scholarship essay extracurricular activities

Scholarship Essay Writing

Scholarship Essay Examples

Winning Scholarship Essay Examples for Students: Tips Included

37 min read

Published on: Mar 14, 2021

Last updated on: Jan 31, 2024

Scholarship Essay Examples Financial Need

Why this scholarship essay worked.

This scholarship essay example effectively conveys the applicant's financial need and their determination to overcome the challenges associated with it. Here's why this essay worked:

Personal Storytelling: The essay begins with a personal anecdote that establishes a connection between the applicant's background and financial constraints. This helps create empathy and demonstrates the genuine impact of financial challenges on their educational journey.
Resilience and Resourcefulness: The applicant showcases their resilience and resourcefulness in navigating financial hardships. They highlight their proactive approach to seeking part-time employment and actively pursuing scholarships.
Academic Commitment: Despite the financial strain, the applicant emphasizes their commitment to academic excellence by maintaining a high GPA. This showcases their dedication and ability to prioritize their studies amidst challenging circumstances.
Community Involvement : The essay also highlights the applicant's involvement in community service. This demonstrates their desire to give back and make a positive impact.
Connection to Scholarship: The applicant clearly articulates how receiving the scholarship would benefit them. This demonstrates a strong alignment between their goals and the purpose of the scholarship.

Want more examples, check out these winning scholarship essay examples.

Financial Aid Scholarship Essay

Scholarship Essay for Financial Need

Scholarship Essay Examples About Yourself

Why this essay worked.

This scholarship essay worked for several reasons, such as:

It effectively showcases the applicant's passion for mathematics, community engagement, and resilience.
It compellingly conveyed the applicant's dedication, ambition, and potential for making a positive impact. This makes them a deserving candidate for the scholarship.
Clear connection to the scholarship's goals and how it would further the applicant's educational journey and impact.

Here are some scholarship essay examples about yourself; get an idea from them, and create a successful essay.

Scholarship Essay Example About Yourself

Scholarship Essay About Yourself

Scholarship Essay Examples for Nursing

Why this essay worked.

This essay worked due to its compelling portrayal of the applicant's genuine passion for nursing, coupled with their unwavering dedication to making a positive impact in patient care.

The essay effectively demonstrates the applicant's well-rounded preparation for a nursing career and their clear alignment with the goals and mission of the scholarship, making them a strong candidate for consideration.

Below are some more examples of scholarship essays for nursing.

Nursing Scholarship Essay

Scholarship Essay for Nursing

Scholarship Essay Examples About Career Goals

This essay worked for the following reasons:

Clear and Specific Career Goals: The essay effectively outlines the applicant's career goal of becoming a clinical psychologist specializing in mental health support. The clarity and specificity of the goal demonstrate a well-defined path and a strong sense of purpose.
Demonstrated Preparation and Commitment: The essay showcases the applicant's comprehensive preparation for their career goals. It also demonstrates their readiness and dedication to excel in the field.
Alignment with Scholarship Objectives: The essay effectively highlights how the scholarship will contribute to the applicant's career aspirations. This includes attending conferences, workshops, and advanced training programs.

If you find difficulty writing the scholarship essay about career goals, get help from the below-mentioned examples, and submit a well-written essay.

Scholarship Essay Examples About Leadership

Three reasons why this essay worked are:

Demonstrated Leadership Experience : This essay effectively highlights the applicant's practical experience in leadership roles, showcasing their ability to lead teams, organize events, and coordinate volunteers.
Commitment to Personal Growth : The essay demonstrates the applicant's proactive approach to leadership development by seeking formal training and participating in workshops focused on honing their skills.
Emphasis on Collaboration and Empowerment: The essay emphasizes the applicant's belief in collaborative leadership. It promotes inclusivity and empowers team members to contribute their unique perspectives.

Here we gather some good scholarship essay examples about leadership that help in your writing.

Leadership Scholarship Essay Example

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

Scholarship Essay Examples About Community Service

Here are the reasons:

Genuine Passion and Commitment: The essay effectively conveys the applicant's genuine passion for community service, highlighting their long-standing involvement and the transformative impact it has had on their life.
Integration of Service with Education: The essay demonstrates the applicant's proactive approach to integrating their passion for community service with their educational pursuits.
Aspiration for Social Change: The essay goes beyond personal experiences and highlights the applicant's aspirations for broader social change.

Here is an excellent community service scholarship essa y that can help you write for community college.

Scholarship Essay Example about Community Service

High School Scholarship Essay Examples

Clear and Convincing Goals: The essay effectively communicates the applicant's strong desire to pursue higher education despite financial constraints.
Demonstrated Leadership and Well-Roundedness: The essay showcases the applicant's involvement in extracurricular activities. It highlights their ability to balance academic responsibilities with active participation in clubs, sports teams, and community service initiatives.
Emphasis on Giving Back and Community Engagement: The essay not only focuses on the applicant's personal aspirations but also highlights their commitment to giving back to their community.

The following are the best high school scholarship essay examples, use this for your help, and write an attention-grabbing essay.

Scholarship Essay Example for High School

Scholarship Essay for High School

Scholarship Essay Examples for University

Why this essay works.

Three reasons why this essay works are:

Strong Personal Motivation: The essay effectively communicates the applicant's unwavering commitment and determination to pursue a university education.
Articulation of Long-Term Goals and Social Impact: The essay goes beyond highlighting the applicant's academic achievements and financial needs. It emphasizes the applicant's desire to contribute to their community and make a positive impact on society.
The connection between Scholarship and Applicant's Potential: The essay effectively illustrates how receiving the scholarship would directly address the financial burden. Plus, it will enable the applicant to fully embrace the university experience.

Here are some excellent scholarship essay examples for university students that help you in writing the essay.

Scholarship Essay Example for University Students

Scholarship Essay Examples for Engineering

This essay worked because of the following reasons:

Passion and Commitment: The essay effectively conveys the applicant's deep passion for engineering. It also shows their genuine commitment to making a positive impact in this field.
Alignment with Scholarship Objectives: It clearly establishes the connection between the scholarship and the applicant's goals in engineering.
Future Impact and Growth: It also communicates the applicant's aspiration to contribute to the field of engineering and make a positive difference in the world.

The following is another scholarship essay example that can help you in creating the perfect essay on your own.

Scholarship Essay Examples for Masters

This essay worked for several reasons:

Clear Purpose and Goal: The essay effectively conveys the applicant's clear purpose and goal of pursuing a master's degree. It highlights the transformative impact that a master's degree can have on personal and professional growth.
Financial Need and Scholarship Alignment : The essay addresses the financial challenges associated with pursuing a master's degree. It demonstrates the direct alignment between the scholarship and the applicant's needs.
Impact and Giving Back : The essay goes beyond personal aspirations and emphasizes the applicant's intention to make a broader impact on their community and society.

Here is an example that you can use as a guide and write a perfect scholarship essay.

Why Should You Receive this Scholarship Essay Examples

Three brief reasons why this essay worked are:

Clear and Convincing Arguments : The essay presents concise and compelling arguments to support the applicant's case for receiving the scholarship.
Personal Connection : It demonstrates how receiving the scholarship would directly impact the applicant's academic journey
Gratitude and Future Commitment : It expresses sincere gratitude for the opportunity and emphasizes the applicant's commitment to making the most of the scholarship.

Here is an example, take help from them for your scholarship essay.

Why Should You Receive this Scholarship Essay Example

Why I Deserve This Scholarship Essay Examples

Compelling Personal Story: The essay effectively presents the applicant's personal story and highlights their dedication and commitment to their education
Addressing Academic Excellence and Financial Need : The essay successfully addresses both academic excellence and financial need, which are two crucial aspects considered by scholarship committees.
Commitment to Making an Impact: The essay goes beyond the applicant's personal goals and emphasizes their dedication to making a positive impact in their community.

Hereâs another example for this scholarship essay below:

Why I Deserve This Scholarship Essay Example

Tips for Writing the Effective Scholarship Essay

When it comes to writing an effective scholarship essay, there are several key tips to keep in mind.

By following these guidelines, you can maximize your chances of standing out and impressing scholarship selection committees.

Here are some essential tips to help you craft a compelling scholarship essay:

Understand the Prompt

Take the time to thoroughly understand the essay prompt or topic provided by the scholarship provider. Pay attention to any specific instructions or guidelines given.

Research the Scholarship

Familiarize yourself with the organization or institution offering the scholarship. Understand their values, mission, and objectives. This knowledge will help you align your essay with their goals and demonstrate your fit for the scholarship.

Tell Your Unique Story

Use the essay as an opportunity to showcase your personal experiences, like obstacles you might encounter, achievements, and aspirations. Highlight what sets you apart from other applicants. Be authentic and genuine in conveying your story, like overcoming personal failures.

Start with a Compelling Introduction

Grab the reader's attention from the beginning with a strong and captivating introduction. Consider starting with a compelling anecdote, a thought-provoking question, or a powerful statement.

Structure Your Essay

Organize your essay into a clear and logical structure. Start with an introduction, followed by body paragraphs that support your main points, and end with a concise and impactful conclusion.

Be Concise and Specific

Scholarship essays often have a word or character limits, so make every word count. Be concise in your writing and avoid unnecessary fluff. Focus on providing specific examples and details that support your claims.

Showcase Your Achievements

Highlight your academic accomplishments, extracurricular involvements, community service, leadership roles, or any other relevant achievements. Link them to the values and goals of the scholarship.

Address the Selection Criteria

Ensure that your essay addresses the selection criteria specified by the scholarship provider. If they are looking for specific qualities or skills, tailor your essay to showcase how you possess those attributes.

In conclusion, writing an effective scholarship essay is a crucial step in securing the financial aid you need for your education.

By following the tips outlined here, you can enhance your essay-writing skills and create a compelling narrative that captivates scholarship selection committees.

Be authentic, concise, and specific in your writing. Tailor your essay to align with the values and objectives of the scholarship provider. And above all, believe in yourself and your potential to make a difference through education.

If you're seeking further guidance and support in your scholarship essay writing journey, consider partnering with our AI essay writing tools !

We also have a team of experienced and professional essay writers who can provide personal essay writing service with valuable insights.

Hire our college paper writing service today and take the next step towards securing the financial aid you deserve.

Barbara P (Literature, Marketing)

Barbara is a highly educated and qualified author with a Ph.D. in public health from an Ivy League university. She has spent a significant amount of time working in the medical field, conducting a thorough study on a variety of health issues. Her work has been published in several major publications.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

Legal & Policies

Privacy Policy
Cookies Policy
Terms of Use
Refunds & Cancellations
Our Writers
Success Stories
Our Guarantees
Affiliate Program
Referral Program
AI Essay Writer

Disclaimer: All client orders are completed by our team of highly qualified human writers. The essays and papers provided by us are not to be used for submission but rather as learning models only.

Search All Scholarships
Exclusive Scholarships
Easy Scholarships to Apply For
No Essay Scholarships
Scholarships for HS Juniors
Scholarships for HS Seniors
Scholarships for College Students
Scholarships for Grad Students
Scholarships for Women
Scholarships for Black Students
Scholarships
Student Loans
College Admissions
Financial Aid
Scholarship Winners
Scholarship Providers

Student-centric advice and objective recommendations

Higher education has never been more confusing or expensive. Our goal is to help you navigate the very big decisions related to higher ed with objective information and expert advice. Each piece of content on the site is original, based on extensive research, and reviewed by multiple editors, including a subject matter expert. This ensures that all of our content is up-to-date, useful, accurate, and thorough.

Our reviews and recommendations are based on extensive research, testing, and feedback. We may receive commission from links on our website, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted. You can find a complete list of our partners here .

What Are Extracurricular Activities and Why Do They Matter?

scholarship essay extracurricular activities

Zach Skillings is the Scholarships360 Newsletter Editor. He specializes in college admissions and strives to answer important questions about higher education. When he’s not contributing to Scholarships360, Zach writes about travel, music, film, and culture. His work has been published in Our State Magazine, Ladygunn Magazine, The Nocturnal Times, and The Lexington Dispatch. Zach graduated from Elon University with a degree in Cinema and Television Arts.

Learn about our editorial policies

Varonika Ware is a content writer at Scholarships360. Varonika earned her undergraduate degree in Mass Communications at Louisiana State University. During her time at LSU, she worked with the Center of Academic Success to create the weekly Success Sunday newsletter. Varonika also interned at the Louisiana Department of Insurance in the Public Affairs office with some of her graphics appearing in local news articles.

Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.

What Are Extracurricular Activities and Why Do They Matter?

“What kind of extracurricular activities have you been involved in?” It’s a question you’ll surely be asked during the college admissions process. Your answer can have a big impact on getting accepted to certain colleges and universities, and even being awarded merit-based scholarships. Keep reading to learn what extracurriculars are and why they matter!

What exactly are extracurricular activities?

Extracurriculars are how high school students productively spend their time outside of the classroom. Some students play sports or join school clubs, while others perform community service or work part-time jobs. Before we dive into the importance of extracurriculars, let’s cover the basics.

Apply to these scholarships due soon

$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship

$2,000 Sallie Mae Scholarship

$40,000 Build a College List Scholarship

Niche $25,000 “No Essay” Scholarship

$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship

$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship

$1,000 Appily Easy College Money Scholarship

$5,000 Christian Connector Scholarship

$2,000 No Essay CollegeVine Scholarship

What qualifies as an extracurricular activity .

On paper, high school students are some of the busiest people on the planet. It can be overwhelming for students to balance school, homework, and their personal life while also finding the time to fit in extracurricular activities.

The good news is that almost anything you are productively involved in outside of the classroom can be considered an extracurricular activity. According to the Common App, extracurricular activities “include arts, athletics, clubs, employment, personal commitments, and other pursuits.”

Below are some examples of popular extracurriculars:

Playing on one of your school sports teams is one of the most effective ways to show involvement. However, extramural sports and community leagues are also available for students looking to play sports not offered at their local high school.

Community Service

Community service or volunteer work can be performed locally, on a national scale, or even abroad. Wherever community service occurs, there are a variety of ways to get involved. This includes animal rescue, church outreach, mentoring or tutoring, and charity work.

School Clubs

The list here is endless, but engineering, film, poetry, writing, physics, journalism, and math are just a few examples of school clubs. Remember, if there’s no clubs at your high school that suit your interests, you can even start a club of your own! There are also clubs available outside of school that are already formed such as a book club or a sports club.

Taking on a part-time job or internship during your high school career can speak volumes about your character.

Hobbies / Special Interest

These are groups that your school or local community supports. Some examples are Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Horticulture Club, Equestrian Club, and Entrepreneurship Club.

Personal Commitments

Personal commitments can include caring for a younger sibling or elderly relative to significant family responsibilities. While these may not fit into a traditional box like playing a sport or joining a club, they are important and should be shared as an activity.

Academic Activities

Some activities, such as research, are at the intersection between extracurricular involvement and academics. These types of activities are a great way for students to emphasize their academic interests and get a taste for more focused scholarship in a particular discipline. For instance, membership in an Honor Society at your school can highlight your academic ability and act as an extracurricular activity as well.

As you can tell, there are endless opportunities for high school students to productively spend their time outside of the classroom. And remember, time outside of the classroom includes time spent during school breaks or while on summer vacation! So if you were a summer camp counselor on your summer vacation, definitely include that as an extracurricular activity.

Why do extracurricular activities matter?

We all know that colleges and universities seek academically gifted students who have proven they can excel in the classroom. Of course, grades and test scores are a great way to get noticed by admissions officers. At almost every college, grades and test scores are going to be the primary factor for making admissions decisions. However, colleges and universities also care about how students spend their time outside of academics.

Along with essays, a student’s demonstrated interest , counselor and teacher recommendations , and class rank , extracurricular activities are among the most important admission factors.

As such, it’s critical for high school students to be strategic about their extracurricular involvement. Extracurricular activities are an excellent way for students to demonstrate who they are beyond their grades and test scores.

Admissions committees aren’t as concerned about the actual activity as much as what the activity says about the student’s character. When it comes to evaluating applicants, colleges and universities look for three specific qualities often demonstrated through extracurriculars: passion, leadership, and impact.

Admissions officers usually notice passion in the amount of time students have dedicated to an activity and how they are involved in it. For instance, a student who has spent four years playing high school baseball, two of which as team captain, likely has more passion for this activity than a student who attended weekly yearbook club meetings for half a semester.

Obviously, being the president of a school club or the captain of a sports team is a clear way to demonstrate leadership. But for students who don’t attain an official title, there are more subtle ways to prove yourself as a leader. For instance, if your art club doesn’t have enough money to buy new supplies, consider organizing a fundraiser to demonstrate your commitment and initiative.

Colleges and universities not only want to see that you’ve participated, but that you’ve had an impact as well. Taking the initiative to improve extracurricular activities for the better demonstrates that you have the ability to make a significant investment in something over time.

The bottom line is that admissions committees want to know what extracurriculars say about a student’s character. In order to demonstrate their interests, students should get involved in activities they genuinely care about

See also : Free summer programs for high school students

Do all colleges and universities evaluate extracurricular activities the same way?

The short answer is no. The extent to which extracurricular activities affect the strength of your application depends on the school. Differences in class sizes, student populations, and admissions requirements affect how much emphasis is on extracurricular activities by admissions committees.

Here’s a breakdown of how different types of schools evaluate extracurricular activities:

Large, less competitive public universities

Large public universities with higher acceptance rates usually do not place a tremendous amount of weight on extracurricular activities. These schools, especially large state schools, receive tens of thousands of applications each year. They are unable to devote a lot of time and attention to evaluating every single applicant.

Keep in mind that many larger less selective public universities rely more heavily on GPA and standardized test scores when evaluating applicants. However, extracurricular activities do have a significant impact at large public universities when it comes to the merit scholarship selection process.

Large, competitive public universities

Internationally-renowned public universities like University of Michigan and UNC Chapel Hill generally are very selective in their admissions process. Admitted students are involved in extracurricular activities and typically hold leadership roles in at least some of them. While extracurriculars play a considerable role in the application process for large, competitive public schools, it’s to a lesser degree than smaller private schools.

Less competitive private colleges

Private schools typically do not receive tens of thousands of applications like the majority of public universities. This means they have time to take a holistic approach when evaluating applications. Admissions committees examine not only an applicant’s grades and scores, but also essays, extracurricular activities, and recommendations in great detail.

Students applying to less competitive private schools do not necessarily need outstanding extracurriculars for admittance. However, they should know that their activities are nearly as important as their grades and test scores.

