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Extracurriculars

Low accuracy (4 of 18 factors)

Georgetown activities section, how to handle it?

Hey folks! I'm working on my Georgetown application and am unsure about how to approach the activities section. How much detail should I go into for each activity? Any advice would be appreciated.

2 years ago

When filling out the activities section for Georgetown, it's essential to prioritize your most significant and impactful extracurriculars. Since you have limited space, focus on the few activities which demonstrate your interests, commitment, achievement, and leadership. Here are a few tips to help you approach the activities section:

1. Prioritize your activities: Choose around 8-10 activities that represent the range of your involvement. Emphasize those that align with your academic or personal goals and demonstrate commitment over several years. Also make sure to include your most impressive and unique accomplishments.

2. Be concise: Use detailed action words to effectively and concisely describe your roles and accomplishments. For example, rather than writing "I was the leader of my school's math club," you can say, "Led math club, organized competitions, and increased membership by 30%."

3. Quantify your impact: Whenever possible, use quantifiable information to highlight the impact of your involvement. Including specific numbers, like "Raised $2,000 for charity" or "Tutored 10 students weekly," adds credibility and precisely conveys the scope of your achievements.

4. Focus on outcomes: Describe the results of your participation. Did you lead your team to victory in a competition, organize a successful event or help improve the organization's performance? Include details that tangibly show the outcomes of your leadership and initiatives.

5. Add context: If your activities include unique or nuanced experiences that may not be readily understood by an admissions officer, make sure your explanation is accessible. For example, if you have a significant family commitment, you should provide some brief context, as this kind of activity is less common than things like sports or volunteering.

Remember, quality over quantity is crucial when discussing your extracurricular activities for Georgetown or any other college application. Present your most impactful experiences and highlight your key accomplishments in those areas to showcase your strengths and potential to contribute positively to the Georgetown community.

If you want to get a more concrete sense of what activity descriptions should look like, I'd check out this blog post from CollegeVine: https://blog.collegevine.com/the-common-app-analyzed-4-successful-activity-entries-explained/. While this post focuses on the Common App activities list, and the one in Georgetown's school-specific platform is slightly different, many of the same general ideas apply.

Finally, if you'd like additional guidance on your overall application to Georgetown, I'd check out this CollegeVine blog post, which breaks down how to tackle Georgetown's application essays: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-georgetown-university-essays/. These essays can be a great opportunity to provide even more detail about an especially meaningful extracurricular, or even to share a side of yourself that you haven't been able to convey anywhere else in your application!

Good luck!

2 years ago

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