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Ten Tips: How to Write Your Common App Activities List, Meet Ethan Sawyer, College Essay Guy

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We are so excited to introduce Ethan Sawyer, the College Essay Guy . On the College Essay Guy’s site, you will find all things related to college essay writing, (personal statement), tips, common app, free resources, classes and more. Stop by his site to see why you will love his site as much as I do (he’s personal, warm, empathetic and his classes are unparalleled. Also, he has a ton of FREE resources).

Here is a great starting article about the common app activities list.

10 Tips: How to Write Your Common App Activities List

You only get 150 characters: how do you make the most of them? Some tips:

1. State role and organization name in top box, so you don’t waste characters in the lower, 160 character box. Instead of: (top box) School newspaper (description box) I am the editor for the school newspaper ( And don’t repeat words!)

Try: (top box) Editor of International Column, School Newspaper (description box) Responsible for brainstorming, revising, and supervising articles by other writers for my column.

2. Emphasize tangible, measurable impact .  Whom did your activity help? How many people? How much money did you raise?

Instead of: Raised money for children in Africa. Try: Raised $3,000 to provide three uniforms and scholarships for students attending the Joseph Waweru Home School in Kenya (http://www.exop.org/home_school.html).

Instead of: Worked at a clinic doing different things. Try: Organized patient diagnosis notes, sterilized tools for surgeries, assisted with x-ray analysis.

4. To fit in more info: use lists , don’t use complete sentences , cut extra words . Instead of: I raised money to donate to a school in Ghana in Africa by selling t-shirts and bracelets. Try: Arranged advertising events, organized fundraisers, and gave presentations at school meetings.

5. Use the present tense if it’s something you still do. Instead of: I helped tour visitors around the campus and presented some information on school history and student life. Try: I give campus tours, providing info on school history, student activities, boarding life.

6. Aim for variety in your list, making sure your verbs aren’t redundant. Instead of: Instructing, helping, teaching children tennis (how are these three different?) Try: Instructing in proper technique, while imparting lessons in sportsmanship, health and integrity.

7. Include any responsibilities you had to demonstrate leadership skills . Instead of: I swim on the swim team. Try: Responsible for leading swim practices, planning fundraising events; assisting in recruiting process.

8. What if there isn’t much to say, or it was a one-time event?

Explain the significance of the activity: who did the event matter to and why? Rather than: Tutored students. Try: Provided support to fourth graders with particularly difficult math concepts.

Continue reading this list over at the College Essay Guy . In addition, be sure to check out his new course: How to Write a Personal Statement . This course includes seven videos and is 100% guaranteed. The fee is only $149.00 and if you cannot afford it, contact Ethan about his pay-what-you-can program. Yes, pay what you can.

And did I mention he has the #1 Selling College Essay Book in the country right now? Yes, he does.

About: Ethan Sawyer is a nationally recognized college essay expert and sought-after speaker. Each year he helps thousands of students and counselors through his online courses, workshops, articles, products, and books, and works privately with a small number of students. 

Raised in Spain, Ecuador, and Colombia, Ethan has studied at seventeen different schools and has worked as a teacher, curriculum writer, voice actor, motivational speaker, community organizer, and truck driver. He is a certified Myers-Briggs® specialist, and his type (ENFJ) will tell you that he will show up on time, that he’ll be excited to meet you, and that, more than anything, he is committed to—and an expert in—helping you realize your potential. 

A graduate of Northwestern University, Ethan holds an MFA from UC Irvine and two counseling certificates. He lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife, Veronica, and their amazing daughter, Zola.

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How to Write Your Common App Activities List

This is a guest blog post written by Ethan Sawyer,  The College Essay Guy . Ethan helps students write amazing college essays by offering free resources, one-on-one essay sessions, online webinars, and in-person workshops.  We encourage you to learn more about  The College Essay Guy  and check out the original post !

1. State role and organization name in top box, so you don’t waste characters in the lower, 160 character box. Instead of: (top box) School newspaper (description box) I am the editor for the school newspaper ( And don’t repeat words!)