Competitive private universities

Extracurricular activities matter a great deal for students applying to competitive private schools like Harvard , Princeton , and Stanford . These schools receive a high volume of applicants – nearly all of which are arguably qualified for a spot. Therefore, admissions officers rely on “soft” admissions criteria such as extracurricular activities and essays to differentiate students from each other.

How to tell how a college considers extracurricular activities in the admissions process

Nearly every American college will report something called the Common Data Set which is an initiative that aims to “improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student’s transition into higher education, as well as to reduce the reporting burden on data providers.”

One of the great things about the Common Data Set is that colleges report how they weigh various admission criteria. Here we can see the admissions factors in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Common Data Set :

We see that extracurricular activities are considered one of the “Very Important” factors that the university admissions office uses when evaluating applicants.

Finding the Common Data Set for every college can be a bit tricky, so we suggest just type in “[Name of Specific College] Common Data Set” into your favorite search engine.

Also read: What’s the difference between private and public university

How should students approach extracurricular activities?

Every student finds their own path when it comes to exploring their interests and involvement in extracurricular activities. The following suggestions may be helpful for students who aren’t sure where to start.

The first year of high school is a great time to explore different activities and find out what is worth pursuing. It’s a good idea to try four to six different activities and determine which ones you find the most enjoyable. However, remember to maintain your grades and keep academics your first priority!

Sophomore year

By your sophomore year, you should narrow your activities to a select few that you are genuinely enjoying. Remember that the key is to prioritize depth over breadth. In other words, devote your time to two or three activities that you can become deeply involved in. This is better than spreading yourself so thin that you’re having little impact in any of your activities.

Junior and senior year

By this point in your high school career, you’ve hopefully found at least one or two extracurricular activities that you’re passionate about. Now is the time to focus more on leadership and impact by considering how you can change these activities for the better.

Remember to not take on too much…

Throughout your time in high school, remember to avoid putting too much on your plate. High school can be a stressful time. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s okay to step back and drop a few activities. Extracurriculars are an important part of your applications, but at the end of the day, your mental health is most valuable.

Learn more: Do colleges use weighted or unweighted GPA

Should students join extracurriculars just to impress colleges?

Remember, extracurricular activities do not exist for the sole purpose of standing out on college applications. Sure, during an admissions interview it’s valuable to be able to talk about how you joined your high school’s robotics club and tripled its membership during your time as president. Keep in mind that extracurriculars are also a crucial part of becoming a well-rounded young adult.

There’s a lot of pressure on high school students to be at the top of their game. That is why it’s important for extracurricular activities to be a joy instead of an obligation. Just be sure to follow your passions, and the rest tends to fall into place.

Remember, colleges are looking for passion, leadership, and involvement when it comes to extracurricular activities. Therefore, joining one last minute for your college application might not be your best bet. Extracurricular activities are just one part of your application, so don’t panic.

Also read: How to respond to the Additional Information section of the Common App

What if my high school doesn’t offer a lot of activities?

Every high school offers different opportunities. If you are attending a high school that offers few clubs, sports, or creative opportunities, do not worry! Admissions officers will always evaluate students in the context of their high school. This means that they will not count it against an applicant if their school doesn’t offer a wide variety of options for students.

With that said, students still have opportunities for self-directed involvement such as independent activities, volunteering, or personal projects. At the end of the day, college admissions officers want to see that students have spent their out-of-school time in meaningful and constructive ways.

Next steps: How to complete the Common App activities section

Key Takeaways

Extracurriculars are how high school students productively spend their time outside of the classroom, and can include clubs, hobbies, sports, volunteering, working at a job, and more
Colleges and universities look for three specific qualities demonstrated through extracurriculars: passion, leadership, and impact
Private colleges and universities place more emphasis on extracurricular activities
During freshman and sophomore year, explore your interests, and then focus on a few activities that you can demonstrate leadership in
If your school does not have much to offer in the way of extracurricular activities, take advantage of the situation and either start a club or find other ways to meaningfully utilize your free time!

Frequently asked questions about extracurricular activities

How do i pick an extracurricular activity, should i stay in the same extracurricular activity in college, will extracurricular activities affect my academic performance, scholarships360 recommended.

10 Tips for Successful College Applications

Coalition vs. Common App: What is the difference?

College Application Deadlines 2023-2024: What You Need to Know

Trending now.

How to Convert Your GPA to a 4.0 Scale

PSAT to SAT Score Conversion: Predict Your Score

What Are Public Ivy League Schools?

3 reasons to join scholarships360.

Automatic entry to our $10,000 No-Essay Scholarship
Personalized matching to thousands of vetted scholarships
Quick apply for scholarships exclusive to our platform

By the way...Scholarships360 is 100% free!

College essay resources

How (and why) to write a college essay about your extracurricular activities | guide + examples, what to write about.

Brad Schiller

😢 Won’t anyone think of the college admissions readers? 😢

In our work as college essay coaches , we’ve lately been delighted to learn that many people are in fact worried that college admission officers might be bored — specifically due to redundant college essays that rehash all the stuff that’s in the Activities List in prose-form.

Ugh! That would indeed be horribly boring. (And it does indeed happen.)

[Shaking head.] Poor admissions readers.

But — little nuance — you don’t have to rehash what you put in your activities list. You could instead expand upon what’s there by either:

Talking more about the impact you had and the actions you took to achieve that impact ✨, or
Showing how the activity relates to your personal brand as an applicant who will succeed in college and beyond. ✨

Bottom line: writing a Common App Personal Statement (or supplemental essay) about a meaningful extracurricular activity is often a great idea. Read on for how to do it right.

In fact, many college applications specifically ask students to describe an activity or work experience — proof that colleges are interested in learning more about them.

What you don’t want to do: Redundancy & the dreaded “it makes me feel alive” trap

While the idea that you shouldn’t write about activities in college application essays is a pernicious rumor, as college essay coaches , we must admit that this territory does come with some real danger.

The danger is that, instead of writing an essay that sheds light on how you’ll succeed in college and beyond , you talk about the activity in a way that adds little to nothing over what’s already in your Activity List.

Here are some approaches that have been known to tempt those facing the terror of the blank page:

“I love soccer so much. The thrill of the game is my favorite thing. I feel so alive when I’m on the field. One time, I scored this amazing goal. [Brilliant writing describes this amazing goal in gorgeous detail.]”
[Same as above, except substitute “music” for “soccer” and “in front of an audience” for “on the field,” and so on.]
“Debate is my passion. I began in ninth grade knowing nothing. But I worked hard at it, and won my first award as a freshman, even though it was only 9th place. As a sophomore, my skills really improved. I came in 3rd in the Semi-All Around [editor’s note: does that sound like a believable award?]. Finally, my junior year, I came in first in the National Regionals!”

Let’s analyze.

In the first two types of essays (the “[activity] makes me feel alive!” essay) the problem isn’t necessarily writing style. You could write a beautiful piece of prose about that amazing, game-clinching goal, with drama and stakes, reveals and surprises, and soul-plumbing moments on par with something out of Squid Game .

But if the essay doesn’t say anything about your potential to succeed — elements we’ve boiled down to the 5 traits (more about them below) — it’s not going to matter to the college.

Lots of students love music. Lots of people are passionate about sports.

Those things aren’t enough (on their own) to make anyone stand out.

The last type of essay is more of an obvious clunker. This student may be brilliant at Debate, but they can’t write for their life! The issue here is that they’re just laying out everything they’ve done — the admissions officer isn’t learning anything new. All of it would fit better in their Activities List.

At least this example shows that college essays aren’t about “showing off.” You don’t need to have insane accomplishments to write a great essay. (Great accomplishments shine better in Activities Lists — although even there, it’s easy to undersell yourself. Here’s how to sell yourself in Activities Lists .)

Rather, it’s perfectly possible to write a great essay about a smaller moment or experience, so long as the essay focuses on your character traits, and how they’ll help you succeed.

Speaking of which, let’s move on to ...

What you do want to do: Show how your activity connects to your potential for success

Alright. Here’s the good stuff.

Yes, you can absolutely write about your extracurricular activities (including paid work). You can do this to great effect either in your personal statement or in a shorter supplemental essay (or even both!). If you still don’t believe us, here’s an example of a student who got into Harvard by writing about an extracurricular activity.

Here are some reasons why activities make great essay topics:

Fun! You probably enjoy these activities, so you might likewise have fun talking about them.
Experience! Even if you don’t love the activity (maybe a job), you spend a lot of time at it, so you likely have lots of interesting experiences to choose from.
Authenticity! Activities are usually something that can represent the “real you” easily.
Potential!! Activities are great for showing off the 5 Traits that colleges look for in essays.

That brings us to the 5 traits.

If you’ve read almost any of our other articles, you know that the 5 traits that colleges look for in applicants are:

Drive (aka Grit)
Contribution
Intellectual Curiosity
Diversity of Experiences

These traits show you’re someone who has it in them to succeed. They’re more important than any one success or achievement. Because, if we’re being honest, one success or achievement in high school isn’t that impressive. But having a trait within you that leads to success? That actually is impressive.

Let’s rewrite those essay types above with the 5 traits in mind:

“I couldn’t believe it. My soccer team was discussing whether or not to schedule an extra practice during the upcoming long weekend. “Of course, yes,” I was thinking. But, shockingly, the room was not with me. A quick consensus formed around no added practice. It was my tipping point — I finally saw that I needed to convey to this team that settling for mediocre was not an option, and that none of us would regret doing what it takes to win.”
“Nobody is musical in my family. Piano is something I made happen all by myself. I begged my mom for my first lessons as a freshman. The lessons soon got me fascinated by music theory, which I started studying on my own, since our school doesn’t teach it. Later, I found a Saturday class where I now study it.”
“I started Debate Club just because I thought I needed an extracurricular activity for my resume. It didn’t mean much to me. It was only at the end of freshman year when I delivered an unsurprisingly lackluster performance in our final trials — and saw the look of disappointment on my teammates’ faces — that I realized I was letting everybody down, most importantly myself. After that, I …”

Let’s analyze.

These examples turn the admissions reader from outsiders to insiders.

Your Activities List was a teaser trailer, heavy on the special effects and with the greatest moments edited together to pack a wallop. Now, the college wants to know more . They’re metaphorically willing to cough up movie fare and schlep out to the theater (of course donning a covid mask) to learn the full story of what created this awesome list.

In an essay centered on one or more activities, they want to see what actions you took that led to these accomplishments. They want to see what traits within you caused you to take those actions. They want to see if you have what it takes to succeed.

For the soccer example , we’ve tossed the game-clinching goal cliche out the window. Instead, we’re focused on rare, valuable traits — in this case Drive (aka Grit). This person gets things done. No matter what. Who would you rather have on campus? A student who’s great at soccer and has scored some extraordinary goals? Or … the person who rallied an apathetic team into adding work and improving their results?

In the musical example, you see both Initiative (challenging the status quo) as well as Intellectual Curiosity (being excited about learning). This person doesn’t just love music, they made that love of music happen, and they got deep into it. What a cool type of person to admit to a college!

Finally, in our Debate Club example , you’re seeing some Contribution (giving back, helping others) in the form of a person wanting to do better by teammates, as well as perhaps some Drive and Intellectual Curiosity , both of which likely come into play later in the essay, as this person turns their performance around.

Another thing you might want to do: Tell a fuller version of the impact you had and how you achieved it

Another way we, as essay coaches , have seen students successfully discuss an activity is when the 150 characters allotted for each of your activities isn’t quite enough to tell its story.

Let’s take this Activities List description as an example:

Won a series of 6 deadly contests without losing my humanity. Subverted VIP expectations and made possible the redemption of a teammate gone evil.

(Yes, this is Squid Game , and no there are no spoilers up there. I mean, you know one of them is going to win, right? It’s a very mild spoiler. Email us if you’re upset.)

Well, there might be a lot more to say here about this person’s participation in the Squid Games. About …

Drive — How they kept at it despite long odds (game #2 springs to mind).
Initiative — How they found new ways to defeat the odds (bringing in a welcome spirit of camaraderie in an otherwise dog-eat-dog atmosphere).
Contribution — so many examples.
Diversity of Experiences — if emerging victorious from the Squid Games doesn’t give you a unique outlook, I don’t know what does.

If you’ve got some great accomplishments under your belt, why not elaborate beyond 150 characters? There’s almost certainly much more to explore that admissions officers would find impressive.

Just make sure that you’re focusing on your actions and how they relate to one or more of the 5 traits. Avoid going on overly long about your deep feelings for the activity or simply recounting “facts,” such as awards or achievements (that clinching soccer goal) — the college wants to know what enduring traits are behind those fleeting achievements.

More articles on Prompt.com’s admissions-boosting methods:

Work with a college essay coach
Strong essays increase your chance of admission by up to 10x
Don’t let influencers influence your college essays
Should I apply test-optional?
Early admissions: Everything you need to know
College Essay Help Center

The 5 Traits Colleges Look for in Applicants

Colleges require essays so they can assess whether you'll be successful in college and beyond. To prove you'll be successful, you must describe experiences you've had that showcase the 5 traits.

The #1 college essay myth (and what college admissions officers really look for)

Learn the difference between what colleges suggest you write your essay about and what college admissions officers are actually looking for.

The 8 Biggest Essay-Writing Myths, And Why the Reality Is Much Better

The biggest misconception out in College Essay-Writing Land is that college essays are complex, tricky undertakings you can only get through with hours of painful labor. Good news: that's dead wrong.

Become a Writing Coach
Writing Center
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Sign Up for an Essay Coaching Package
College Essay Feedback for High Schools
Prompt for IECs

Think you can get into a top-10 school? Take our chance-me calculator... if you dare. 🔥

Last updated March 21, 2024

Every piece we write is researched and vetted by a former admissions officer. Read about our mission to pull back the admissions curtain.

Blog > Essay Advice , Supplementals > How to Write an Extracurricular Activities Supplemental Essay

How to Write an Extracurricular Activities Supplemental Essay

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Kylie Kistner, MA Former Willamette University Admissions

Key Takeaway

This post is one in a series of posts about the supplemental essays. You can read our core “how-to” supplemental post here .

What is an Extracurricular Activities supplemental essay?

Extracurricular supplemental essays are one of the most common kinds of supplemental essays. As you can probably guess, they ask you to write about an extracurricular activity—obviously!

But you might be wondering why schools ask you to expand on an extracurricular activity when you’ve already taken the time to curate your Common Application activities list. Since the Common App activities list only gives you 150 characters to explain your activities, Extracurricular essays are the perfect opportunity to show how you’ve interacted with your community through one of your activities.

Simply describing your extracurricular activity, however, probably isn’t enough. Admissions officers don’t need to hear about the logistics of your club soccer team's travel schedule or the detailed interpersonal dynamics of the restaurant you work at. They’ve heard those stories again and again.

What they really need to hear about is you . As a high school student, the way you spend your time outside of school says a lot about you. Admissions officers know that your time is limited and precious. Seeing the activities or causes you’ve dedicated yourself to reveals a lot about what’s important to you.

1: Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt offers a community where students find balance between their academic and social experiences. Please briefly elaborate on how one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences has influenced you.

(Psst: Want to know how to answer this prompt specifically? We have a post breaking down the Vanderbilt supplemental for you.)

2: Colorado College: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (no more than 250 words)

Extracurricular essay strategy.

As with any supplemental essay, it’s important to approach Extracurricular supplementals strategically. In particular, your Extracurricular essays should do two main things.

Show magnitude, impact, and reach.

When admissions officers evaluate an applicant’s activities list or Extracurricular supplemental essay, they are looking at these three criteria. Let’s take a second to define each term:

Magnitude: How big of a deal is your extracurricular?

Impact: How are you and others affected by your extracurricular?

Reach: How many people do you reach by participating in your extracurricular?

Now, your Extracurricular essays don’t have to be manifestos about how great you are at your activity. In fact, they shouldn’t be.

But when it comes to your supplemental essay strategy, a good way to approach your Extracurricular essays is by writing meaningfully about how your extracurricular has helped you have an impact on the world. Since colleges want to admit students who positively influence the world around them, your extracurricular essays can help you show how you do just that.

Reflect on personal meaning and influence.

The best extracurricular essays are ones that revolve around personal meaning and influence.

Colleges ask you to respond to Extracurricular prompts because they want to know more about how your activities meaningfully impact you and the world around you.

A supplemental essay that only goes into details about your activity without reflecting on its meaning or influence doesn’t do enough to make your case for admission.

Let’s look at a quick example.

In Debate Club, I led my team to victory in the final round. We were debating about climate change solutions, and I brought it my all.

While that example elaborates on an extracurricular activity, it doesn’t make any effort to reflect on why the activity or the writer’s actions were important. Let’s look at a better excerpt:

My Debate Club was in the finals, and I was our last hope. But we were in luck: the topic was “climate change solutions,” something I’m deeply passionate about. By harnessing the support of my team and the weight of my environmental activism, we didn’t just win the finals. I also became more confident in my ability to advocate for change.

This second version speaks more to meaning. It goes beyond a simple explanation of the activity to expand on 1) why the activity was important and 2) what it meant to the writer.

Now that you have a few strategies under your belt, it’s time to start writing.

How to Write an Extracurricular Supplemental Essay

Step 1: Read the prompt closely.

If you’ve read any of our other supplemental essay guides , you might be familiar with this step. You may even be sick of hearing it. But it’s important to carefully dissect the prompt so you know exactly what admissions officers will be expecting you to address.

In the case of Extracurricular Activities essays, reading the prompt is essential. I’ll use the Vanderbilt and Colorado College prompts as an example.

Notice that the Vanderbilt prompt asks you to “briefly elaborate on how one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences has influenced you ,” while the Colorado College prompt simply says, “Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.”

So what’s the difference? The Vanderbilt prompt asks you specifically to discuss how your activity has influenced you, but the Colorado College prompt gives you more freedom with what part of your activity you can focus on.

Step 2: Choose your extracurricular activity based on the values, impact, or lessons you want to show.

Remember that your personal statement, supplemental essays, and other application components work together to form a cohesive application narrative . Your essays should each show one of your best strengths, and together they should communicate your overall personal brand.

As you choose which extracurricular activity to write about, be sure that you’re thinking strategically about what you want your activity to say about you to an admissions officer.

Here’s a chart that might help you out. I’ve filled out an example first row so you can get the hang of it. Try filling in your own information to see what sticks.

Step 3: Outline.

Okay, let’s say that you’re the debate team member we met earlier and you’re working on the Colorado College prompt. Since the prompt doesn’t specify which aspect of your extracurricular you should focus on, you get to choose what you think will be best.

