Adapted from I'm First Guide to College
Sure, colleges care about your GPA and SAT scores. They want students who will be able to handle college coursework. But admissions officers are also looking for students who will add something to their school's student body--they want people who get things done. When they look at your extracurricular involvement, they are looking to see if you might be the next student body president, the next alto soprano in the accapella group, or the next editor of the newspaper.
Keep these tips in mind when you're putting together your list of extracurriculars:
1) Show Commitment
Lots of students get involved with numerous extracurricular activities because they think it will make them look like a well-rounded student. In reality, most colleges would rather see a student who has been very committed to a few extracurricular activities than one who is a member of ten different clubs but only spends one hour a week with each of them and quits at the end of the semester.
2) Emphasize Leadership
Have you been a team captain? Student body officer? Club president? Founder or co-founder of a club? Shift manager? Lead counselor? Make sure you emphasize your leadership positions and responsibilities in your description of your extracurricular involvement. It shows colleges you have the potential to become a leader on campus. And if you haven't yet held a leadership position, now is the perfect time to put your name in the running for student government elections, or to tell your coach you'd like some extra responsibility this semester. Read more on the importance of leadership here on StudyPoints.
3) Highlight Service
Most hight schools have some kind of community service requirement for students, and some colleges do as well. If you've completed any volunteer work (like The Prouty, volunteering with your intern...) during high school, make sure to list it as an extracurricular. Service work shows that a student wants to give back to their community and will most likely be a productive and responsible member of the student body.
4) Work Experience
Not all students are able to participate in activities like clubs and sports because they have to work to support themselves or their family. Remember that work experience can be counted as an extracurricular and should definitely be noted on your application. Drawing attention to your work experience shows colleges why you were not able to participate in other common extracurriculars, but more importantly, it shows them that you possess responsibility and maturity.
If you'd like to read more about extracurricular activities, this is a great Huffington Post article written by the Founder of adMISSIONPOSSIBLE.com.