Try: (top box) Editor of International Column, School Newspaper (description box) Responsible for brainstorming, revising, and supervising articles by other writers for my column.

2. Emphasize tangible, measurable impact .  Whom did your activity help? How many people? How much money did you raise?

Instead of: Raised money for children in Africa. Try: Raised $3,000 to provide three uniforms and scholarships for students attending the Joseph Waweru Home School in Kenya (http://www.exop.org/home_school.html).

3. Use active verbs  to explain what you actually did (list your tasks). Instead of: Worked at a clinic doing different things. Try: Organized patient diagnosis notes, sterilized tools for surgeries, assisted with x-ray analysis.

4. To fit in more info:  use lists ,  don’t use complete sentences ,  cut extra words . Instead of: I raised money to donate to a school in Ghana in Africa by selling t-shirts and bracelets. Try: Arranged advertising events, organized fundraisers, and gave presentations at school meetings.

5.  Use the present tense  if it’s something you still do. Instead of: I helped tour visitors around the campus and presented some information on school history and student life. Try: I give campus tours, providing info on school history, student activities, boarding life.

6. Aim for  variety  in your list, making sure your verbs aren’t redundant. Instead of: Instructing, helping, teaching children tennis (how are these three different?) Try: Instructing in proper technique, while imparting lessons in sportsmanship, health and integrity.

7. Include  any responsibilities you had  to  demonstrate leadership skills . Instead of: I swim on the swim team. Try: Responsible for leading swim practices, planning fundraising events; assisting in recruiting process.

8. What if there isn’t much to say, or it was a one-time event? Explain the significance of the activity: who did the event matter to and why? Rather than: Tutored students. Try: Provided support to fourth graders with particularly difficult math concepts.

9. Avoid extreme language . Instead of: to help all those in need (or) to end poverty in the world Try: to help those in need (or) to aid in the fight against global poverty

10. Use bigger words.  Instead of: “Come up with” (or) “told people about” Try: Develop, brainstorm (or) advertised, marketed

Here are some examples: 

Important: list them in descending level of importance.

Editor of International Column, School Newspaper Responsible for brainstorming, revising, and supervising articles by other writers for my column.

Intern at Children’s Institute Otis Booth Campus Brainstormed ideas for after school programs for teens,created surveys,presented data to supervisor

Intern at Department of Cardiovascular Disease Organized patient diagnosis notes, sterilized tools for surgeries, assisted with x-ray analysis.

Worked as assistant at Ye-In Dental Clinic Helped with patient registration, sterilized tools for surgeries, assisted with surgical processes.

Speech and Debate Academic All-American Award, NFL Tournament Qualifier (’11, ’12), Rupe Scholar, Stanford Invitational Semi-finalist, Harker Invitational Semi-finalist

Korean Compassion: Korean-to-English Letter Translator Translated letters sent by supporters to impoverished children in Asian and African countries.

Junior Researcher at Benetti Sport Inc. Conducted surveys to research youth interests, contributed ideas for future products.

Math Tutor at Sippican Elementary School Using card games and quizzes to simplify concepts, taught basic math skills to third graders.

School Tour Guide – International Guiding Staff I tour visitors around campus, while presenting school history, student activities, boarding life.

Global Partner for International Orientation I help new international students with registration and adjustment to the new school environment.

Click here for 10 Tips on Writing Your UC Activities List

Click here for a Brief Guide to Writing Your Common App “Additional Info” Section

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Level up your Common App Activities List with The College Essay Guy

Click on the video image to play

USA Application Guru Ethan Sawyer has just released a new video on up=leveling your Common App Activities list.

In this video he covers:

Why strong verbs are key + where to find my Epic List of Activities List Verbs

How the BEABIES exercise can help you remember stuff you did

How to bring more variety into your descriptions (if you've already written them)

Tips for the Awards and Honors section

If you are applying via Common App this year, or considering applying to the USA in the future, this is well worth a watch.