Let’s also say that your personal statement already talks about your role on a team, so you want to supplement your personal statement (this is a supplemental essay, after all!) by focusing instead on how this activity has advanced your passion for climate justice.

Before you begin writing, it might be a good idea to outline what you want to write about to make sure your essay covers everything you want it to.

Here’s an example outline to get you thinking.

I. Introduction: Introduce the activity and lay out what’s at stake.

II. Body: Discuss impact, personal meaning, or reach.

III. Conclusion: Reflect on the activity and drive home how it showcases your chosen strength.

Clearly organizing your essay in a way that gives concrete details while focusing on meaning will help admissions officers understand the importance of your activity.

Extracurricular supplemental essay mistakes

Writing a thinly-veiled Academic Interest essay instead of an Extracurricular essay

Because you’re applying to college to be a student, some applicants think that you need to write about an extracurricular experience related to your academics. This kind of essay might include topics like debate, robotics club, Model United Nations, coding experience, independent research, and more.

Co-curricular activities that are related to your academic interests aren’t off-limits. But you do have to be careful not to overstate the academic importance of your activity. If admissions offices want to know more about one of your academic interests, then they’ll ask you to answer an Academic Interest prompt.

But because they’ve asked you to write an Extracurricular supplemental, then you’ll need to keep your focus on the “extra” part of “extracurricular.”

Going into too much detail at the expense of personal meaning.

I know—it’s hard not to unleash your passion and expertise when writing about your favorite extracurricular activity. Doing so can demonstrate its importance to you and your knowledge of the subject.

But the problem with going into too much detail is that it can outshine the true purpose of a supplemental essay, which is to show personal meaning and school fit.

Focusing on a superficial “non-extracurricular.”

If you’re not quite sure what extracurricular to write about, let me give you a quick warning. You need to write about a real extracurricular activity. Some students want to put a creative twist on the prompt and focus on an “extracurricular” that is more of a personal interest than an actual activity.

A good example of a superficial “non-extracurricular” would be an essay about going on long drives while listening to music. Sure, you might be able to write an interesting essay about that. But that kind of topic doesn’t fulfill the expectations of a supplemental essay, and it doesn’t give you the information you need to make your case for admission.

Extracurricular Supplemental Essay Example

Example essay: the journalist.

Colorado College: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (no more than 250 words)

As an impressionable six-year-old, I watched Meryl Streep-portrayed Miranda Priestly shape fashion history with a single word of disgust. I longed for my words to have such an impact.

Now, as an editor-in-chief myself, I oversee daily operations of The Hallway , my high school’s newspaper. Instead of shaping global fashion trends, I impact my community by ensuring everyone stays informed.(( The writer highlights their community impact.))

My place as editor-in-chief was solidified when, in March of last year, we published a breaking story. After a tip to our newspaper email address, a fellow reporter and I uncovered an academic dishonesty scandal. We conducted interviews, dug into school files, and reviewed old test keys to discover the cheating. My reporter wrote the story, and I edited it and put it on the front page. Our story became so big that it was republished in our city’s local newspaper.(( This paragraph points to the student’s reach. They didn’t just impact their school community—their efforts also reached their city.))

Leading my team through this investigation taught me just how important journalism is.(( This paragraphs reflects on the meaning of the activity to the writer.)) Even when people might be upset with what you write, what’s most important is the truth. People can’t make decisions if they’re uninformed about the facts. And reporters can’t investigate and write those stories without the support of a leader who’s willing to put in the work, too.

I doubt I’ll ever predict what we’ll be wearing next spring. But I know that my words will continue to have a deep impact on my community, and I can’t wait to find the next big story at The Catalyst. ((The writer offers a brief but specific reference to the institution.))

Looking for more examples? We've got a bunch of other college essay examples for you to read —check them out!

Liked that? Try this next.

The Incredible Power of a Cohesive College Application

How to Write Supplemental Essays that Will Impress Admissions Officers

How to Write a Personal Statement for Colleges

20 College Essay Examples (Graded by Former Admissions Officers)

"the only actually useful chance calculator i’ve seen—plus a crash course on the application review process.".

Irena Smith, Former Stanford Admissions Officer

We built the best admissions chancer in the world . How is it the best? It draws from our experience in top-10 admissions offices to show you how selective admissions actually works.

SAT BootCamp
SAT MasterClass
SAT Private Tutoring
SAT Proctored Practice Test
ACT Private Tutoring
Academic Subjects
College Essay Workshop
Academic Writing Workshop
AP English FRQ BootCamp
1:1 College Essay Help
Online Instruction
Free Resources

How to write the ‘Extracurricular Activity’ essay

How to write the “extracurricular activity” college essay.

Bonus Material: Examples of real supplemental essays that worked for schools like Princeton and Yale

If you’re in the process of applying to colleges, you likely already know that many universities (especially top-tier schools like Ivies) ask you to write essays in response to supplemental prompts.

When it comes to selective schools, these supplemental essays make a huge difference! Some schools even prioritize your supplemental essays over your Common App personal statement.

One of the most common supplemental essay prompts asks you to expand on an extracurricular activity you’ve been involved with. This is what we call, for obvious reasons, the Extracurricular Activity essay .

While it might seem simple, many students misunderstand what colleges want when they ask this question. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through what you need to do to write this supplemental essay in a way that gets you to stand out to elite universities.

As universities get more and more selective, you’ll want to make sure you do everything possible to ensure your admissions application is perfect. At PrepMaven, that’s exactly what we do: for years, our expert tutors have guided students through the college application process, helping them land acceptances at schools like Princeton, Harvard, and MIT.

Read on for our guide–backed up by years of experience–on how to approach the Extracurricular Activity essay prompt.

Download 50+ Real Supplemental Essays for Ivy+ Schools

Jump to section: What is the “Extracurricular Activity” essay? Examples of “Extracurricular Activity” prompts What are colleges looking for in this supplemental essay? How to write the “Extracurricular Activity” essay Example of a successful extracurricular essay Analysis of a real extracurricular essay How to choose the topic for the extracurricular essay Next steps

What is the “Extracurricular” essay?

This is pretty much what it sounds like: many universities will, as one of their supplemental writing prompts, ask you to expand upon an extracurricular activity you’ve been involved with.

But while the directions are pretty clear, what top colleges actually want from you here can be harder to figure out. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about the Extracurricular essay prompt: what the prompts look like, what admission officers want, and how to structure your essay.

In addition, we’ll break down a real sample essay and analyze how it effectively checks all the boxes for an incredibly strong Extracurricular supplemental.

After the “Why us?” prompts (on which we have a detailed guide here ), this is one of the most common supplemental essay prompts you’ll encounter, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re ready for this one well ahead of the application deadlines.

Below, we’ll walk you through what these prompts look like, and what you need to do to answer them effectively.

Examples of “Extracurricular Activity” prompts

Lots of schools ask a version of this question, but each university has their own spin on it. Take a look below for some examples from the 2023-2024 application cycle:

Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (Harvard) Most students choose their intended major or area of study based on a passion or inspiration that’s developed over time – what passion or inspiration led you to choose this area of study? (300 words, Carnegie Mellon) What academic areas are you interested in exploring in college? (200 words, Emory University)

As you can see, each of these looks a bit different, but really they all want to know the same thing: what interests you, and how have you gotten involved with it?

What are colleges looking for when they ask about extracurriculars?

Simply put, they want to see whether you’re really passionate about something. Almost nothing is as impressive to college admissions officers as real, demonstrated passion for some particular interest.

In our broader guide on the college application process , we talk about the importance of highlighting your extracurricular profile for elite colleges’ admissions committees. While that happens in your Activities List, of course, the Extracurricular essay is your biggest opportunity to show them how you’ve engaged deeply with a particular activity.

But admissions officers don’t just want to see you’ve been involved with something .

What they want to see in your extracurricular profile are:

Initiative

These may feel like buzzwords (they are), but they really are how admissions committees evaluate your extracurricular profile.

Did you just compete in a robotics activity, or did you win a state championship? The former is nice; the latter is excellence .

Did you start volunteering at a local homeless shelter this year, for an hour a week? That’s good, and colleges will appreciate it. But compare that to someone who’s been volunteering for years, dedicating multiple hours a week to the same task: that’s dedication .

Leadership is more or less self-explanatory: did you participate, or did you hold specific positions, with demonstrated (positive) effects on the club/team/organization you were a part of?

Initiative can be murkier, but it basically has to do with how much effort you had to put in to pursuing your extracurricular in the first place (this often intersects with the other three categories). For example: did you join an existing club, or found your own because of your intense desire to pursue what interests you?

In a nutshell, then, the extracurricular essay prompt gives you the rare and valuable opportunity to show admissions committees one or more of these traits. As you write your essay, think about it in those terms: how can you show your excellence, dedication, leadership, and/or initiative in whatever activity you choose to write on.

Below, we’ll run down what one of these essays needs to have to wow admissions officers. Although this guide should give you the information you need, there’s never a substitute for a real college essay expert who can help you with your essay live–we always recommend reaching out to one of our essay coaches if you want to maximize your chances of admission.

How to structure an Extracurricular supplemental essay.

Although every essay is different, there are certain things that the Extracurricular should always do, and there’s a straightforward structure to help you do it. Below, we’ll break down each step of the structure and analyze a real example.

Generally, though, these Extracurricular essays follow a similar structure:

Start with a story
Give an overview
Show your passion
Reflect on how the activity has shaped you

Below, we’ll get into each of these in detail, so that you can have a more precise understanding of what’s expected of you when it comes to this supplemental essay.

This is often the advice with all college essays, and it’s no less true here: you want to start with something that grabs the reader’s attention. The best way to do that is, more often than not, by throwing the reader right into the middle of a scene or moment.

As you most likely did in your Common App essay, try to begin with a short paragraph recounting a moment that showcases you in action. Perhaps it’s you in the lab, working on a hypothesis about plant nutrition. Or maybe you’re an artist, and have just dragged your easel and canvas into the forest to paint a landscape. Whatever you do, don’t just tell us–show us you in action.

The story exists to hook us in, but it won’t tell us everything we need to know. Set aside a small part of the essay to give a broader background for the activity you’re describing so that admissions committees can understand more about the activity itself.

This part of the essay won’t be the most exciting or flashy, but it will let you convey a lot of information very quickly–making it an excellent place to highlight things like your dedication or initiative when it comes to this extracurricular.

What does the “overview” part of an extracurricular supplemental look like? We’ll actually take a look at a real sample essay later in the post, but we can describe it briefly here.

Say you’re writing an essay about performing in musicals.

The first section (the story ) of your essay might describe you on stage, about to belt out some showtunes.

The second section (the overview ) might begin something like, “Since the age of 7, I’ve leaped at every chance to perform in musicals: at schools, in local productions, and even with a touring theater troupe.” In just one sentence, you can show us how long you’ve been engaged with the activity and what some of the highlights were. Then, you can continue on by describing more about what your involvement in this extracurricular entails: your role, how your involvement has changed, that kind of thing.

A word of caution: don’t turn this into a list of your accomplishments and awards. That should already be reflected in the Activities Section of your Common App. But also, it won’t make for a very good essay, and it’ll sound like you’re bragging. Only include accomplishments if they naturally integrate with the story you’re telling.

Not sure how to balance an overview so that it conveys the right information without becoming bloated or braggy? The best way to be sure is to work with someone who has experience wowing admissions committees themselves. That’s why we always recommend getting a bit of professional help from one of our many Ivy League essay tutors and checking out or collection of real supplemental essays from successful applicants below

We say it in almost all of our essay guides, but it’s true: nothing makes an essay stand out to admissions committees like a believable, personal description of the passion you feel for what you do. It’s human: we love people who really love what they do.

Whatever you choose to write about, the next section of your Extracurricular essay should focus on conveying the passion you feel for this activity or the satisfaction you gain from it. As always, specific details are key!

Don’t just say “I love to ride dirt bikes.” It’s not specific, it’s not detailed, it’s not convincing: do you really believe that the person who has nothing more to say than that really loves what they do?

Connect the passion to specific details or moments that you’ve experienced while pursuing this extracurricular. Maybe it’s the specific sensation of dirt showering on you as you land the bike from a jump; maybe it’s the moment a student you tutor turns to you and says how much you’ve helped their confidence.

Convey your passion by integrating it with the unique details that only you can recount. That’s what makes the difference between a generic, ChatGPT-style extracurricular essay and a compelling, personal one that can wow college admissions committees.

As always, the extracurricular activity essay isn’t just about the extracurricular activity: it’s about showing how something you’re deeply involved with has affected who you are on the cusp of college.

What does that look like? It could be a lot of things! Maybe your extracurricular activity actually shaped what you want to study, or how you live your life–if so, great. But it’s also no less important if your extracurricular activity is simply a source of peace or joy, something that takes you away from the stresses of school or other obligations.

In any case, it’s important to show that you’re the kind of person who thinks about how the things in your life shape you. This section doesn’t have to be long–a sentence or two will do–but it should show the admissions officers what it is you’ve gained from the pursuit of this hobby, passion, or job.

Example of a successful Extracurricular Essay

Below is an example of a really excellent response to an Extracurricular essay prompt. This sample actually comes from our guide on how to respond to the University of California’s supplemental prompts, but it’s the kind of essay that could easily be used to respond to any college’s Extracurricular supplemental essay prompt.

The stall horn blares, and the plane sways under the control of my feet. Shoulders tense, I look outside to maintain balance: even a small tap of a foot or shift of the stick could throw the plane into a downwards roll. The plane begins to shake- my cue to recover. I pitch the nose down and push the throttle full forwards. Despite high-stress situations, piloting is my dream career. Whether airliners or navy jets, I know I will be happiest in the air. I started out building model airplanes out of paper and pencils at Civil Air Patrol meetings, which first introduced me to basic aviation principles: pitch, roll, and yaw. From there, a presentation in my computer science class taught me about Joby Aviation, a local startup working on electric gyrocopters for everyday travel. Already knowing I wanted to fly, I felt inspired to work with aircraft as an engineer as well. I decided to enroll in flight lessons and subsequently took a job as a receptionist at my flight school. When flying, time passes by as fast as the air around me. As warnings blare, pilots chatter over the radio and the plane’s glass bubble gets swelteringly hot. There’s a lot to be aware of, but I’ve learned to multitask and focus amidst distractions. Similarly, being at the airport quickly thrust me into the world of aviation. I found myself fascinated not only by aerodynamics but also by fuel chemistry, avionics, and materials. Sumping fuel from the fuel tanks, I wondered, how do different fuel textures affect planes’ engines? Running my hand along the propeller, I pondered: how would the aircraft fly if this were wood? Plastic? I became fascinated by the specificity and variability of aerospace materials and eager to learn more about them. My love for aerospace is part of why I am eager to study engineering. I imagine myself designing new aircraft and optimizing the ones I fly. Whether I become a pilot or an engineer, the lessons I learn flying will be beneficial in any future paths I take.

Analysis of a real Extracurricular supplemental essay

Take another look at the above essay, and notice how it actually neatly follows the structure we’ve been talking about.

The essay starts suddenly, and with a ton of detail: a stall horn (what’s that?), a plane swaying, a lot of tension.

It’s important that the story is, itself, hooking and attention-grabbing. But that’s not the sole purpose of the story: the real key here is that it shows the writer in action. They’re not a passive observer or someone along for the ride. They’re making decisions and taking control of a situation, displaying both confidence and competence.

Those elements together are the key to a successful opening for the extracurricular essay: get our attention, and show us you in action.

Notice how the second paragraph feels totally different. It’s no longer a pulse-raising story: it’s a quick but detailed overview of how the writer got involved with and pursued this extracurricular activity over a long period of time.

What do we learn from this overview? The writer started simple, with models at Civic Air Patrol meetings; they continued pursuing this passion through a compsci course and a local internship; they took flight lessons and got practical work experience at a flight school.

It’s all super quick, and super efficient. There’s some nice details in there (the models, the gyroscope), but the primary function of this section of the essay is just to put the story in context. Think about it as the background that explains how we got to the story in the first place.

The next paragraph immediately begins by conveying why this activity is so meaningful to the author. We learn that time (literally) flies, that the author learns how to multitask and stay focused under pressure, and that all this leads to a fascination with the science and engineering behind flight.

Remember when we talked about specifics being the key to conveying passion? Here’s what we meant. The author doesn’t stop at saying what fascinated them. They go way further, posing multiple hyper-specific questions that convey the author’s real, sustained engagement with this activity.

Reflection/change

As you can see, this section can be super short! It really just needs to wrap up the essay by showing us how this extracurricular affects the writer. In this case, it has helped shape what the student wants to pursue, even if the student isn’t yet 100% certain about what that path will look like.

But this essay could have worked just as well if this student wanted to be an English major. The essay would simply have ended with a different kind of reflection, one about the value or lessons that they’re able to take away from the experience of flying.

At heart, these essays aren’t complicated. But that doesn’t mean they’re easy. Writing the perfect Extracurricular supplemental essay can be incredibly challenging: how do you balance the story, the overview, the passion, the lesson? And all within a very short word count!

Taking the right approach can mean the difference between boring an admissions committee and stunning them, so it’s not the place to take risks. It’s why we recommend working with a one-on-one PrepMaven essay coach. Not only have our tutors been accepted to the most prestigious schools in the country, but they’ve helped countless students get their own acceptance letters.

How to choose the topic for an Extracurricular essay

This is a crucial decision, and you don’t want to take it lightly.

Many students simply pick the activity that they’ve excelled most in, or the one they spend the most time doing.

That’s often the wrong choice. Not always, of course, but often!

The key consideration is what activity will add the most to your application when described in essay form, as opposed to merely being summarized in 150 characters on your Activities List.

Sometimes, that really is the same thing as the one you’re most active in; sometimes it’s not.

For example, let’s say you’re an absolutely amazing athlete who has won titles and awards and all sorts of stuff. Your activities list can, if you’re careful with word count, convey all of those titles, awards, etc. If you were to write a whole essay about your sport, would you really be able to add much that the admissions committee won’t already see?

On the other hand, let’s say that in addition to being an all-star athlete, you’re also a tutor or mentor for a younger student. On the activities list, that won’t look impressive: so many students do peer tutoring that an admission officer’s eyes will glaze right over. But what if you actually developed a strong relationship with a student you mentored? There’s no way to convey that in 150 characters, but it might make for a nice story in 150 words.

Wherever you can tell the best story, that’s your topic for the extracurricular supplemental.

Before writing, you should always spend time reading through sample essays. We’ve collected over 50 supplemental essays from our tutors in response to prompts from Ivies and other elite schools. They’re totally free, and you can download them below to see what worked for past applicants.

