Defining Extracurricular Activities

Hey everyone! I've been seeing a lot of posts that mention 'extracurricular activities'. Could anyone explain to me exactly what this term means? What sort of activities outside of classes count as extracurriculars? And how critical are these activities in the college application process?

Extracurricular activities typically refer to activities that you participate in outside of the normal class curriculum. They can be a significant part of your college application as, they help colleges understand what you're passionate about beyond academics, and what skills or traits you might bring to their campus community that even other accomplished students wouldn't.

There are a wide range of types of activities that count as extracurriculars. Let's cover a few:

- Clubs and Organizations: These can be school-sponsored, such as National Honor Society or a Math Club, or community-based like Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts.

- Sports: Both school and community sports count, from being a part of your high school basketball team to participating in a local swim team.

- Volunteer Work and Community Service: Helping out at a food bank or spending time at a local senior center would fall under this category.

- Part-Time Jobs and Internships: Work experiences provide valuable skills and insights, so these are certainly considered as well.

- Research or Academic Teams: If you're part of a group that participates in academic competitions or conducts research, these can be powerful extracurriculars.

- Arts and Performance: This can mean being in your school’s orchestra, a community theater group, or even creating and selling your art online.

- Political Activism: If you're involved in campaigns, protests, or other political activities, it could be counted as an extracurricular activity.

This is not an exhaustive list by any means, and unique hobbies or pursuits can also be great extracurriculars. The key is to show commitment, leadership, and impact on your community or field of interest. As you can see, there's a lot of flexibility in what counts!

For perhaps the most comprehensive list of extracurriculars out there, I can refer you to this blog post from CollegeVine, which gives over 900 examples: https://blog.collegevine.com/your-complete-list-of-extracurricular-activities/. Definitely don't feel like you have to get involved in all of these, though - rather, this list is designed to give you a sense of just how many opportunities there are to both pursue your genuine passions and bolster your college applications simultaneously.

Remember, extracurriculars are not just something to pad your application, but an opportunity to show your passion, dedication, and abilities in practical, real-world settings. They demonstrate that you have interests and initiative beyond academics. Quality matters more than quantity - a few activities you're significantly involved in where you can show growth, leadership, and impact can be more valuable than a long list of minor involvements or things that you did just to put on your college resume.

Colleges generally use a mechanism called the 4 Tiers of Extracurriculars to judge your activities, with Tier 1 being the most impressive. The fewer people who participate in the activity, and the more select it is, the higher the tier. CollegeVine's blog also contains more detailed information about extracurricular tiers: https://blog.collegevine.com/breaking-down-the-4-tiers-of-extracurricular-activities

To summarize, while your academic performance is the most important part of your application, extracurriculars can help differentiate you from other students with similar academic profiles, and can sometimes even give you a boost if your academic profile is slightly below what a school typically looks for.

So, invest time in activities you truly enjoy, and strive to make a difference in them. That approach will pay dividends in both college admissions and your overall growth. Good luck!