Listing activities and distinctions on college applications

How important is it to list your activities and distinctions like volunteer work, awards, or club memberships on your college applications? Do colleges place a lot of emphasis on these? Thanks for the advice!

It's indeed important to list your activities and distinctions on college applications, as they can have a significant impact on your chances of admission. Colleges place emphasis on these extracurricular activities because they provide insight into your interests, skills, and potential for growth outside the classroom. Additionally, they help demonstrate your character, leadership abilities, dedication, and community involvement – all of which are valuable to colleges.

Quality of involvement is more important than quantity. While most successful applicants to top colleges have 8-10 total extracurriculars, being highly involved and demonstrating commitment in a few activities often reflects better than just participating in a large number of activities without any depth.

Colleges typically judge extracurriculars using a four-tier system:

1. Tier 1: Rare national or international achievements demonstrating exceptional leadership or accomplishment (e.g., winning a national award or ranking highly in your chosen field)

2. Tier 2: High levels of achievement and leadership that are more common than Tier 1 but still impressive (e.g., student body president or a top athlete/musician in your state)

3. Tier 3: General involvement showcasing your interests; may include leadership roles in clubs or captainship of a sports team

4. Tier 4: The most common activities, including general club/sports/musical membership and volunteer work

As you prepare your application, aim to provide a balanced representation of your involvement across these tiers, showcasing your most impressive accomplishments and leadership experiences in addition to those that express your passions and character.

Finally, remember to present your activities and distinctions in a clear manner, utilizing the provided space effectively to give context and detail about your involvement, leadership roles, and accomplishments within each activity.

Good luck with your applications!