Though the steps here might seem simple, they can be astoundingly hard to pull off in just 250 words or less, which is usually the word count for this kind of supplemental essay. But if you can thread the needle and do everything listed above on this kind of essay, it can make a huge difference for your application.

Most people don’t treat the supplemental essays as if they were particularly important, but they absolutely are: each college has put time and resources into coming up with these supplemental essay prompts because they want to see what you have to say.

If you’ve read this guide carefully, then it’s time to start drafting! If you want to ensure that you’re writing the kind of essay that can get you into a top tier school, however, it often pays to get a second opinion. Our college essay experts have helped thousands of students get admitted into their dream schools, and are ready to help you do the same as soon as you’re ready.

Privacy Preference Center

Privacy preferences.

Calculate for all schools

Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how to write an extracurricular activities essay.

Hey, I'm working on an essay about my extracurricular activities. Can someone share tips on what to include and how to structure it? Any examples of well-written essays about extracurriculars would be a great help too. Thanks!

Writing an extracurricular activities essay can be a fantastic way to showcase your achievements, interests, and dedication while also displaying your personality and what makes you unique. Here are a few tips on what to include and how to structure it:

1. Choose a specific activity: Instead of writing about multiple extracurriculars, pick one that you're truly passionate about and has had a significant impact on your personal growth. This will help you focus your essay and provide a more engaging story.

2. Begin with an introduction: Introduce the activity and explain why it's important to you. I always think an anecdote that captures how you engage with the activity or maybe your first experience with it will make an engaging hook that grabs the reader's attention and makes them eager to learn more.

3. Show, don't tell: Provide specific examples of your experiences in the activity to illustrate your dedication, growth, and impact. Use anecdotes and vivid language to bring your story to life. For example, if you organized an event for a club or led a team to victory, describe the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

4. Highlight your skills and achievements: While describing your experiences, emphasize the skills and qualities you developed as a result of your participation. Connect these skills to your personal growth and how they will transfer to your future success in college and beyond.

5. Reflect on the impact: End on a reflective note by discussing the impact of the activity on your life and personal growth. How has it shaped your character, interests, or long-term aspirations? Be candid and thoughtful about how the experience has affected you.

As for examples, you can find various well-written essays on extracurriculars through a simple online search. This post should be a good starting point, though: https://blog.collegevine.com/extracurricular-activity-essay-examples

Remember, the key to writing a compelling essay is to be genuine and focus on conveying your passion for the extracurricular activity. Be sure to proofread and revise your essay, and consider seeking feedback from a teacher, counselor, or trusted friend to make it even better. Good luck!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

720-279-7577

‹‹ BACK TO BLOG

The College Extracurricular Activity Essay

Mark montgomery.

July 25, 2023

How will you write your college extracurricular activity essay?

The Common Application used to ask you to “elaborate” on one of your extracurricular activities in 150 words. Now this essay is not quite as common. At least it is no long required on the Common App.

However, many other colleges do require it, either as a part of their application or as a “supplement” the Common Application .

Either way, this short paragraph can be an essential component of your entire presentation as an applicant. In just a few sentences, you must convey something personal, meaningful, and interesting about yourself.

Seems impossible, right? “How can I sum up my experience in my favorite extracurricular activities in just a few sentences?”

Well, it’s time to tackle the impossible. These tips may help you decide which activity to focus on, and how to write a well-structured paragraph that gives the reader a deeper understanding of your motivations and your priorities.

Choose the Right Activity

Don’t necessarily pick the activity that looms largest on your resume or activity list. If you are a star tennis player and a possible recruit for a college team, that fact will be clear on your activity list. If you are the best clarinetist in the city, then your activity list should reflect that fact. Remember, the prompt asks you to “elaborate” on the activity. It doesn’t say you have to choose the one that takes up the most time, nor does it say that it must be the one that is your primary extracurricular focus.

More specifically, it may be that the activity in which you have achieved or excelled the most is not the activity that will be the best to elaborate upon in this short essay. Consider the other activities that may help to round out your application and present another view of what motivates and interests you.

Consider which activities carry the most personal meaning to you. Look back over your resume or activities list and ask yourself, “Which of these would I miss the most if I could no longer do it?” Perhaps it’s that annual scouting trip, or the weekends skiing with your family. Or maybe it’s that concert you organize at the nursing home twice a year that brings you particular joy. Choosing the right activity is the first step as you write your extracurricular activity essay.

Your “Hidden” Activities

Consider elaborating on an activity that is not on the activities list or resume. For example, perhaps your extended family shares Sunday dinner together regularly, and this ritual has had a big influence on you and helped to shape your feelings about family. Maybe you actually enjoy mowing your lawn every week, making it look nice by paying attention to details. Perhaps you ride your bike to school every morning, and you use that time to notice details on your route and get your head together before and after your workday.

Not Necessarily Your “Best” Activities

Consider taking one of your activities and giving it greater specificity and detail. As you know, the space on the application in which to elaborate on your activities is very, very limited. So use this short paragraph to pull out some details. For example, perhaps you mention on your activity sheet that you have done volunteer work at a hospital, and that you have several responsibilities. But perhaps there is one responsibility, in particular, that you most enjoy. That one responsibility could be the focus of your extracurricular.

To take another example, perhaps you are a guitar player, and your activity list indicates that you’re fairly good, but not great. However, there I some particular aspects of playing the guitar that you enjoy. Perhaps you don’t mind playing scales over and over in order to improve your technique.

Or maybe you go to a music store on Saturdays where a bunch of bluegrass players get together and jam, and you join in, despite the fact you aren’t the best player; or you are a huge fan of Andre Segovia and have listened to every piece he has ever recorded. These sorts of details can say a lot about the depth of your interest in an activity, even if it is not where your greatest accomplishments lie.

The Focus: “Why?”

Your activity list or resume should address the questions of “What, When, and Where?” (the “who” should be apparent: you!). This list explains your accomplishments and the range of your commitments. But it doesn’t explain your motivations or your priorities. This short essay-ette gives you an opportunity to do some explaining.

As with your primary college essay and with the supplements, the aim here is to give the admissions officer reading your file a bit more information about yourself. What you convey in this short paragraph is something that they won’t find in the essays, and that they won’t really know from reading your activity list. This is another opportunity for you to present another interesting and important facet of your personality. All the essays give your application depth and dimension. Don’t throw away this opportunity to tell the reader more about yourself.

Tips for Writing the College Extracurricular Activity Essay

Start with a list of reasons you participate in this activity. What do you get out of it? Why do you enjoy it? Why would you miss it if you suddenly were unable to do it anymore?

Remember that not every aspect of your participation may be enjoyable. Are there reasons you participate in this activity that actually help you accomplish something else that is, in fact, even more enjoyable? For example, weight training may not always be fun, but it can make you stronger. Practicing the flute may be enjoyable in some respects, and not so much in others—but practicing makes you a better player.

Once your list of reasons why you participate in this activity, pick the top three. Write your essay in 5 sentences. One to introduce the activity, three to explain why you do it, and 1 to spare, either as a conclusion or as an elaboration on your introduction.

Some Prompts to Get You Going

If you are having trouble, try completing these sentence prompts to get you going.

When I participate in this activity, I feel ___________.
I originally got involved in this activity because ____________. And now I continue this activity because ____________.
My favorite aspect of this activity is ____________.
My friends think this activity is ___________.
I take the most pride in this aspect of the activity: ___________.

The College Extracurricular Activity Essay – Final Notes

For most of us–adults as well as teens–our activities are good reflections of our priorities, talents, and motivations. We often demonstrate excellence through the things we do outside of school (or outside our jobs or professions).

This Common App supplemental extracurricular activity essay is a great way for you to share more about who you are as a person. If you focus on WHY you engage in these activities, you’ll be able to convey those motivations and priorities.

You have fun engaging in your extracurricular activities. Now enjoy writing about one that is especially important to you.

Need Help With Your College Extracurricular Activity Essay?

If you are having trouble putting together your college essays, including your college extracurricular essay for the Common App, then you might want to consider giving a call to the folks at Great College Advice. We help students with every aspect of the college admissions process, and we would love to guide your toward your educational objectives. If you’d like to learn more about what we do, contact us . We’ll be happy to chat with you!

Archive by Date

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write a Personal Statement for a Scholarship + Examples

What’s covered:, what is the purpose of the scholarship personal statement, what to include in your personal statement, personal statement example: breakdown + analysis, how to make sure your writing is effective.

Either before or after you’ve gotten into your dream school, you’ll have to figure out how to pay for it. For most students, this involves a combination of financial aid, parent contributions, self-contributions, student loans, and scholarships/grants. Because scholarships are money out of someone else’s pocket that you never have to pay back, they are a great place to start!

Scholarships come in two forms: merit-based and need-based. Need-based scholarships are also often called grants. These designations tell you whether an organization looks at your financial situation when deciding about your scholarship.

Additionally, different scholarships fall under different categories based on the mission of the organization or person providing the scholarship’s financing. These missions typically emphasize different things like academic achievement, specific career goals, community service, leadership, family background, skill in the arts, or having overcome hardship. As you select scholarships to apply for and complete your applications, you should keep these missions in mind.

No matter what type of scholarship you are applying for, you will be asked to provide the review committee with standard materials. This includes your transcript, GPA, and resume/extracurriculars, but also, importantly, your personal statement. A scholarship personal statement is a bit different from your normal college essay, so we’ve put together this guide and some examples to help you get started!

The purpose of your personal statement is to help a review committee learn more about your personality, values, goals, and what makes you special. Ultimately, like with your college essays, you are trying to humanize your profile beyond your transcript, GPA, and test scores.

College essays all have one goal in mind (which is why you can apply to multiple schools at once through applications like the Common App or Coalition App): convince admissions officers that you would be a valuable addition to the university environment. The goal of your scholarship personal statement is different and differs more from one scholarship to the next. Rather than convincing various review committees that you are a generally good candidate for extra funding for college, you need to convince each review committee that your values have historically aligned with their organization’s mission and will continue to align with their organization’s mission.

Common missions amongst those who give scholarships include:

Providing opportunities for students with career ambitions in a particular field
Helping students who have experienced unexpected hardship
Supporting students who show outstanding academic achievement
Funding the arts through investing in young artists with strong technical skill
Supporting the development of civic-minded community service leaders of the future
Providing opportunities for historically underrepresented ethnic communities

If a specific mission like this is outlined on an organization’s website or in the promotional material for its scholarship, the purpose of your personal statement is to show how you exemplify that mission.

Some scholarships ask for your personal statement to be guided by a prompt, while others leave things open for interpretation. When you are provided a prompt, it is obvious what you must do: answer the prompt. When you are not provided a prompt, you want to write a personal statement that is essentially a small-scale autobiography where you position yourself as a good investment. In either case, you should identify a focus or theme for what you are trying to say about yourself so that your application does not get lost in the shuffle.

Prompts include questions like:

Why do you deserve this scholarship?
How have you shown your commitment to (leadership/community service/diversity) in your community?
When did you overcome adversity?
Why is attending college important to you?

If you are provided a prompt, develop a theme for your response that showcases both your values and your achievements. This will help your essay feel focused and will subsequently help the review committee to remember which candidate you were as they deliberate.

Themes include things like:

I deserve this community service scholarship because my compassion for intergenerational trauma has inspired me to volunteer with a local after-school program. I didn’t just sympathize. I did something about my sympathy because that’s the type of person I am. Within the program, I have identified avenues for improvement and worked alongside full-time staff to develop new strategies for increasing attendance.
I overcame adversity when my mother had to have a major surgery two months after giving birth to my younger brother. I was just a kid but was thrown into a situation where I had to raise another kid. It was hard, but I’m the kind of person who tries to grow from hard times and, through my experience taking care of a baby, I learned the importance of listening to body language and nonverbal cues to understand the needs of others (baby and nonbaby, alike).

Without a prompt, clarity can be harder to achieve. That said, it is of the utmost importance that you find a focus. First, think about both your goals and your values.

Types of goals include:

Career goals
Goals for personal growth
The type of friend you want to be
The change you want to make in the world

Values could include:

Authenticity
And many more!

After you write out your goals/values, write out your achievements to see what goals/values you have “proof” of your commitment to. Your essay will ultimately be an exploration of your goal/value, what you have done about your goal/value in the past, and what you aspire to in the future.

You might be tempted to reflect on areas for improvement, but scholarships care about you living out your values. It is not enough to aspire to be exemplary in leadership, community service, or your academic field. For scholarships, you have to already be exemplary.

Finally, keep in mind that the review committee likely already has a copy of your extracurricular activities and involvement. Pick one or two accomplishments, then strive for depth, not breadth as you explore them.

My interest in the field of neuroscience began at a young age. When I was twelve years old, my sister developed a condition called Pseudotumor Cerebri following multiple concussions during a basketball game. It took the doctors over six months to make a proper diagnosis, followed by three years of treatment before she recovered. During this time, my love for neuroscience was sparked as I began to research her condition and, then, other neurocognitive conditions. Later, my love of neuroscience was amplified when my mother began to suffer from brain-related health issues. My mother had been a practicing attorney in Dallas for over twenty years. She was a determined litigator who relentlessly tried difficult cases that changed people’s lives. Now, she suffers from a cognitive impairment and is no longer able to practice law. Oftentimes, she has headaches, she gets “cloudy,” her executive functioning slows down, she feels overwhelmed, and she forgets things. My mother has gone from being the strong, confident, emotional and financial caretaker of our family to needing significant help on a daily basis. Once again, with this illness came a lot of research on my part — research that encouraged me to pursue my dreams of exploring neuroscience.

Due to my experiences with my mother and sister when I was in middle school, I knew that I wanted to make a difference in the field of neuroscience. I also knew that, to obtain this goal, I needed to maintain superior grades in school while also pursuing opportunities outside of school to further my education. In school, I was able to maintain superior grades to the point where I am currently valedictorian in a class of 567 students. In addition, in school, I challenged myself by taking 16 Advanced Placement classes and 19 Honors classes. Two of the most beneficial classes were AP Capstone Seminar and AP Capstone Research. AP Capstone Seminar and AP Capstone Research are research-oriented classes where students are given the opportunity to pursue whatever track their research takes them down. As a junior in AP Capstone Seminar, I researched the effects of harmful pesticide use on the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children. This year, as a senior in AP Capstone Research, I am learning about the effects of medical marijuana on the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Outside of school, I furthered my education through taking advantage of the Duke TiP summer program. Duke TiP is a summer program run by Duke University where students who score extremely well on the SAT as middle schoolers are able to take college classes at different universities throughout the summers of their middle school and high school years. I took advantage of this opportunity twice. First, I went to Trinity University in San Antonio to expand my horizons and learn more about debate. However, once I was done exploring, I decided I wanted to go into neuroscience. This led me to take an Abnormal Psychology class at Duke University’s West Campus. This class opened my eyes to the interaction between neuroscience and mental health, mental illness, and personality. Years later, I am currently continuing my education outside of school as an intern at the University of Texas Dallas Center for Brain Health. Through this internship, I have been able to see different aspects of neuroscience including brain pattern testing, virtual reality therapy, and longitudinal research studies. With this background, I have positioned myself to be accepted by top neuroscience programs throughout the nation. So far, I have been accepted to the neuroscience department of University of Southern California, the University of Virginia, the University of Texas, and Southern Methodist University, as well as the chemistry department at University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill.

It is with this passion for neuroscience driven by my family and passion for education driven by internal motivation that I will set out to conquer my career objectives. My educational aspirations consist of acquiring a bachelor’s degree in a biological or health science that would assist me in pursuing a medical career as a neuroscience researcher. I decided to attain a career as a researcher since my passion has always been assisting others and trying to improve their quality of life. After obtaining my Masters and my PhD, I plan to become a professor at a prestigious university and continue performing lab research on cognitive disorders. I am particularly interested in disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In the lab, I hope to find different therapies and medications to help treat the 3.5 million people around the world suffering from ASD. Furthermore, I want to contribute back to underserved populations that struggle because they do not have as much access to medical assistance as other privileged groups. As such, I hope to do a part of my research in less developed or developing Spanish-speaking countries. This will also allow me to pursue my love of Spanish while pursuing my love of neuroscience. I think that following such a career path will provide me the opportunity to learn about the medical needs of the autistic community and improve their quality of health. Furthermore, I hope to train a new generation of students to strive to research and make comparable discoveries. Whether it be through virtual reality labs or new drug discoveries, I believe that research leads to innovation which leads to a brighter future.

This student does a great job of making themself appear competent and dedicated to the field of neuroscience. This is primarily because they provided tangible evidence of how they have pursued their dedication in the past—through their AP Capstone courses, their Abnormal Psychology class at Duke TiP, and their internship at UTD. There is no doubt in the mind of a reader that this student is high-achieving.

This student also engages successfully with a past-future trajectory, where they end with a vision of how they will continue to use neuroscience in the future. This helps the review committee see what they are investing in and the ways that their money will go to good use.

This student has two major areas for improvement. As we have said, the purpose of a personal statement is for a student to humanize themself to a review committee. This student struggles to depict themself separately from their academic achievements. A solution to this would be for the student to establish a theme towards the beginning of their essay that relates to both their values as a human and their achievements.

At the beginning of the essay, the student explores how their interest in neuroscience began. They explain their interest through the following sentences: “During this time, my love for neuroscience was sparked as I began to research her condition and, then, other neurocognitive conditions” and “Once again, with this illness came a lot of research on my part — research that encouraged me to pursue my dreams of exploring neuroscience.” The student made the great decision to tell the backstory of their interest, but they described their research in very mundane and redundant terms. Instead, they could have focused on their value of intellectual curiosity as a magnetic force that encouraged them to research their mother and sister’s ailments. Curiosity, then, could serve as a value-related thematic throughline to taking AP Capstone classes, taking college courses during the summer that weren’t required, and interning before even graduating high school.

A second area for improvement would be avoiding statistics. As the student identifies their valedictorian status and the number of AP classes they have taken, they might turn away certain personalities on a review committee by appearing braggy. Even further, these statistics are a waste of space. The review committee already has access to this information. These words distract from the major theme of the essay and would have been better used to humanize the student.

