Describing Lifeguarding for Common App Activities Section?

Hey everyone, I’ve been a lifeguard for the past two summers and I’m wondering how I might describe the experience in the activities section of the Common App. Should I just list my responsibilities, or should I focus on skills gained, like leadership and responsibility? Any tips for making it stand out would be super appreciated!

Hey there! It's great that you're thinking carefully about how to frame your lifeguard job for the activities section. You've got the right idea focusing on the skills gained! You do want to list your responsibilities, so schools understand what you actually did, but you also definitely want to highlight the skills you took away from this experience, like leadership, responsibility, quick decision-making, and the ability to respond to emergencies. You could also note any instances where you took initiative, like organizing a safety drill or helping to train new lifeguards. These are traits that speak well of your ability to thrive in any setting in college, even those that have nothing to do with lifeguarding, and thus will do more to bolster your application than just a bullet-point list of the tasks you did each day.

Numbers can make your experience stand out as well. For example, mention the number of people you've supervised or the size of the area you were responsible for. This helps admission officers gauge the scope of your responsibilities. And remember, be succinct but powerful with your phrasing. Words like 'safeguarded,' 'ensured,' and 'coordinated' can be very effective, as they more concretely capture what you're trying to say than more generic verbs.

Finally, remember that some schools may require you to write a supplemental essay about an extracurricular that has been especially meaningful to you (https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-most-important-extracurricular-supplement-essays/), which could be a great opportunity to dive even more deeply (no pun intended) into your lifeguarding experience. Good luck!