediate disputes between children, and oversee dismissal
#7: Position/Leadership Position: Farmstand Employee
Organization Name: Dover Vineyards
Describe the Activity: Worked at farm stand, organized merchandise, ran register, culled fruit and vegetables, kept track of inventory, provided customer service