Throughout my academic career, I have been an avid scholar, constantly pushing myself towards ambitious goals. I held and continue to hold myself to a high standard, enrolling myself in rigorous curriculum, including Honors and Advanced Placement courses to stretch my mental potential. During my junior year of high school, I took four AP tests, two on the same day, and earned the AP Scholar with Honor Award. Additionally, I received the Letter of Commendation for the PSAT/NMSQT, and qualified for Rotary Top 100 Students both my freshman and senior year, a sign of my commitment to my studies. However, school has not been all about having the best GPA for me; beyond the numbers, I have a deep drive to learn which motivates me to do well academically. I truly enjoy learning new things, whether it be a new essay style or a math theorem. I always give each class my best effort and try my hardest on every assignment. My teachers have noticed this as well, and I have received school Lancer Awards and Student of the Month recognitions as a result. It is a major goal of mine to continue to aspire towards a high level of achievement regarding future educational and occupational endeavors; I plan on continuing this level of dedication throughout my educational career and implementing the skills I have learned and will learn into my college experience and beyond.

This fall, I will begin attending the University of California Los Angeles as an English major. I chose this major because I am fascinated by written language, especially its ability to convey powerful messages and emotions. I also enjoy delving into the works of other authors to analyze specific components of their writing to discover the meaning behind their words. In particular, I cannot wait to begin in-depth literary criticism and learn new stylistic techniques to add more depth to my writing. Furthermore, I recently went to UCLA’s Bruin Day, an event for incoming freshmen, where I was exposed to many different extracurriculars, some of which really piqued my interest. I plan on joining the Writing Success Program, where I can help students receive free writing help, and Mock Trial, where I can debate issues with peers in front of a real judge. The latter, combined with a strong writing background from my undergraduate English studies will be extremely beneficial because I plan to apply to law school after my undergraduate degree. As of now, my career goal is to become a civil rights lawyer, to stand up for those who are discriminated against and protect minority groups to proliferate equality.

As a lawyer, I wish to utilize legislation to ameliorate the plight of the millions of Americans who feel prejudice and help them receive equity in the workplace, society, and so on. Though this seems a daunting task, I feel that my work ethic and past experience will give me the jumpstart I need to establish myself as a successful lawyer and give a voice to those who are often unheard in today’s legal system. I have been a Girl Scout for over a decade and continually participate in community service for the homeless, elderly, veterans, and more. My most recent project was the Gold Award, which I conducted in the Fullerton School District. I facilitated over ten workshops where junior high students taught elementary pupils STEM principles such as density and aerodynamics via creative activities like building aluminum boats and paper airplanes. I also work at Kumon, a tutoring center, where I teach students to advance their academic success. I love my job, and helping students from local schools reach their potential fills me with much pride.

Both being a Girl Scout and working at Kumon have inspired me to help those in need, contributing significantly to my desire to become a lawyer and aid others. My extracurriculars have allowed me to gain a new perspective on both learning and teaching, and have solidified my will to help the less fortunate. In college, I hope to continue to gain knowledge and further develop my leadership skills, amassing qualities that will help me assist others. I plan to join multiple community service clubs, such as UCLA’s local outreach programs that directly aid residents of Los Angeles. I want to help my fellow pupils as well, and plan on volunteering at peer tutoring and peer editing programs on campus. After college, during my career, I want to use legal tactics to assist the underdog and take a chance on those who are often overlooked for opportunities. I wish to represent those that are scared to seek out help or cannot afford it. Rather than battling conflict with additional conflict, I want to implement peaceful but strong, efficient tactics that will help make my state, country, and eventually the world more welcoming to people of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. These goals are close to my heart and therefore I will be as diligent as I am passionate about them. My perseverance and love for learning and community service drive my ambition in both education and life as a whole, and the drive to make the world a better place is one that I will carry with me for my entire life.

This student emphasizes two values in this essay: hard work and community service. These are values that go together nicely, and definitely make sense with this student’s end goal of becoming a civil rights lawyer! That said, some changes could be made to the way the student presents their values that would make their personal statement more convincing and engaging.

Structurally, instead of using a past-future trajectory, this student starts by explaining their academic achievements, then explains their career goals, then explains their history of community service, then explains their future desires for community service. This structure loses the reader. Instead, the student should have started with either the past or the future.

This could look like 1) identifying their career goals, 2) explaining that hard work and a commitment to community service are necessary to get there, and 3) explaining that they aren’t worried because of their past commitment to hard work and community service. Or it could look like 1) providing examples of their hard work and community service in the past, then 2) explaining how those values will help them achieve their career goals.

Additionally, like with our other example, this student shows a heavy investment in statistics and spouting off accomplishments. This can be unappealing. Unfortunately, even when the student recognizes that they are doing this, writing “beyond the numbers, I have a deep drive to learn which motivates me to do well academically. I truly enjoy learning new things, whether it be a new essay style or a math theorem,” they continue on to cite their achievements, writing “My teachers have noticed this as well, and I have received school Lancer Awards and Student of the Month recognitions as a result.” They say they are going beyond the numbers, but they don’t go beyond the awards. They don’t look inward. One way to fix this would be to make community service the theme around which the essay operates, supplementing with statistics in ways that advance the image of the student as dedicated to community service.

Finally, this student would be more successful if they varied their sentence structure. While a small-scale autobiography can be good, if organized, every sentence should not begin with ‘I.’ The essay still needs to be engaging or the review committee might stop reading.

Feedback is ultimately any writer’s best source of improvement! To get your personal statement edited for free, use our Peer Review Essay Tool . With this tool, other students can tell you if your scholarship essay is effective and help you improve your essay so that you can have the best chances of gaining those extra funds!

Can I Get A Scholarship Based On My Extracurricular Activities?

If you’re a student involved in various extracurricular activities, you may have wondered if all your hard work and dedication can pay off in the form of a scholarship. The good news is, yes, it is possible to secure a scholarship based on your extracurricular activities! In this article, we’ll explore the opportunities and potential rewards that await those who showcase their talents and interests beyond the classroom. So, get ready to uncover the possibilities that lie ahead and discover how your involvement in extracurriculars can open doors to educational opportunities and financial support.

Can I Get A Scholarship Based On My Extracurricular Activities?

Table of Contents

Importance of Extracurricular Activities

Definition of extracurricular activities.

Extracurricular activities are activities that you engage in outside of your regular academic curriculum. These activities can take place within or outside of school and can range from sports and music to community service and leadership roles. They provide you with the opportunity to explore your interests, develop new skills, and build a well-rounded profile, which can be highly beneficial for your personal growth and future endeavors.

Benefits of Participating in Extracurricular Activities

Participating in extracurricular activities offers numerous benefits. Firstly, they allow you to pursue your passions and explore new interests outside of the classroom. Whether it’s joining a sports team, participating in a choir, or volunteering at a local charity, these activities provide a fun and fulfilling way to learn beyond traditional academics.

Secondly, extracurricular activities enhance your personal development by fostering valuable life skills. Through these activities, you can develop leadership abilities, teamwork skills, time management, and discipline, among others. These skills are highly sought after by colleges, universities, and employers and can greatly contribute to your future success.

Additionally, extracurricular activities provide opportunities for social interaction and building friendships. By engaging in shared interests with others, you can form connections, develop a support system, and build a sense of belonging within your community.

How Extracurricular Activities Enhance Personal Development

Engaging in extracurricular activities can greatly enhance your personal development in various ways. Firstly, they help you discover and develop your strengths and talents. By exploring different activities, you have the chance to uncover hidden skills and talents that may not be tapped into during regular academic studies.

Furthermore, participating in extracurricular activities cultivates important life skills. Taking on leadership roles in clubs or organizations, for example, can help you develop the ability to inspire and guide others, make decisions, and take responsibility.

Moreover, these activities foster important character traits such as resilience, perseverance, and determination. Through challenges faced in extracurricular pursuits, you learn to overcome obstacles, develop grit, and build the resilience needed to face future challenges.

Lastly, extracurricular activities broaden your perspective and boost your personal growth by exposing you to different experiences, cultures, and ideas. Whether it’s through community service projects or participating in multicultural clubs, engaging in extracurricular activities helps you become more open-minded and adaptable, qualities that are invaluable in an increasingly interconnected world.

Scholarships and Extracurricular Activities

Overview of scholarships.

Scholarships are financial awards given to students based on various criteria. These awards can come from a variety of sources, including colleges, universities, organizations, and private donors. Scholarships can help cover tuition fees, books, accommodation costs, and other educational expenses.

Scholarships Based on Academic Merit

Many scholarships are awarded based on academic merit, taking into account factors such as GPA, standardized test scores, and academic achievements. These scholarships reward students who have excelled academically and demonstrate intellectual promise. While academic merit scholarships focus primarily on academic achievements, extracurricular activities can still play a role in strengthening your scholarship application.

Types of Scholarships Based on Extracurricular Activities

Apart from academic merit scholarships, there are also scholarships that specifically recognize and reward students for their involvement in extracurricular activities. These scholarships often take into consideration factors such as leadership roles, impact and achievements, letters of recommendation, essays or personal statements, and other criteria that highlight a student’s involvement and contributions beyond the classroom.

Criteria for Extracurricular Scholarships

Level of involvement.

When applying for extracurricular scholarships, the level of involvement in the activity is an important criterion. Scholarship committees look for students who have shown dedication, commitment, and consistent participation in their chosen activities. Instead of merely being a member, taking on leadership roles or playing a significant role in the organization can greatly enhance your chances of receiving a scholarship.

Leadership Roles

Demonstrating leadership skills within your chosen extracurricular activities can greatly boost your scholarship application. Whether it’s serving as a team captain, leading a club, or organizing events, taking on leadership roles shows your ability to inspire and guide others and highlights your potential for future success.

Impact and Achievements

Scholarship committees also consider the impact and achievements you have made within your extracurricular activities. Make sure to highlight any notable accomplishments, such as winning competitions, organizing successful events, or making a significant difference in your community through your involvement. These achievements demonstrate your dedication, initiative, and ability to make a positive impact.

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation play a crucial role in scholarship applications. Choose individuals who are familiar with your extracurricular involvements and can speak to your character, skills, and contributions. Recommendations from coaches, club advisors, or community leaders who can attest to your commitment and impact can significantly strengthen your application.

Essay or Personal Statement

Many scholarship applications require an essay or personal statement. Use this opportunity to showcase the value and impact of your extracurricular activities on your personal growth and development. Share your experiences, challenges faced, and how you have grown as an individual through your involvement. Use this essay to present a compelling narrative that reflects your passion, dedication, and the positive impact you have had both within and outside of the classroom.

Common Extracurricular Scholarships

Sports scholarships.

Sports scholarships are awarded to students who excel in athletics and demonstrate outstanding performance in their chosen sport. These scholarships provide financial support, often in the form of full or partial tuition coverage, to help athletes pursue their education while continuing to compete at a high level.

Arts and Music Scholarships

For students who have a passion for the arts, there are scholarships available for those involved in music, theater, dance, and other artistic disciplines. These scholarships recognize talent and help students pursue their artistic aspirations while furthering their education.

Community Service Scholarships

Community service scholarships reward students who have demonstrated a strong commitment to serving their communities through volunteer work and social impact initiatives. These scholarships recognize the importance of giving back and reward individuals who have made a positive difference through their extracurricular activities.

Volunteer Work Scholarships

Similar to community service scholarships, volunteer work scholarships recognize the value of volunteerism and reward students who have dedicated their time and efforts to making a difference in their communities. Whether it’s volunteering at a local hospital, organizing fundraisers, or participating in humanitarian projects, these scholarships highlight the impact of your volunteer work.

Leadership Scholarships

Leadership scholarships are awarded to students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities both within their schools and communities. These scholarships recognize individuals who have shown initiative, inspired others, and made a significant impact through their leadership roles.

Special Interest Scholarships

Special interest scholarships cover a wide range of extracurricular activities that may not fit into traditional categories. These scholarships can focus on specific hobbies, unique talents, or niche interests. Whether it’s a scholarship for gaming enthusiasts, aspiring chefs, or environmental activists, special interest scholarships provide recognition and support for students involved in unique extracurricular pursuits.

Finding Extracurricular Scholarships

Researching scholarship opportunities.

To find extracurricular scholarships, start by conducting thorough research. Utilize scholarship databases, websites, and search engines to discover scholarships that align with your interests and extracurricular activities. Take note of eligibility criteria, application deadlines, and any additional requirements for each scholarship.

Using Scholarship Search Engines

Scholarship search engines can be valuable tools in finding extracurricular scholarships. These platforms allow you to filter scholarships based on specific criteria such as your extracurricular activities, talents, or affiliations. Use these search engines to narrow down your options and find scholarships that are most relevant to you.

Checking with Educational Institutions

Colleges, universities, and even high schools often offer scholarships specifically for their students. Research the scholarship opportunities available at the educational institutions you are interested in attending. Check their websites, financial aid offices, or guidance counselors for information on scholarships based on extracurricular activities.

Contacting Local Organizations

Local organizations such as community centers, nonprofit organizations, and businesses often have scholarships available for students involved in specific extracurricular activities. Reach out to these organizations directly to inquire about any scholarship opportunities they offer and find out their application procedures and deadlines.

Networking and Word of Mouth

Don’t underestimate the power of networking and word of mouth when it comes to finding extracurricular scholarships. Talk to your teachers, coaches, mentors, and other individuals involved in your extracurricular activities. They may be aware of scholarships or know someone who can provide valuable information or guidance in your scholarship search.

Application Process for Extracurricular Scholarships

Gathering required documentation.

Before starting the application process, gather all the necessary documentation. This may include academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, proof of involvement in extracurricular activities, and any other supporting materials required for the scholarship application. Make sure to carefully read the instructions and submit all required documents within the specified deadline.

Writing a Strong Resume or CV

A well-crafted resume or curriculum vitae (CV) is crucial in presenting your extracurricular activities and achievements effectively. Include pertinent information such as your leadership roles, notable accomplishments, and dates of involvement. Highlight the skills and qualities developed through your activities and emphasize how they align with the values and criteria of the scholarship you are applying for.

Crafting an Impactful Personal Statement

The personal statement is your opportunity to share your story, passions, and aspirations. Use this essay to reflect on the impact of your extracurricular activities and how they have shaped your personal growth and future goals. Be authentic, sincere, and provide specific examples and experiences to support your statements. Tailor your personal statement to the scholarship you are applying for, highlighting how your activities align with the scholarship’s values and goals.

Requesting Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation provide valuable insights into your character, skills, and contributions. Choose individuals who can speak to your involvement, leadership, and impact within your extracurricular activities. Reach out to potential recommenders well in advance, providing them with all the necessary information and deadlines. Be sure to follow up and express your gratitude after they have submitted their recommendations.

Submitting a Completed Application

Once you have gathered all required documents, completed your application form, and carefully reviewed it for any errors or omissions, it’s time to submit your application. Ensure that you meet the specified deadline and follow any submission instructions provided by the scholarship organization. Keep copies of all submitted materials for your records.

Tips for Maximizing Scholarship Opportunities

Prioritize and focus on relevant activities.

When applying for extracurricular scholarships, prioritize and focus on the activities that are most relevant to the scholarship you are applying for. Highlight your involvement, achievements, and impact in these activities to demonstrate your suitability for the scholarship.

Highlight Accomplishments and Impact

Emphasize your accomplishments and the positive impact you have made through your extracurricular activities. Whether it’s leading a successful fundraising campaign, organizing an event that brought the community together, or winning awards in your chosen activity, showcase the tangible outcomes of your efforts.

Demonstrate Growth and Continuous Involvement

Scholarship committees appreciate individuals who have shown growth and continuity in their extracurricular activities. Demonstrate your commitment by showcasing how you have progressed, taken on new challenges, and made a lasting impact over time. Highlight your dedication and the lessons learned from your experiences.

Tailor Applications to Specific Scholarships

Each scholarship has its own set of values, goals, and criteria. Tailor your application materials to each scholarship you apply for. Research the scholarship organization, understand its mission and vision, and customize your application to align with their expectations. This demonstrates your genuine interest and dedication to the scholarship.

Seek Guidance and Support from Mentors

Don’t hesitate to seek guidance and support from mentors, teachers, or counselors throughout the scholarship application process. They can provide valuable advice, proofread your application materials, and offer insights into scholarship opportunities that may be a good fit for you. Their expertise and experience can significantly enhance your chances of success.

Overcoming Challenges and Obstacles

Addressing limited opportunities.

Sometimes, limited opportunities in certain extracurricular activities can make it challenging to stand out. However, it’s important to remember that scholarships are not solely based on the quantity of activities, but rather the quality of your involvement and the impact you have made. Make the most of the opportunities available to you and focus on demonstrating your dedication, leadership, and impact within your chosen activities.

Bridging Financial Gaps

One of the primary reasons students seek scholarships is to bridge financial gaps in their educational journey. If you are facing financial challenges, be proactive in seeking additional financial aid options, such as grants, work-study programs, or student loans. Explore all available resources and consult with financial aid advisors to ensure you are making the most informed decisions.

Dealing with Competition

Competition for scholarships can be fierce, but it’s important to stay positive and focused on your own achievements and strengths. Remember that scholarship committees are looking for individuals who stand out and have made a significant impact. Highlight your unique qualities, experiences, and contributions that make you a strong candidate.

Handling Rejection

Receiving a rejection letter can be disheartening, but it’s important not to let it discourage you. Use it as an opportunity for growth and learning. Take the time to improve your application materials, seek feedback from mentors, and learn from the experience. Remember that perseverance and resilience are key traits that will eventually lead to success.

Exploring Alternative Funding Sources

If you are unable to secure an extracurricular scholarship, don’t lose hope. Explore alternative funding sources such as grants, bursaries, or part-time jobs. Look into community organizations, local businesses, and civic groups that may offer financial support for students. Being proactive and resourceful can lead to unexpected opportunities.

Additional Benefits of Extracurricular Scholarships

Recognition and prestige.

Receiving an extracurricular scholarship brings recognition and prestige. It acknowledges your hard work, dedication, and outstanding achievements, both academically and in your chosen activities. Scholarships can boost your self-esteem and serve as a testament to your abilities.

Networking Opportunities

Extracurricular scholarships often come with networking opportunities. Many scholarship organizations connect recipients with mentors, alumni, or professionals in their field of interest. These connections can provide valuable guidance, support, and even potential career opportunities in the future.

Expanded Skillset and Experience

Through extracurricular activities, you develop a wide range of skills that go beyond academics. Scholarships based on these activities further enhance your skillset and provide you with opportunities to gain real-world experience. These experiences can contribute to your personal and professional growth, making you a well-rounded and competitive individual.

Reduced Financial Burden

Perhaps one of the most tangible benefits of extracurricular scholarships is the reduction of financial burden. Scholarships can significantly reduce or even eliminate the cost of tuition, allowing you to pursue your education without the stress of student loan debt. By lightening the financial load, scholarships provide you with the freedom to focus on your studies and other pursuits.

