Mastering the College Activities List: A Beginner’s Guide

Crafting a college activities list may seem straightforward (or not, but that’s why you’re here), but don’t underestimate its significant impact on your college application. Admissions officers look at these lists to understand your involvement, dedication, and leadership skills outside the classroom. In this guide, we’ll take you through every major step to ensure your activities list stands out whether it’s for the Common Application, Coalition Application, UC Application, ApplyTexas, or others.

Step 1: Identifying the Right Activities

Colleges want to see genuine involvement that reflects your interests, passions, and potential for growth.

Key Action: Start by creating a list of all activities you’ve participated in throughout high school—both in and outside of school. This list can include:

• Academic-related clubs or teams

• Volunteer work and community service

• Extracurriculars (sports, arts, etc.)

• Part-time jobs or internships

• Independent projects or hobbies

Step 2: Prioritizing Your Activities

Admissions officers don’t have much time to spend on each application, so it’s important to highlight your most impactful activities first. Here’s how to choose activities for college applications:

Generally, the top of your list should include activities where you:

• Held leadership roles or made a notable impact

• Spent a significant amount of time (years of commitment show dedication and how you’ve progressed as a leader by taking on more responsibilities)

• Example: Historian (9th), Secretary (10th), Vice-President (11th), President (12th)

• Participated in activities related to your intended field of study

• Example: If you’re applying as a biology major, list your work in science clubs, science fairs, or related internships higher than unrelated activities.

By strategically prioritizing activities on your activity list, you’ll be able to create a narrative that aligns with your future goals while demonstrating leadership and potential. This cohesive story is what you may have heard of as a “hook” and the activities list plays an important part in it.

Key Action: Order your activities list by importance, commitment length, and how much it relates to your future goals.

Step 3: Writing Concise, Impact-Driven Descriptions

Admissions officers appreciate descriptions that are direct and specific. Each activity should focus on your role, your responsibilities, and any notable outcomes.

For example:

• Avoid: “Member of the Science Club - attended science meetings.”

• Use: “Organized monthly workshops, increasing attendance by 40%.”

Make sure each description has clear verbs that communicate impact and initiative.

Key Action: Start writing descriptions that fit the allotted word count for your given application system! For Common App, this will be 150 characters (characters, not words).

Make sure each description has clear verbs that communicate impact and initiative. If you need some inspiration, check out our amazing list of over 200+ action verbs.

Conclusion: Encouragement and Final Tips

Your activities list is a reflection of what you value and how you’ll contribute to a university’s campus life and student body. Take the time to make it shine by highlighting your passions and commitment. Learn how to truly show off your wide range of skills and impact by going deeper into Step 3 and writing strong descriptions for your activities.