Best activities for college transfer applications?

I'm planning to transfer colleges and need to list activities on my application. What kind of activities should I highlight to stand out? Does it matter if they were from my previous college or high school?

For a college transfer application, admissions officers will be looking for dedication, leadership, and a clear sense of direction in your activities. It's absolutely acceptable to list activities from your previous college, as long as they were meaningful and you contributed significantly to these activities. These can include club memberships, internships, research projects, work experiences, or even volunteer work. Leadership roles in these activities are particularly compelling.

If you held a job while attending college, that is a strong activity to include. It shows time management, responsibility, and a willingness to work hard. If you participated in research projects related to your prospective major, this would also be an excellent inclusion.

In terms of activities from your high school years, not all transfer applications will ask for them and they might be less relevant if they happened a long time ago. However, if you were highly involved or held key leadership roles, they can still showcase your long-standing commitment and breadth of experiences.

Here's an example: If you led a sustainability initiative at your previous college and also founded your high school's environmental club, highlighting both activities on your application underscores your dedication to environmental issues over time.

Remember to consider the quality of your involvement over quantity. Having a smaller number of activities where you demonstrated significant impact and leadership is preferable to a long list of activities with minimal involvement. Be sure to articulate not just what the activity was, but how you contributed to it and what you gained from the experience. This makes your experience more tangible to admissions officers and allows them to get a better sense of who you are as a candidate.