Boosting College Admissions

Extracurricular scholarships can also boost your college admissions prospects. A scholarship showcases your dedication, passion, and potential for success, making you a desirable candidate for colleges and universities. When evaluating applications, admissions officers often take into account a student’s extracurricular involvement and the impact they have made.

Participating in extracurricular activities is not only enjoyable and fulfilling, but it also offers numerous benefits for personal development. Engaging in activities that align with your interests and passions can enhance your skills, broaden your perspective, and open doors to exciting opportunities. Scholarships based on extracurricular activities provide the recognition and financial support needed to pursue your educational and career goals. By understanding the criteria, maximizing opportunities, and overcoming challenges, you can increase your chances of securing these scholarships and reaping the additional benefits they offer. So, dive into your extracurricular pursuits, showcase your achievements, and unlock the potential of extracurricular scholarships.

What Happens If I Lose My Scholarship?
What Are The Requirements For Maintaining A Scholarship?
What Scholarships Am I Eligible For?

Related News

How Do I Organize My Scholarship Search?

What Do Scholarship Committees Look For In Applicants?

You may have missed.

Are There Scholarships For Graduate Students?

How Do I Report Scholarships On My Taxes?

Do Scholarships Expire?

How Often Are Scholarships Awarded: Annually, By Semester, Or One-time?

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, complete list of extracurricular activities: 100s of examples.

Other High School , College Admissions , Extracurriculars

How do you like to spend your time after school? Did you know that how you choose to spend this time could be one of the most important ways you shape your future?

Extracurricular activities are a critical component of your college application, and you need to impress colleges with your interests. But you might not know what good extracurricular activities look like or what you should be spending your time on.

We've got you covered here in our guide of hundreds of examples of extracurricular activities. Read on to get some inspiration for how to spend your valuable free time during high school!

What Is An Extracurricular Activity?

An extracurricular activity can be almost anything that isn't required for high school credit or paid employment that you do while you're in high school. These activities will become very important later, such as when you are applying to colleges, because they help you develop your talents, interests, and passions. They can also teach you practical skills like time management.

With so many options out there, all students should be able to find an extracurricular that they are interested in and can develop a passion for!

Remember that extracurricular activities do not have to be sponsored by your school, so you should also consider things that you do with your family or within your community as viable options.

Below I've listed many popular activities that you may not have thought of as extracurricular activities. Take a look at the list and see if your activities are already on the list, or if anything you hadn't considered before catches your eye.

Of course, this list isn't complete, because you can turn almost any interest into an extracurricular. If you are actively involved in something that you don't see here—meaning you spend a significant amount of time doing an activity that is allowing you to develop a talent or interest, be a leader, or help out your community—then you should definitely consider that an extracurricular activity, as well!

What doesn't necessarily count as an extracurricular? Any interest of yours that's very self-centered is probably not going to make the cut.

An extracurricular should be an activity that demonstrates a talent or primarily contributes value to other people. If you have to really contort to find justification for something being an extracurricular (my taking drivers ed will make the roads safer for everyone! Keeping my vaccinations up to date helps immunocompromised people!), then chances are, it won't count as an extracurricular .

There's a spectrum here, though—for example, improving your hair quality or braiding hair for fun isn't really an extracurricular. But starting a YouTube channel around beauty tips or creating a club for teen health enthusiasts definitely does.

But if you're still unsure if something counts as an extracurricular, or you need some inspiration, then read on for our complete list of extracurricular activities.

How Should You Use This Extracurricular Activities List?

Not sure how you should use this list of extracurriculars? Just follow the six steps outlined in this section, and you'll be on your way to choosing the best extracurricular for you!

Step 1: Brainstorm Extracurricular Ideas

What are your interests? Have you always wanted to try out something related to art, but weren't sure if it would be worth your time, or if it would be viewed favorably by a college admissions team? Keep in mind that colleges don't really care about what kind of activity you are doing—instead, they want to see that you are doing something that you are passionate about. So make a list of all of your interests—both things that you are already interested in and other areas that intrigue you and you'd like to learn more about.

Step 2: See Which Extracurriculars Fit Your Interests

Look through the list below and see if any of the activities match your interests. You may see some ways that you hadn't thought of before to pursue an interest! Keep in mind that there can be a lot of different outlets for each interest you have. For example, if you want to play an instrument, you can take private classes, play in your school's marching band, play in a community concert band, or work as part of the orchestra for your school's next musical.

Step 3: Research Different Extracurricular Options

Research to see if these activities are available at your high school or in your community. If there is something you are very passionate about that's not already offered, consider starting up a group of your own. But if you aren't sure that the interest will stick and you only want to try it out, it's probably best to find a different outlet for your curiosity.

Extracurriculars List by Category

This list is organized into categories to make finding an activity that matches your interests easier. However, we recommend at least skimming all the extracurricular options below, even if you think they're categories you're not interested in. You never know what might catch your eye!

Note: not all schools will offer formal clubs in all these categories. If you see something you're interested in that your school doesn't offer, try joining a community group or even a national or online group to explore the interest further! Many of these topics are available as summer camp activities, as well.

You can also consider starting a club at your school if you are looking for a way to get involved in something you are interested in while also showing leadership and initiative.

These activities are based on a certain academic subject, and include both clubs (groups to discuss and practice certain subjects) and competitive teams. Academic teams have competitions that take place at all levels, from local to national.

Adopt-A-Physicist
Architecture Club
Astronomy Club
Biology Club
Chemistry Club
Economics Club
Electronics Club
Engineering Club
English Club
Distributive Education Clubs of America
History Club
Life Sciences Club
Literature Club
Literary Magazine Club
Mu Alpha Theta: Math Honor Society
National Honor Society
Peer Tutoring
Poetry Club
Physics Club
Psychology Club
Quill and Scroll
Robotics Club
Science National Honors Society
Trivia and Quiz Clubs
Web design/coding club
Writing Club

Academic Competitive Teams

Academic Decathlon
Academic Triathlon
American Mathematics Competitions
American Regions Math League
Caribou Mathematics Competition
Chemistry Olympiad
Clean Tech Competition
Creative Communication Poetry Contest
EconChallenge
Educators Rising
FIRST Robotics Competition
High School Innovation Challenge
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
Kids Philosophy Slam
Math League
National Academic Quiz Tournament
National French Contest
National History Bee
National Spelling Bee
Odyssey of the Mind
Poetry Out Loud
Questions Unlimited
Science Bowl
Science Olympiad
Other Trivia and Quiz Competition Teams

These activities will allow you to express yourself artistically—on paper, through a lens, on stage, and through several other media. Unleash your creativity!

Anime/Manga Club
Art: drawing, painting
Blacksmithing
Fashion design
Graphic Design
Jewelry Making
Photography
High School Theater Program
Community Theater Program
Video Game Development Club
Woodworking

Cultural and Language

These activities may help you reconnect with your roots, or allow you to get a taste of the world's diversity without ever leaving home. There are many other cultural and language-related activities that you can participate in. Some of the most common ones are listed below.

African American Student Alliances/Clubs
American Sign Language Club
Chinese Club
French Club
German Club
International Food Club
Pacific Islanders Club
Russian Club
South Asian Student Society
Spanish Club

These activities will allow you to get involved in your community.

Community Festivals
Do Something
Habitat for Humanity
Kids Helping Kids
Mountaineers Club
Sisters on the Runway

Interested in making a difference in your school, community, or on a larger scale, through policy? Try a government-related activity to see if this could be a career interest for you!

Community Youth Board
Student Council
Student Government
Community Government

These activities could be a fit if you're a natural leader, skilled at motivating, directing, and inspiring others.

National Beta Club
Peer Leadership Group

If you love writing and communicating, consider getting involved in a media activity to help bring news and information to your school or community.

School or local magazine/journal
School or local newspaper
School or local radio station
School or local television channel
School or local web site
Work on a movie
Yearbook Committee

If you are interested in learning about discipline, teamwork, and leadership, then you may be interested in a military-based extracurricular activity.

Civil Air Patrol
Junior ROTC

If you want to try playing an instrument or singing, there are many opportunities to try music-related activities. These are usually available both in your school community and in your wider community.

Any musical interest club
School Chorus/Choir
Community Chorus/Choir
Church Chorus/Choir
Chamber Music Group
Concert Band
Singing Lessons
Marching Band
Your own band
Tri-M Music Honor Society

Performance Art

Love to ham it up? You'll find there are many outlets both in your school and in your community to get on a stage and make an audience laugh and cry.

Comedy Club
Choreography
Classic Film Club
Film Production Club
International Thespian Society
Slam Poetry Club
High School Theater Group
Community Theater Group

You can usually find these groups in your community.

Church groups
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Jewish Student Union
Missionary work
Youth Groups

Roleplaying/Fantasy

Did you know your love of fantasy can also be an extracurricular activity? Participating in one of these groups can show a dedication to many different creative skills.

The Civil War Reenactors
Dungeons and Dragons Club
Gamers Club
LARPing (Live Action Role Playing)
Renaissance Faires

Social Activism

These groups may have chapters in your school or in your community. If there's a cause you're passionate about, seek out the local group that supports it.

Amnesty International
Animal Rights Club
Breast Cancer Awareness
Cancer Foundation
Environmental Club
Fair Trade Club
Gay-Straight Alliance
Girls Lean International
NOW —National Organization for Women
SADD —Students Against Destructive Decisions

Special Interest

You will often find these groups in your school or supported by the community. If you have a special interest in something that you can't find a local group for, consider creating one or join a national group. You can communicate with other people who have the same interest online, and attend meet-ups throughout the year.

Equestrian Club
Entrepreneurship Club
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
Girl Scouts
Horticulture Club
Model Railroads
Quilt Making

Sports and Recreation

You probably already know about the sports teams at your schools, but there are also many opportunities to participate outside of those. Try doing extramural sports, join a club league in your community, or consider coaching a youth team.

Baseball and softball
Bodybuilding
Cheerleading
Climbing Club
Hiking Club
Intramural Sports
Martial Arts
Ping Pong Club
Quidditch Clubs
Skate Board Club
Track & Field
Ultimate Frisbee Club

There are a lot of ways to make a difference in your local community. Look for volunteer groups in your school, your church, or elsewhere in your neighborhood. There are many websites, such as Volunteer Match , that can help you find a local community service project that is of interest to you.

Adopt-a-Highway
Animal rescue
Best Buddies International
Church outreach
Hospital volunteer
International volunteer program
Red Cross Club
UNICEF High School Clubs
Volunteer Fire Department
Work with a local charity
Work with a local soup kitchen

If none of the above activities are for you, you're still in luck. Why? You can always create your own extracurricular activity!

Did you know that almost any hobby can be turned into an extracurricular activity?

Starting a business or a website, volunteering, or any unusual hobby can be turned into something that you can write about for college. And if it's unique enough to not be on this list, you can be sure that it will be something new for the college admissions committee, as well!

What matters most is that it's an outlet for your passion, creativity, and leadership.

So instead of thinking you don't do anything interesting, take the opportunity to find a new passion, or to turn something you already love into an activity you can share with the world.

If you think there's something we left off that you want to see something added to this list, leave a comment below.

What's Next?

Now that you know what extracurriculars look like, read about how to write about extracurriculars on your college application.

Did you know that you can use community service work to help pay for college? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to win community service scholarships.

Want your extracurriculars to really stand out? Check out our guide of three amazing extracurricular examples that are sure to impress colleges.

Mary Ann holds a BA in Classics and Russian from the University of Notre Dame, and an MA from University College London. She has years of tutoring experience and is also passionate about travel and learning languages.

Student and Parent Forum

Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com , allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Improve With Our Famous Guides

For All Students

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points

How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading

Score 800 on SAT Writing

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading

Score 600 on SAT Writing

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?

15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points

How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

36 on ACT English

36 on ACT Math

36 on ACT Reading

36 on ACT Science

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

24 on ACT English

24 on ACT Math

24 on ACT Reading

24 on ACT Science

What ACT target score should you be aiming for?

ACT Vocabulary You Must Know

ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide

Should you retake your SAT or ACT?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

Writing About Extracurriculars in Your College Essays

Extracurricular activities are an important part of the application. How can you include them in your essays? Get tips and tricks with CollegeAdvisor.com.

Admissions and essay expert Ann Vande Velde will share her insider knowledge on how to include extracurricular activities in your essays during a 60-minute webinar and Q&A session.

In this webinar, you’ll have all your questions answered, including:

How can I write about my extracurricular activities?
How can I choose an activity that will make me stand out? -Are there any topics I should avoid writing about?

Come ready to learn and bring your questions!

Webinar Transcription

2022-10-25 – Writing About Extracurriculars in Your College Essays

Hi everyone. Welcome to CollegeAdvisor’s webinar on Writing About Extracurriculars in Your College Essays. I’m McKenzie and I’ll be your moderator tonight. So if you have any questions, you can direct message me. Uh, and also, uh, if you have any questions, uh, related to tech issues, you can direct message me.

Uh, otherwise, to orient everyone with the webinar timing, we’ll start up with a presentation. Then answer your questions in a live Q&A on the sidebar. You can download our slides and you can start to meet your questions in the Q&A tab. Now let’s meet our. Hi everyone. My name’s Anna Vande Velde. I’m super excited to be here tonight.

Um, just to give you a, a brief sense of who I am, um, I got my bachelor’s at Carnegie Mellon in psychology. Um, I thought I was gonna be a clinical psychologist. My life took a different path. I ended up at Harvard Law School and I’m now working as a nonprofit attorney and have been with CollegeAdvisor for over a year, um, advising students and also as a captain on our essay review team.

Great. And now real quick, we just wanna see where, um, everyone is at. So what grade are you currently in? Eighth, ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th or other. And other can be if you’re a transfer student or if you’re taking a gap year, and if you’re a parent on the call, you can select the grade that your student is going into.

And while we wait for those responses to roll in, Anna, can you tell us, um, does the activity that a student write. Uh, writes about, uh, need to be on their activities list? Great question. I would want to know a little more about what the student’s thoughts are. Um, cuz my initial thought is, why wouldn’t you put it on your activities list?

If it’s an issue of like you’ve maxed out the space, um, then I think you just wanna prioritize your activities list based on importance to you impact on your life and the amount of involvement. Um, so if there’s a club you’ve only been in for a week, maybe take that one off and put on the club that you’re writing about.

Um, but it, it’s gonna all depend on like the specifics. Hmm. So it’s looking like we have a great mixture in the crowd. We have 1% eighth graders, 5% ninth graders, 17% 10th graders, 37% 11th graders, which is not the majority, but they have the most percentage, uh, 36% 12th graders, and 3% other. And you can control the slides.

Great. Well, welcome everyone. Um, so the first question we wanted to answer is, where in the application do you even talk about extracurriculars? Um, and there are a lot of options. The most obvious place is, um, in your activities list. Um, and we have here activities, work and family responsibilities to highlight.

Activities list is broad. Um, you can really include so many different things there, and we’ll get into that later. Um, there’s also a section tried about honors and achievements. Those are usually related to an extracurricular activity. Your personal statement. You can write about extracurriculars. You do not have to.

Um, for those of you who maybe haven’t looked at or aren’t this far in the process, um, specifically with the Common App, which is where probably most of your applications will go through, there are a list of questions you can choose from for your personal statement. They’re pretty open-ended, um, and it’s completely up to you what you write about.

Can be an extracurricular. Doesn’t have to be the same thing is true if the college you’re applying to has, um, writing supplements. They might ask additional questions and want you to write additional essays there. And then I have letters of recommendation on here. You would not write this, that’s probably clear.

But there is an opportunity if you are asking a teacher or maybe a mentor and to write a letter of recommendation and they have seen how involved you are in a certain extracurricular, it’s completely appropriate to ask them, Are you comfortable writing about what you’ve seen me do in math club and in whatever the, the extracurricular might be?

So that’s just one more creative way to get your extracurriculars in there. Um, but that is not one that you would write. So the real answer to this question, what activities can students describe in their activities? List your essays. The real answer. Oh, sorry. Did my audio cut up? Okay. Um, the real answer is anything you can write about.

Anything, this is the list that the Common App provides in the activities list section. Uh, Anna, can we pause for a second? There are students, uh, with tech issues at the moment. Um, can you try, uh, speaking without the AirPods? That might help. Did I just cut out for a second cuz my laptop tried to use Siri?

I’ll try.

Can you hear me now? Yeah, I can hear you. Okay. Is this better? Everyone? I think that should help, but I’ll stop if we have anymore. Sorry about that. No, thank you for interrupting. Um, so I was just saying on the, on the Common App there is a section for activities and there’s literally a dropdown. That lists every single thing here.

That’s where I got this list from. So these are the types of extracurriculars that the Common App is thinking you might include. Um, you’ll notice the last one is other clubs slash activity. So truly you can put anything, um, it should be meaningful to you. It should be something you’ve been very engaged in.

Um, I did see one of the questions that people submitted ahead of time was about does it have to be like an official club affiliated with a school or a program? No. Um, so maybe, you know, if you’re dancing with friends, you could put it under dance or you could put it under other activity. They’re also gonna ask, you know, how many hours you’ve spent on it.

There’s a place for you to describe your engagement with that extracurricular. So you have a lot of leeway to write about what activities are most important to you.

So why, why are we even having a training on writing about extracurriculars and why is that something you would want to do? Um, first of all, writing about it in your essays will allow you to convey a lot more than you can fit in the activity section. Um, so that the description that you can put in that section is limited to 150 characters that is very short, that is less than like half of what you can put in a tweet.

Um, so you can’t fit a lot there. It’s hard to convey personal growth, um, really deep things there so you can capture that instead in an essay. Um, it also allows you to highlight things on your activities list that are maybe extra important to you. Um, and they’re just a great source I have found of stories.

And we’ll talk about storytelling and how important that is in your essays.

Speaking of how can students write meaningful essays about their activities? Tell a story. I say this a hundred times a day. I’m like a broken records. I drive my students not to lit, but I believe in it. It is so important when you are writing an essay, tell a story. You have the activity section to list, you know, what you did.

Here is where you show us what it looked like, what it felt like, what you experienced, what you learned, um, and any opportunity to connect that activity or what you learned in it to your college or career interests. Um, that’s a great thing to do in your essay.

Yes. Uh, so now we’re just gonna do another quick poll. So where are you in the college application process? Haven’t started. I’m researching schools. I’m working on my essays. I’m getting my application materials together. Or if you’re really lucky, I’m almost done. And while we wait for that, Anna, can you tell us how can writing about an extracurricular help those who have trouble writing about themselves?

