How to fill out activities on Common App?

Hey everyone, I'm starting to work on my Common App and I'm kinda unsure about how to list my extracurricular activities. Any advice on how to make the most out of the activities section? How do y'all plan on describing them?

Hey there! The Common App activities section is a great opportunity to showcase your extracurricular involvement and demonstrate what matters to you. Here are some tips on making the most out of it:

1. Prioritize activities: You have space for up to 10 extracurricular activities, but remember quality over quantity. Start with the activities you've dedicated the most time and effort to, and that best showcase your talents, interests, and leadership.

2. Be concise and clear: There's a 50-character limit for the activity name and a 150-character limit for the description. Be specific and use clear language to describe your role and accomplishments. For example, instead of saying "worked with a group" you can say "collaborated with a team of 5."

3. Focus on results: Quantify your impact and accomplishments whenever you can. Mention things like the number of people you led, fundraiser amounts, or significant achievements.

4. Use action verbs: Start your descriptions with action verbs to make them sound more impactful, like "Led," "Organized," or "Founded."

5. Avoid jargon and abbreviations: Make sure the reader can understand your activities without having prior knowledge of your organization or club. Clarify the purpose and mission of the organization or club within your description, and only use acronyms if they'll be familiar to someone who doesn't have prior knowledge of your club (USA, for example, would be fine).

6. Don't worry about filling all 10 slots: It's not necessary to list the maximum number of activities. Admissions officers would rather see a few activities you're highly involved in as opposed to many with minimal involvement. On the flip side, remember that it's also okay to list things that you've been less involved with, so long as they have still been genuinely meaningful to your growth in high school - not everything has to be an activity where you received dozens of accolades.

7. Don't underestimate non-traditional activities: Family responsibilities, part-time jobs, and personal projects can also be compelling. If you spent a significant amount of time on such activities, they can demonstrate important skills and qualities.

With these tips in mind, you should be able to show your dedication to your extracurriculars, and accomplishments within them, in a compelling way. If you want to see some examples of effective activities list entries on the Common App, you can find several, as well as analysis of what they did well, on CollegeVine's blog: https://blog.collegevine.com/the-common-app-analyzed-4-successful-activity-entries-explained. Good luck with your Common App!