Activities: What Colleges are Really Looking For

“What counts in terms of activities for college?”

“I can’t quit swimming now because it would look bad for colleges, right?”

“How much community service should I add to show I’m not just a jock?”

“I heard colleges want leaders, so should I run for student council?”

“My friend just got an internship shadowing a surgeon, do I need to find something like that to be a pre-med candidate?”

I’m constantly asked questions like the above, and understandably so. How would students applying to college know what to do as the landscape is changing rapidly, and selectivity increases every year?

Most Important Takeaway

Colleges aim to craft classes of diverse students with various interests and accomplishments. What would a campus look like if it was full of all former class presidents? The most impressive way to compliment your transcript with your activities section of your application is to stay involved and true to your interests. Perhaps you’re devoted to one intensive interest over all four years, or perhaps you dabble in a variety of activities, exhibiting that you’re well-rounded. Or perhaps you consistently have to work an hourly job. Whatever you do outside the classroom, you should truly enjoy it.

Colleges seek busy students, showing they can achieve their academic work while balancing an active life outside the classroom. Some students have to work hourly jobs to support their families, so it would be unfair to give a significant leg-up to students who can afford fancy programs like a summer camp at an Ivy League university. So long as you are involved in enjoyable activities that exact most of your free time, you are doing everything right! Again, colleges aim to recruit a diverse set of students.

Examples of Impressive Applicants

Here are just a few profiles of the infinite permutations of students who would likely appear impressive to the most selective colleges.

Elsa played three sports up until sophomore year, when she realized she wasn’t enjoying volleyball or basketball. She stuck with Lacrosse, but she is not captain nor is she among the best players. She is, however, tremendously involved with her church and community service, especially at the local food bank, where she doesn’t just hand out meals, but she works autonomously as a counselor for homeless youth. She’s gone on two intensive mission trips with her church to Mexico, raising her own travel money via a creative Kickstarter campaign.

Sarah is a Prospective Division I swimmer phenom who is being actively recruited. She has “daily doubles” most days, waking at 5am and returning home after 6pm. She has no time for anything beyond swimming throughout the school year or summer.

Evan has taken a few theater classes, and they have participated in lighting and set design and production for two major shows. They works at their local hardware shop most weekends, and a few afternoons during the school year. During the summer, they serves as a camp counselor at their childood camp for five weeks, and travels with their family for two weeks.

Nolan is a three sport athlete. He is not likely competitive for Division I, but he’s varsity for all three, and is football captain. His parents urged him to not quit the saxophone his freshman year, but he totally lost interest. He did participate in two major Habitat for Humanity service trips in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, and wanted to go to a program in Africa, but his parents couldn’t quite budget it, so he is staying home to work at a sports store.

Henrietta is class president. Despite countless opportunities to volunteer and do community service for NHS, she really isn’t into any of it, and he dropped soccer and the piano in freshman year. She has, however, begun a school wide initiative to augment the presence of student voices in institutional hiring and other political processes. She was sthe first student to serve on an interview committee for the new vice principal, and and spearheads the new student orientation program.

Brandon lives in eastern Oregon and has been immersed in ranching and rodeo his entire life. He competes in roping and helps with ranch duties for the majority of his hours beyond school, including summer. His school offers limited programming in terms of activities, but he contributes to the school paper and every community-wide event possible.

Aaron attends a charter school in LA. He is active as a formal and informal leader at school, and has excelled at art and computer design, but there is very little programming beyond those pursuits. He beeline home after school to care for his elderly grandmother and his younger sister until his parents get home from work at 7pm. Most nights he preps dinner for the family. (Note that there is a section of most applications that invites you to explain if you have family obligations that wouldn’t otherwise be evident in your application.)

So, What Should You Do?

1. Consider how much you enjoy your current activities. If there are any that you’re only doing for the sake of college, but you otherwise find no enjoyment, drop them! Some might be challenging and stressful, but still worth enduring, but if you actually have no interest in the topic, it should go.

2. Assess your total time spent on activities. Nothing is more important to colleges than your grades in a challenging class schedule, so if your commitments are inhibiting your performance or drop something, stat. Conversely, if you find yourself with over three hours of totally free time per week, then you should consider adding something enjoyable. See me for guidance.

3. Plan a very robust summer. Here’s where you can really build your resume with countless opportunities. Especially your summer before senior year you should be active during the vast majority of your available time. Think either 30–60 hours per week, or 5–7 jam-packed weeks of meaningful activity.

What Should You Not Do?

1. Compare yourself with your friends. ‘Nuff said.

2. Pursue any activity just for the sake of being competitive for colleges.

3. Add a brand new type of activity, even though you’re not into it, just to appear “well rounded.”

4. Worry that an hourly job will appear quotidian or meaningless to colleges.

5. Annihilate your family time or travel due to commitments.

6. Skip more than one SAT or ACT date due to commitments.

7. Max and relax all summer long.

8. Maintain an activity load that directly impacts your grades or rigor of classes you select.

This Stuff Should Be Fun

Selecting your high school activities should be an art, not a science, and you’re the artist. Your time is way too precious to begrudge your commitments; if you’re not mostly having fun, let’s change something! You don’t only have to take my word for it, ask an admission counselor at your next college fair what she or he thinks. I guarantee you you’re not the only one who quit playing the saxophone during freshman year.