Well, I think writing about ourselves can be difficult, and if you’re writing about an extracurricular, it maybe provides a little more structure to a question. Um, and like I said earlier, they’re just great sources of stories. So instead of thinking about like I’m writing about myself, you can start out by just describing the moment.

What did you see when you went to this new club? What did you think? What did you feel? What have you learned? Um, and if you can frame it like that, maybe it feels a bit less like you’re writing about yourself even though you are. Um, so starting with like a specific moment in mind that was really meaningful to you, I think is an easy way to, or easier way to start writing.

Mm-hmm. . So it’s looking like we have 26% have been started. 35% are researching schools, 21% are working on their essays. 11% are getting their application materials together and 6% though lucky if you are almost done and you can control the sides. Great. Well, it’s nice to have thread here. Um, so here are some high level tips for describing your extracurriculars.

Um, I’ve broken it out because my advice is different depending on where you’re writing about ’em. If it’s in the activity section. Um, You don’t have to use full sentences. Start with action words, like on a resume. Um, highlight your leadership, focus on what you’ve done, not what the club is. Um, so you don’t need to explain what Debate Club is.

Folks will know that. Um, and here’s a place to be specific. Um, so one example might be you could write Belong to Debate Club, where students debate controversial topics at various high schools in the region. Or you could write, participated in 15 debates. Organized team fundraiser, which raised over a thousand dollars in co-led practice sessions.

So I would say that second example is much stronger because it’s specific, you know, 15 debates raise over a thousand dollars and it uses action words like participated, organized, co-led. and it doesn’t waste that valuable 150 characters describing what debate club is. Um, in contrast, in your essay, you’re gonna tell me one to two stories of a debate practice or a debate you were in, Put us in your shoes.

What did it look like when you were standing on stage? What did it feel like? What did you hear? Um, and then really importantly, what did you learn about yourself? How did you grow? How has this shaped your college aspirations, your career aspirations? So there’s a lot more depth in the essay, um, versus in an activity section where it’s, you know, a lot, a lot briefer.

Um, things to avoid in your essays. I’ve already said this. You don’t need to describe the club organization if it’s obvious from the name. Sometimes it’s not. Um, and if it’s not, describe it. You want your readers to know what you’re talking about. Um, I would be as brief as possible there, so you save as much space as you can for you and what you’ve done in this club.

Um, similarly, an essay is not the place to list, you know, all of the clubs you’ve joined or all of the things you’ve accomplished in them, like simply as a list. Um, you can do that in that activity section, but here in an essay, you want to really pull your reader in, be engaging. We can do that best through storytelling.

Um, I have negativity on here. That’s not to say that you can’t write about. Negative moments. Sometimes those can be really rich areas to write about. Someone asked the question ahead of time about, um, is it okay to write about things we failed at? Absolutely. If you frame it from the perspective of, I failed at this and here’s what I did in response, here’s what I learned, here’s how I grew.

That could be a fantastic essay. Um, it’s okay to say you’ve failed, but you won’t want to end the essay there. Right. That would be your starting point. And then show us how you responded to that failure.

My experience reviewing essays, um, is that truly, you can relate almost anything back to your career or academic interest. Um, so I think sometimes students get a little worried, um, if I’m applying to. For a math major, and then I have to write about math club. Not necessarily. If you’ve been the most involved in theater and you’ve learned a lot about yourself there, then there you might have more to write about that might be more engaging.

And what have you learned about yourself in theater that confirms for you that math is going to be a, a good major for you? Um, it can be a personality trait. It doesn’t have to be I love math. I’m in math clubs. I’m going to be a math major Also, any amount of impact can be meaningful. There are some questions about impact.

Does it have to be world, world impact? No. Oh my goodness. Please do not put that pressure on yourselves. Um, these stories do not have to be TV worthy at all. Um, I read a fantastic essay. That was about a student’s journey in golf. Um, and it started out by him saying, Snap, the song of the, or the sound of the club as it hits the ball.

Da da da da da puts me in this place. And then this was actually an essay where he talked about how he didn’t do well the first year. Here’s what he did to get better. And it was all in like from his perspective and it was great, right? But that impact was mostly internal for him and a bit on his team.

Not a world changing impact at all. And that’s okay. Um, we can’t all impact the whole world. That’s just not realistic. Colleges know that. Um, and then there are interesting stories everywhere. Everywhere. I’ve read essays where a student just read something like on the subway. That sparked an interesting thought for them.

They followed it through, or a student heard someone say something about common sense and they thought, Oh, what does that even mean? They followed it all the way through. It’s interesting. If you put us in your shoes and you show us how you thought through a concept, it might sound overwhelming. I really encourage you to just take some time, sit and quiet or wherever you think best and just reflect where have I had impactful moments?

What, what, Where was I? What was I doing? What did I learn? And this is hard. This is hard for all of us, but I challenge you as. Having those thoughts and as you’re putting this work in to turn off that part that we all have in our brain that wants to immediately jump on it and say, Oh, I don’t know if a college is gonna like that.

I don’t know if that’s impressive to a Harvard, I don’t know about this. If you can turn that off just for a few minutes while you’re just brainstorming and thinking, let yourself take that story that you could tell there to completion. Take a step back and think like, Okay, is this a good story? Would I want to read this?

And does it tell the readers more about who I am as a person? So all that to say this is a process and it requires some thought and you can absolutely do it. Um, some high level advice. Show don’t tell is another way of me saying tell a story. So sorry, I had to get that in there one more time. Um, remember that lists are for activities sections, not your essays.

Number one rule, really, I should put this at the top. For anything you write, be genuine. Show us who you are. Um, actually write about the extracurriculars that mean the most to you, not the ones that you think colleges are going to care the most about. Because I can tell you they do not have a list. They do not have a rubric of this club ranks above that club.

This activity looks more impressive. Someone, um, asked if out of school extracurriculars look more impressive than in school. No. What they want to see when you’re writing, it’s just more about who you are, what you like, what you enjoy. So it can be any. Type of activity. Just be genuine, be yourself. Also, sometimes we just have to start writing.

Um, I know for me sometimes just getting that first sentence out, I could, there’s like such a writer’s block I challenge you. Let go start writing and then be open to rewriting and, and revising and getting feedback. Um, there’s that saying good writing is rewriting. I’m a big fan of that thing. Um, and feedback I think is really, really helpful.

With any essay from your teachers, your peers, your family, your CollegeAdvisor, um, that is what we are here for. And then this might be annoying to say, I’m sorry if it is, but if you can have fun when you’re writing these, why not? Um, you’re writing about the things you love the most and are the most passionate about, and hopefully even with all of the work on your plate and all of the stress of this process, I hope you can find an ounce of fun at least, um, in, in writing about what you love.

Yes. So that is the end of the presentation part of the webinar. I hope you found this information helpful. And remember, again, that you can download the slide from the link, the handouts tab. And this webinar is being recorded if you would like to view it again later on our website at app.CollegeAdvisor.com/webinars.

Moving on to live Q&A. I’ll read your questions, you submit it in the Q&A tab and read them aloud before a panelist gives you an answer. As a heads up, if your Q&A tab isn’t letting you submit questions, just make sure that you join the link through the custom, uh, join the custom link sent your email and not, uh, from the webinar landing page, also known as the website or else you won’t get all the feature that big marker.

So just make sure you join through that custom link. Uh, and, and real quick just before we get started, I have put some additional information in the Q&A tab. So yes, the character limit is meaning this. It’s150 words on the Common App. Um, different applications have different rules about that, but uh, the characters mean that, um, you can’t go, It’s gonna count each letter and digit that you type in, and I believe spaces are not included in that.

Punctuation? No, I don’t think punctuation is actually. Um, and then with the essays, you have a word count limit. So you get whole words, um, ranging from one word to 800 words depending on the, if it’s a supplement. The personal statement, which is the big essay that most people tend to write about extracurriculars in, um, is a minimum 250 words and a maximum of 650 words.

Uh, that is for the Common App. Every application portal has different, um, rules. Uh, and then also because it is a larger audience tonight, we ask that you do not vote on your, um, questions that you ask, cuz it disrupts the order of the Q&A tab. So, yes. Okay. So for our first question, this is a big question that everyone, uh, wants to know about.

What makes an essay about an extracurricular activity stand out? Love this question. What makes. Any essay stand out about an extracurricular or otherwise, is that I get to learn more about you. So if you can for a minute, put yourself in the shoes of the college admissions reader. They are reading a lot of essays, um, and they’re not always spending a whole lot of time on them.

So the more you can pull them in and engage them right at the beginning, the more likely they are to remember your essay at the end of the day. Um, and that’s, that’s what you want, right? So not here’s my spiel again, but if you can tell a story, put us in your shoes at the very beginning, only you have had that experience.

Only you have had those exact thoughts and feelings. So it’s immediately. Unique, even if it’s about something millions of people do, like golf, If it’s your specific experience with golf, it’s unique, it’s engaging. And I wanna know more. The essay is where people learn about you as a human and everywhere else in the application, the list, the transcript is you as a student on paper.

Um, so that’s, yes. Um, going on to the next question, more about the pros of the essays. A students asking should you use professional language or should the essays be casual? Good question. Um, an annoying thing about lawyers is that we say it depends a lot. Um, so I’m gonna say it depends and then I’m going to elaborate.

I would err on the. Of less casual. Um, you certainly want the essay to sound like yourself. Um, like if someone read the essay and then met with you and had a conversation, they could see like, Oh yeah, this person sounds on paper, similar to how they sound in person. Um, that does not mean that we would write LOL or whatever casual slang is popular these days.

I know it’s not lol. I know I’m old. Um. So find that balance between keeping your voice clear and prominent and not falling too casual. So, I mean, if you’re writing Google Docs and it underlines it as a word, that’s not a word, maybe um, swap that out, um, or explain why you’re using the word that you list.

Mm-hmm. Uh, kind of going off of that, versus asking, when you say that you do not have to write in full sentences in the activity section, do you mean to use bullet points? I don’t think bullet points all are even allowed, just like I don’t think you can enter them. Um, but you can use periods to abbreviate, um, before a full sentence.

Like you, you can take out the word the, uh, similar to like advice you get on, um, resume writing, if you’ve done that or Googled that. Um, yes, no bullets, but you can abbreviate. Mm-hmm. Uh, so I’m seeing a lot of, uh, specific questions, , about, um, various activities from, um, the first Lego League, um, versus, um, what are some other ones?

Dance and sports. Um, how do you know if a topic is good to write about, um, for your application? If you love it, if it’s meaningful to you, If you can tell me a story about something you have done in this activity, be it dance or legos, anything. And I can learn more about you as a human and how you would be as a friend to other students on campus or how you’d be as a student in class or a community member and maybe a new, a new city.

That’s it, y’all. There’s not, there’s not like a. This activity is good, this activity is bad. It can actually be anything. If you love it, if you have learned from it, if you have grown as a person in it and you can capture that in an essay, then it’s a great topic. Uh, going on to the next question, are there any activities that are cliche to write about?

I don’t think so. Um, I think, I think when essays come off as cliche, it has nothing to do with the topic and it’s coming off as cliche cuz students are maybe, you know, pulling together different cliche phrases in a way where it feels like, I don’t think the student talks like this. I think they’re saying this because they think.

I want to read that as an admissions reader, I think they’re, they’re writing this, hoping it’ll impress me instead of writing well from a genuine place’s passion. Mm-hmm. So there are no cliche topics. Only disingenuous. Mm-hmm. A good way to, um, see if your essay is coming off genuinely, um, is to have someone who knows you pretty well to read your essay and they can tell you if they think it sounds like you, if they think it represents you.

I know for me, with one of my essays, I wrote, um, something about identity, but it wasn’t really something about my identity per se, or nothing that I felt strongly about. And one of my teachers, uh, questioned whether or not it would be the best essay because it came off kind of bland and didn’t really connect with anything about my character and my personality.

So that can be a good way to see if your essays coming off cliche. Um, if it can apply to pretty much any other student and it doesn’t really relate to you. There are a lot of shared experiences, but if it can’t be directed back to you, that’s kind of where cliche or in genuineness, uh, comes in. Uh, going on to the next question.

Uh, should we write about an activity we did not enjoy? If you’re going to tell me why you didn’t, why you didn’t enjoy it, what you learned through that experience. Sure. Especially if that’s really relevant to what you wanna do in college. If that, if doing something you didn’t like, taught you a really big thing about yourself and your future goals, I would definitely write about it.

I would caution you to not frame, to not be overly negative and blaming the activity or the person who is leading it. Um, cause we don’t wanna come across too negative. Um, but yes, if you can, if you can tell me why you didn’t like it and how you drew. Uh, going on to the next question, a parent is asking, um, about the additional information section and if that is a good place to put, um, to write about activities that maybe weren’t on your activities list or if you wanted to use your essay for something else, would the additional information section be a good place to do that?

Um, is this, I’m not sure what additional information section there is. Um, so like there’s the Common App essay and then there’s the activities list and on like the, one of the last sections of the Common App application, and I’m not sure about other application portals. Um, but on the last section it asks is there anything else that you would like to add to your application?

And it gives. I, I wanna say it’s like 250 or six 50 words, but I’m not sure, Um, just to add any additional parts to your application. Usually people use it to like, explain maybe dips and grades or people have used it for activities, um, before. And then, um, it can be used to just expand on something, uh, in your application that wasn’t touched on anywhere else.

Thank you, McKenzie. Um, I understand the question now and, and I agree with everything you said. Um, you can use it for that. I, I caution my students against including activities just to have a long activities list. Um, so I think common epilepsy put 10 mm-hmm, um, if you genuinely have 12 extracurriculars that you.

Are so passionate about and they’re really impactful to you. Yeah, you, you can totally include it there. Um, I just, I wouldn’t feel any pressure to, to do that or to, to show colleges like I have done, I’ve set up world record in like, number of extracurriculars I’ve participated in, um, cuz they, I really are taking a holistic, uh, view of these applications and it’s not like maxing out the activity section, boost your points or anything.

There’s no point system. Um, so I hope that answers the question. You can, but I caution students to only include activities that they’re really genuinely engaged and excited. Mm-hmm. . Uh, going on to the next question, I’m gonna kind of combine these two, but does it need to be an activity or experience? We were recently involved in, and this kind of goes with the student’s question, asking if an activity that they were in, uh, in elementary, during elementary and middle school, but didn’t do in, um, high school can be written about because it inspired their, uh, in current interest.

Awesome question. I believe the Common App in the activity section wants you to talk about just high school activities with the essays, there’s a lot of freedom. Um, so that question about this thing I did in elementary or middle school that really informed what I wanna do. Yes. That sounds like a great starting point for your personal statement or for supplemental essay.

Absolutely. You can really write about anything in the essays. Um, doesn’t have to be just something you’ve done in high school. Uh, kind of going off of that, another student is asking, can they write about a camp that they attended and then sort to add on, uh, can we write about an activity that was only one day, such as a conference or a competition, uh, or an activity that we were not in for a long, that we were in for a short time?

Yes. Thank you. I actually, I had in my notes to address that one during the presentation and I skipped over it. Yes. If you go to a conference and it changes your life, where it tells you what you wanna study and what you don’t wanna study, yes. Please write about it. That sounds really important to your story, to knowing you as a person.

Absolutely. Camps similarly, um, you can include them on the activities list and or in an essay, uh, focusing on the impact that they’ve had on you. Uh, going on to the next question, um, just to kind of broadly talk about extracurriculars, cuz I’m seeing a lot of questions on it. Uh, a student is asking if there’s a disadvantage if you don’t have a large number of extracurriculars.

Uh, and another student is asking on the opposite end, Is it good to have a lot of extracurriculars? They just wanna know like, what is it about these extracurriculars? Yes. Yeah, good question. Be genuine. Don’t be like, me as a high school senior who joined every club my school offered because I thought that’s what colleges wanted to see.

It is not, that was a, I was pushing myself too hard and I was overextending myself. Go to the clubs and extracurriculars that excite you, that are interesting to you. and then just be genuine about that on your application. Colleges are really like, I know it can feel like they’re not, but they really genuinely are taking the holistic approach.

So they’re gonna look at your activities list, but they’re also gonna look at your transcript and they’re also gonna look at your essays. So if there’s something in, if you, if you’re like, Ooh, I’m worried I have only one or two extracurriculars. First of all, I would challenge you to look really closely at that list.

Uh, cause there are a lot of things on there, um, that you might not be thinking of as an extracurricular. You, I’m just scrolling back to it. Um, if you are engaged in any religious community, if you have any family responsibilities, um, so helping with siblings or grandparents, parents, if you have a job, there are so many things that you can put on that list.

Um, but first of all, if you think you don’t have enough, really go through that list closely and see if we might have more than you think. Um, and then just follow our natural passions and tell your story and your application. I don’t know, I’m forgetting there are two questions that, Did I get both of them?

McKenzie? Yeah. Like, is it, um, a disadvantage, uh, to have a low number of activities also, or a large number? It’s not a disadvantage, it’s just a fact. Um, and tell your story. If there’s a reason why that you think is worth sharing, do that in your personal statement or in the extra space. Um, but no, they’re, they’re looking at you as a whole person, not just as someone who should sign up for extracurriculars.

Yes. And for me, uh, cause I see that someone asking about the average, uh, on the Common App, you’re able to upload 10 activities and then they have a separate section for honors and awards. So you don’t need to use that space there. Um, a lot of people try to meet that, um, maximum number of 10, and we have other webinars that go over this, but you do not need to do that.

I believe that when I was applying to college back in 2019, oh my gosh, um, my senior year I had about, I wanna say seven activities on my list and I got into Cornell University early decisions. So it’s more so about what your, um, commitment and your involvement, even if it was a one day thing, it’s like what did you do in that?

Why was it meaningful? Getting, uh, across that point in your application overall is more important than the number of activities that you have. Though a lot of people do try and meet that number of 10 just because the space is available. Um, the coalition application, I believe only goes up to eight activities.

So if you wanted to submit more than that, I’d recommend the Common App, Uh, different, uh, portals, like the UCs, I don’t remember what they do, but some applications don’t allow you to submit anything. Like they don’t really ask for much information. So it really depends on, um, what schools and what application portal you’re using.

Uh, going on to the next question, cause I’m seeing it come up a lot, students are just really curious about, um, whether or not the, the activity or the essay needs to be related to your major or career interest. Great question. Um, I think first of all, uh, it depends a little bit on the prompt. Uh, if the prompt is a supplemental essay and it says, Tell us about an extracurricular you’ve done.