Subscribe to his channel to receive updates whenever he releases new content

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How to Write a Strong Activities List for your Common App

It’s no secret that extracurricular activities are important to admissions officers when evaluating candidates. The way you spend your time outside of the classroom in extracurricular activities is a great indication of who you are and what you care about. Admissions officers care deeply about both of those things. The more they can learn about you, the better they are able to determine whether their school is the right fit for you. By understanding what you care about, they’ll learn more about the impact you would have in their incoming freshman class. If they can see you bringing a unique perspective and experiences to campus, they’re likely to fight for your admission in committee discussion. In the admissions process , nailing your activities list is essential.

In this post, we will go over the following:

• What the activities section looks like
• The types of extracurricular activities admissions officers like to see
• How to write activity descriptions
• Sample activity descriptions
• List of great action verbs to use

The Activities Section of the Application

First, let’s take a look at what the Activities Section looks like in the Common App.

Before you begin the application, you should create a Common App or Coalition App account. Scroll through the application system to get an idea of what will be required of you. Most schools you apply to will be on either the Common App or Coalition App. There are a few exceptions though, so make sure you do your research before you begin! For example, The University of California system and MIT have their own application systems. When you get to the Activities section, you will notice a few things:

• You have the opportunity to list up to 10 activities.
• You are limited to 150 characters in your activity descriptions.

With just 150 characters, you essentially have the length of a tweet to describe your involvement. This is often the most overlooked section of the application, or the section of the application that is mismanaged. When you look to craft your 150 character descriptions, focus on impact.

What Admissions Officers Want to See

It’s also imperative to understand that admissions committees are not looking for “well-rounded” students. Sure, it’s great that some students dabble in a little bit of everything, but admissions committees are more interested in building a well-rounded freshman class. Their goal as a committee is to admit students with individual and unique perspectives/experiences so that as a whole, the incoming freshman class is well-rounded and full of students with much to offer their peers.

How to Order your Activities

• Your biggest accomplishments/most significant activities should go first
• In chronological order starting from most recent

How to Write Activity Descriptions

• In most scenarios, it works to start your description with an action word. If you start with “I was responsible for..” you will be wasting valuable space.
• Review each of your activities and, separate from the application, list all of your accomplishments. Use those lists to guide your activity description.
• Focus on strong verbs, and use a variety of them throughout your descriptions.
• Ensure your descriptions detail what you’ve learned and/or the impact you’ve made. If you don’t address these areas, you are not submitting the strongest activities section possible.

Sample Activity Descriptions

Weak activity description: President, Science Club I run Science Club meetings, plan activities and participate in science fairs and Olympiads with my peers.

Strong activity description: Organize Science Club meetings, schedule speakers and prepare activities for 16 students. Mentor younger students and compete in national science fairs and state Olympiads. Awards detailed in add’l comments.

If you’re feeling stuck on how to get started, try using this list of strong action verbs!

We’d also love to support you in this process. Reach out and schedule a consultation with us to learn more about how we can help!

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The Common App Activities List: How to Make the Most of 150 Characters

January 27, 2017 :: Admissionado

You should think of the the Common App Activities List as a resume.

Basically, it’s an opportunity to (briefly) highlight what you have participated in outside of the classroom and how you have made an impact through your involvement. But how can you do this effectively in just 150 characters?

Here are some tips from our best MBA admissions consultants to help you pack as much punch as possible into just a couple of lines:

1. Start with an action verb

Just like Like when writing a resume , you can use “incomplete sentences” in your activity list descriptions to maximize the amount of information you’re able to fit. To do this, start each line with an action verb (rather than “I”), using the present tense if it is something that you’re still participating in (e.g., “lead”) and the past tense if you are no longer involved (e.g., “led”).

Examples of great action verbs include: led, managed, coordinated, developed, initiated, (re)designed, achieved, analyzed, authored, trained… You get the idea!

2. Avoid vague or redundant language

One of the most common mistakes that students make when working on their activities lists is that they write descriptions that are entirely too vague or repetitive.

For example, imagine that you want to describe your experience tutoring students at a local elementary school. So you write, “Helped elementary school students.” Okay, great… but you helped them to do what? Learn to play soccer? Study math concepts? Maybe instead you write, “Tutored elementary school students.” While this is a bit clearer, we already gleaned this from what you wrote beneath “Position/Leadership description and organization name”: Tutor, XYZ Elementary School.

Instead, you should write a description that actually helps the admissions committee get an idea for what you did as a tutor. How many students did you teach at a time? Were you teaching first graders or fifth graders? Were you also responsible for developing a lesson plan? Did you do an administrative work to help their primary teacher? By including answers to questions like these in your descriptions, you will give the reader a better sense of the responsibility you had in each role.

Good example: Taught math concepts to 5 fourth grade students individually, organizing weekly lesson plans and developing games to help them learn material.

3. Demonstrate leadership and impact

Wherever possible, it’s a good idea to highlight any actions you took that demonstrate leadership . (Think of things you “led” or “initiated.”) Moreover, it’s important to clearly show not only that you led but also what you accomplished as a leader.

If you “organized a fundraiser,” how much did you raise, and whom did those funds help? If you “founded a new club at school,” how many students joined, and what was your collective impact in the community? Let’s take our previous example about tutoring elementary school students.

Bad: Tutored elementary school students.

Good: Taught math concepts to five fourth grade students individually, organizing weekly lesson plans and developing games to help them learn material.

Great: Taught math concepts to five fourth grade students individually, organizing weekly lesson plans and developed games that helped improve test scores.

Now, we understand not only that you “tutored students,” but also how you went about teaching them and what you were able to accomplish as a tutor. With such detailed descriptions, the admissions committee will get a better sense of what you’re capable of and how you might be able to contribute to their campus community.

>>> Recommended Reading: What You Should Know About The 2016-17 Common App Essay Prompts

Related articles

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Supplemental Essay Guides from College Essay Guy

Looking for some extra guidance on your supplemental essays? Look no further! In this blog post, we'll be exploring College Essay Guy's incredible (and free!) Supplemental Essay Guides! Links to resources below.

What is a supplemental essay? 🤔

As College Essay Guy explains , supplemental essays are "additional pieces of writing required by many colleges, especially by highly-selective universities." These essays are different from your personal statement and focus on a prompt that is specific to that college. For example, a college may ask how you would engage in their community if admitted or why you want to study at their college specifically . Or they might ask you to share something that wouldn't be gleaned from the rest of your application: like sharing an unusual talent , a time you felt empowered or on top of the world , or what piece of technology you'd want to show a historical figure .

Why are supplemental essays important? 💡

With college applications, making a personal connection is key. These supplemental essays help add personality and unique context to your application that can further the connection between you and a reader!  Your response to prompts like those above can also allow colleges to see how you and the school fit together (and whether you've actually done your research to find out how and why you fit together), and also get a clearer sense of who you are and what you value.

Many colleges will encourage you to have fun with your supplemental essays and to use them as an opportunity to take a risk, be creative, or get a little vulnerable.

How do I write my supplemental essays? ✏️

CEG has you covered! Take a look at their Supplemental Essay Guides for a breakdown of 70+ colleges' prompts, each with examples from past students, tips and analysis for your own essays, and more!

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Are you looking for that unique twist to make your college essay stand out? It might actually be in your niche laptop stickers or celeb fandom!  In our podcast episode, "How The 'Little Things' Make Your College Essay Stand Out," we discuss how the little things in your life can be essay inspiration, and small tweaks to make your essay really stand out.

Our guest, Tom Campbell, is a Community Manager with the College Essay Guy Team . With years of admissions experience at Pomona College and College of the Holy Cross, Tom brings such valuable experience and shares those insider insights that could make a huge difference in your college essay! Here is a preview of a few of the College Essay Guy resources we talk about in the episode: Brainstorming Exercises

• The Values Exercise in the episode (at 12:06 )
• Essence Objects Exercises  in the episode (at 13:51 )
• Includes the Laptop Sticker and iTaylor examples from the episode (at 15:17 and 20:58 ) 

How to Structure Your Essay

• Overview of Narrative and Montage paths from the episode (at 23:20)

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