There’s maybe a little more leeway, but I think even there, you can bring it back to your interest somehow. It might not be obvious. Um, I read an essay the other day that related, um, archery to forensic science. Right? Those are not related, but the student learned certain things in archery, like patience, working independently, attention to detail.

Those are all super relevant in forensic science. And she made a really convincing argument that they are, and because of this extracurricular, she’s done, she’s now better prepared to be a forensic science. So I’m telling you, there is a connection there because in everything we do as humans, we are learning and we are growing.

And if we’re learning and growing, then we’re getting something that is going to be useful in a big new chapter like college. Uh, going along with that, uh, there are gonna be multiple essays in your application. So you have the personal statement, and I’m going off the Common App again, but the personal statement is big essay, um, that you find under the, my Common App, uh, section of the Common App.

Uh, and then you have the supplemental essays, which is found under each individual college, under the My Colleges section. And then, so, um, the personal statement, um, is a good place to write about this. Supplements can be a good place to write about, um, majors, uh, career interests, just because schools typically are asking the why school question, like, why do you wanna attend there?

Why do you wanna do this program? So that can be a good place to explain that and then maybe talk about a different activity or experience or whatever else in your personal statement. Um, but if schools aren’t asking that question or if you don’t have the space to talk about an extracurricular there, um, you can always, um, Use your personal statement.

And then also some schools will even ask you what activities you would like to participate in college and why. So that can be a good space to say like, Hey, I participated in this in high school and I’d like to continue. Um, that’s another space. It all makes more sense when you actually see it on the application.

Uh, and it does not need to be, your essay does not need to be related to your career or anything. I wrote about a college prep, uh, club that I started at my high school and I was applying pre-med and public health. Uh, I did eventually switch into the education side, but um, initially I got into pre-med and public health with my, um, essay talking about.

Education. There we go. Uh, but my supplements, were talking more about my interest in health and health. Uh, so, yeah. Uh, going on to the next question, a student is asking, should a person write about, uh, extracurricular activities or life experiences in an essay which would be more engaging and memorable?

I’m sorry, McKenzie, you cut out at the very beginning. Yes. Uh, so a student asking should a person write about extracurricular activities or life experiences in the essays, uh, which would be more engaging?

I’m curious how an extracurricular is different from a life experience. Um, in that everything we do is a life experience. If the question is about, is it better to write about an extracurricular, like a formal club or something that happened in my personal? No. Like none is, neither is better than the other.

Uh, write about what’s gonna, tell me more about you. You want the admissions readers to look at your entire application and see like, Oh, I know a bit about who this student is. I understand where they’re coming from and where they want to go, but they make, it makes sense. They’ve told their story throughout the application.

Um, so you don’t have to write about your extracurricular and your essay. Um, you can absolutely write about personal things. Um, I just got a, a chat question about writing about weaknesses being vulnerable. Yes. You can do all of that. Um, just, you know, frame it how we’ve been talking about. Tell the story.

What have you learned? How do you feel it’s prepared you, um, for where you want to go? Yes. And I’m seeing a question in the chat asking, Do I have to limit my essay to six 50 words? Is there a drawback to exceeding the limit? So on the Common App, it is going to cut you off after six 50 words, so you won’t be able to go over that.

Um, we recommend writing your essays in like a separate Google Doc or Word doc. Um, and then, uh, cutting it down, editing it there, and then, um, copying and pasting it into your, uh, application. Uh, and then it’ll show you whether or not you, um, your essay fits in or not. And you can like check the word count.

You need a minimum of 250 words to be able to submit your Common App. And, but you have a max at six 50, so there’s no way to exceed it. And on that, Um, we know that the admissions process is hard for, um, is overwhelming for parents and students alike, especially when trying to figure out how to get these essays down.

Um, cut down the word count, figure out what’s even right about and make the essays as strong as possible. Our team of over 300, uh, forum or admissions officers and admissions experts, such as Anna are ready to help you and your family navigate it all in one-on-one advising sessions. Uh, take charge of your family’s college admissions journey by signing up for a free strategy session with an admissions expert by scanning the QR code on the screen.

From there, you’ll be taken to, um, A form, um, which you can fill out to figure out when a good meeting time will be, and then you’ll be connected with someone from our team to figure out what our packages are, um, what our different services are. Um, but just to go over it a bit, uh, with your advisor, you’ll really get to know them in these, um, one-on-one sessions and then they’ll be able to get to know you, your interest.

Um, usually you’re paired with someone who’s been accepted into or attends the school of interest and even, um, is doing this a similar career path to what you’re interested in. So they can really help with guiding you to figure out what’s gonna be the best, uh, topic, best way to frame your application so that it is the strongest possible and really represents you, your passions, your interests, and helps you, um, helps improve your chances of getting into your dream schools.

And one of the highlights for joining CollegeAdvisor is you get access to our essay review team who can provide additional support, um, with, um, Your essays. And Anna, since you are the lead on that, do you mind talking a bit more about, um, the essay review team? Yes, absolutely. Our essay review team is here for you.

We are, uh, a select group of advisors within the CollegeAdvisor network who are particularly passionate about writing, editing, um, and essays that come to us through, typically through your advisor. Um, and we give thorough feedback. We do the inline edits. Um, we’ll help with word count if that’s an issue.

We’ll point out places where we think you might need more or, uh, you know, some clarification. Um, and then we’ll give you a paragraph or two of high level feedback, um, just to say like, Here’s where I see this going, great work. Here’s my biggest, Like, if you’re only gonna do one thing to strengthen this essay, this is what I would do.

Um, and that’s, that’s what we’re here for. We have a turnaround time. We’re very proud of. Uh, we get ’em back within 24 hours. It’s often even faster than that. Um, so we are here for you and would love to read your essays. Yes, it’s a, it’s a great part of CollegeAdvisor. You get a whole team just looking over your essays so that it can really stand out as much as possible.

And um, again, with helping with that word count, cause I know that is a bit tricky for students, but yeah, so, um, you can sign up again by going to, uh, by scanning the QR code on the screen and you can also go to app.CollegeAdvisor.com and sign up for a free account, um, with us where you can, um, review different parts of the application process, um, keep up with deadlines, research various schools, and you can, uh, keep track of our webinars, um, to view what’s upcoming or view, um, past webinars.

So yeah, so’s scan the QR code on the screen to find out more. Uh, now back to the Q&A. So I am seeing a student asking about, I just had the question. Um, Okay. Uh, similar to like the, um, clubs that are less formal. A student is asking, Do colleges consider hobbies as extracurriculars? I would want to know more.

I’d want to have a conversation with a student asking this. Absolutely. You can write about a hobby in an essay. A hundred percent. Cause you can write about anything. Um, if, if you’re wanting to include it on the activities list, I would just wanna hear more about what it is. Um, on Common App, at least they do ask questions about how long you’ve been doing it, how many hours per week you spend on it.

Um, so if it’s a hobby that you’re spending like 10, 15 hours a week on, I think that’s a strong argument to include it there. Um, and then you just wanna be thought of what, which drop down category you select for it. Um, so yes, you could, and you can absolutely write about it in an essence. Yes, it’s a long list of things that can be counted as, um, As your activities list, including family responsibilities, which is even more broad than a hobby.

So, um, just it’s really more so about your commitment and how well you’re able to explain it. And then also for different things, if you wanted a extra like voucher for them or extra verification, um, you can ask someone to write you a recommendation for them if you have the additional space. Some schools limit who or how many people you can ask, um, for a letter of recommendation.

But if you have the extra space to get a recommender who maybe watched you the hobby, that is a great, um, way to just get the extra verification in terms of whether or not colleges verify how many hours and stuff you participate in them or how many activities you’re really participating in. I’d recommend just not lying.

Um, and then just try and be truthful. If you can’t quantify how many hours you were in it, you can put like, how many days a week? Um, how many. How long you were in the activity. Um, just give a general idea of what your participation was like. And if it seems like it’s too many activities to where it doesn’t sound realistic, then maybe you can explain it in the additional information section.

But usually if you were able to accomplish that many tasks and the time you were given, then you should, you should be good. But if it, you’re saying like you did 150 hours a week on an activity, that’s probably not likely. Cuz 40 hours a week is like the average working hours and you’re full-time students.

Uh, so just keep that in mind. . Yeah, I tell my students like, Look, you want the right order of magnitude. Mm-hmm. . Um, and it’s okay to estimate on average how many hours per week, but it needs to be in the ballpark. It can’t be 150 hours per week unless somehow you are doing that. And then you should definitely write about that in an essay.

Uh, going on to the next question, should you talk about an activity that you quit?

If I can learn something interesting about you, I’d wanna know why you quit, um, what you did after you quit, what you learned about yourself. You might be starting to notice a theme to my answers, um, because that’s the goal of these essays is who are you as a person and how do you think, how do you grow?

How do you learn? Um, are you able to introspect? and reflect on a time and say like, Oh, I quit dance and here’s, here’s why. Here’s what I learned about myself. Um, again, staying away from the negative, like dance is a horrible activity. I would not say something like that. Um, focus on you and what you learned.

Mm-hmm. , Uh, going on to the next question is students asking how many activities do you recommend we, uh, should write about? Is there a minimum? Um, I guess that would depend on the, if it’s the essay or the activities list. Can you kind of touch on both? Yes, absolutely. Um, we’ve talked about the activities list, um, a bit.

So I’ll, I’ll be brief there. You’re limited to 10 on the Common App. You do not have to have 10. McKenzie, I think she had seven and got an early decision before now, like a rock star. Um, so you do not need to fill that in an essay. I, I would, I would tend to write about fewer activities, maybe even one, maybe even one moment in that activity.

Um, because the activities, the activities list is there, um, to see how, like how many things you’ve done. The essay is there not for that at all, cuz that’s what the activities section is for. The essay is there for me to learn more about you as a person. So if you’re spending a lot of your 650 words, well listing all the, the activities we’ve done, it’s kind of a waste of your space.

Uh, so when writing in an essay, I would maybe talk about just. Um, if, if two are related, um, or if there’s a reason you wanna talk about two. It’s not a hard and fast rule. Um, but just be thoughtful about why would, why would I write about more than one? And how does writing about more than one tell the reader more about me that they can’t get from my activities list?

Mm-hmm, uh, if it’s starting to sound more like a list or it gets a little bit off topic, that’s where writing about more than one activity and an essay can get a little bit difficult and then you aren’t able to expand as much as you would like to. If you just talked about one, maybe two activities or even a moment, like Anna said.

Um, it’s specificity is really good in essays and having multiple things to talk about limits that, um, y’all can check out our other webinars. There are even some. Workshop webinars where we go over specific ways to write the essay, different ways to edit it. Uh, you can check out our webinars on writing about a passion project, which overlaps a lot with this topic.

Um, and you can just switch it out for like an activity that you’re doing, even if it wasn’t something that you started. So that is also a good place to look and I’m also seeing some questions related to the admissions process in general. Like when should you start? Um, and uh, where do recommenders go?

You can check out our other webinars by typing in those keywords, like recommender or activities list or admissions process, um, on our website at app.CollegeAdvisor.com to find those more specific questions. And in terms of being able to save the application, the application does save as you go. I would just recommend with the essays that you would, um, do it in a separate doc just so you can edit it and see it a bit easier and even share it with someone else if you wanted them to read over it.

Um, and the activities list, you can just. You can do in the Common App, but then also having like a spreadsheet or a resume on the side, um, for you to look off of, uh, going on to the next question. Um, Okay. Uh, a student is asked, oh, if there’s any questions in the chat that you wanted to get to, please feel free to read them out and respond.

Um, uh, but how, uh, what are admissions officers looking for in an essay, particularly about the extracurriculars? And another student is asking, um, what are some common mistakes you see within the, within, uh, applications or within nasa? Yeah, in essays about extracurriculars and about anything readers, admissions readers are looking to get to know you as a person.

How do you think about the world? And it makes sense that they want to, to know that. Because you’re applying to be a student at their university where you’re going to come and participate in activities and participate in class. So they want to know how, how do you see the world, how do you engage with it?

What would you be like as a student here on campus? Um, and what was, Sorry McKenzie, I don’t remember the other question. Um, what are some common mistakes? I believe somebody, uh, is putting like top three mistakes and writing essays about extracurriculars. Okay. Um, top three might be hard for me to commit to cause I’m an indecisive person.

Um, mistakes I see are, I think that biggest one is just not going deep. Not, not introspecting. That’s when they’re coming off as cliche as if you’re writing this, um, cuz you want to impress me. Um, and doing this is hard. It. Like it does require. Why don’t to scare you if you can do it. And it’s helpful to do the work up front by thinking it through.

Like genuinely take some time before you start writing to think about what extracurricular is the most meaningful to me and why. I’m telling you, I don’t think every student does that. And I think putting in even just a few minutes to think about that before you start writing will really, uh, level up your essay.

Mm-hmm, uh, since we are coming up on time, is there any last advice that you would like to give to students or any questions again that you see that you wanna answer? My advice to students is that you can do this. I know it’s a long process and I was there, I remember how stressful it can be. Use your support network.

Um, Hopefully that includes CollegeAdvisor. Um, use your teachers, use your peers, your family. Um, it’s intimidating to ask people to read what we’ve written and it is so worth it to get feedback on your essays. Um, so that’s my number one advice. Be open to feedback, be open to reworking things, um, and then be you show your true self.

Use your real voice when you write and, you’re going to be fabulous and we cannot wait to work with all of you individually. Mm-hmm. So thank you for that wonderful answer. So that is the end of the, uh, our webinar. Thank you to our wonderful panelists, Anna, for all this great information about writing about your extracurriculars.

Um, here’s the rest of our October series in our upcoming November series where we’ll have various webinars on college panels and on, um, various parts of the application and essay editing, as well as some supplemental essay workshops for those, um, school specific essays. Um, So remember again, you can, um, rewatch this recording later on our website at app.CollegeAdvisor.com, and you can find other webinars as well.

Um, so if your question was not answered in tonight’s webinar, do try attending the, um, upcoming webinars or, uh, view our older webinars as well as looking on our blog where you may be able to find, uh, the specific answers to your questions. Especially for everyone that’s new to the admissions process. I recommend, um, watching some of our videos that go over the admissions pro, uh, process entirely so that you can figure out what’s coming up, what all do you need to do, and what all to look out for, uh, as you get started on this journey.

So thank you everyone for coming out tonight and goodnight .

Featured Advisors

Personalized and effective college advising for high school students.

Advisor Application
Popular Colleges
Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice
Student Login
California Privacy Notice
Terms and Conditions
Your Privacy Choices

By using the College Advisor site and/or working with College Advisor, you agree to our updated Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy , including an arbitration clause that covers any disputes relating to our policies and your use of our products and services.

Complete List of Extracurricular Activities – 250+ Examples

February 26, 2024

There are many reasons to participate in extracurriculars. They’ll allow you to develop skills and widen your social circle. Plus, they’re fun! Moreover, extracurriculars are not only personally and professionally enriching, but can also be a critical component of your college applications. In fact, there are ten blank spaces for extracurricular activities on the Common Application. Now, do you need ten extracurricular activities? Nope. While you should feel free to experiment during your freshman and sophomore years, it is fine—preferrable, actually—to focus on a few core activities your junior and senior years. That is, focus on quality over quantity (scroll down for 250 extracurricular activity examples).

In addition, one’s ability to participate in extracurricular activities is shaped by a number of factors including academic load, personal and familial obligations, economic circumstances, and availability. It’s difficult to join a ski club if you live in Florida, write for the student newspaper if your high school doesn’t have one, or participate in after-school activities when you have younger siblings to babysit or a part-time retail job. Admissions officers will account for these factors, and you should as well.

Why Are Extracurriculars Important?

Different schools place different weight on extracurriculars. Generally, the more competitive the school, the more your extracurriculars can help you stand out amongst a field of academically-qualified applicants.

More specifically, extracurriculars:

Give insights into your priorities and passions.
Demonstrate commitment and initiative.
Establish your interest in a prospective major. This is more important for some majors than others. Examples: pre-med, computer science, theater.

Extracurricular Activities Examples (Continued)

However, contrary to popular belief, college admissions officers are people, not robots. They are focused on accepting applicants who will make up a well-rounded student body , not necessarily on accepting individual students who check each and every box. This distinction is critical. Treat the activities section of your application as an opportunity to show what you have to offer to your future college community. What does your list of activities say about you? What do you want it to say about you? For example, perhaps you participated in only one club in high school—a single line item on the activities section of your application. Is that “bad?” Well, no. Let’s expand the scenario and say that you were a member of said club all four years of high school, eventually served as Vice-President, and participated in regional activities.

Now, what does that one activity say about you? It says that you are dedicated and secure in your interests. Conversely, let’s say you participated in eight different extracurriculars—some sporadically, some regularly. What does this say about you? You are a joiner. You are not afraid to experiment, but know how and when to prioritize. Both of these hypothetical students are promising candidates.

When reviewing extracurriculars, college admissions officers are looking for evidence of:

Participation
Achievement
Community Engagement
Relevant (or Unexpected) Interests
Social Awareness
Personal Growth

Typically, what your list of extracurriculars communicates about you is the most valuable part of this application section.

What Are Extracurriculars?

Whether you are just starting to explore extracurricular opportunities or are already considering how to complete the Common App activities section, it can be helpful to consider the range of activities. What constitutes an extracurricular activity? What are your options? Which extracurriculars fit your interests?

As the list of extracurriculars below shows, the list of potential activities is quite expansive. Use this list to brainstorm ideas or get a sense of the range of possibilities. In fact, if you are researching extracurriculars early enough in your high school career, you might even be able to establish a club or chapter that doesn’t yet exist at your school or in your community.

Alternatively, by perusing this list, you might find that are already participating in an activity without even realizing it “counts.” What do you do after school? For fun? During the weekends? That is, before you despair, are you sure that you have no extracurriculars ? No matter your circumstances, it is highly unlikely that you have nothing to include in this section of your application. Remember that an extracurricular can be any activity not related to coursework . This includes both formal activities and informal hobbies, paid work and volunteer positions, clubs and sports, etc.

List of Extracurricular Activities Divided by Category

Many of these activities could easily fit into multiple or alternate categories. For example, some language clubs are more academic and founded by and for students interested in learning and practicing a language, whereas others function more as cultural affinity groups.

Numerous organizations, clubs, or teams listed are national organizations, with students joining or belonging to a local or school-specific chapter. Where possible, we’ve linked to the national organization for more information.

Academic Clubs or Teams

Do you love science and plan to major in pre-med? An anatomy or biology club might be for you! Are you interested in practicing your Spanish skills outside of class? There might be a club for that! Join a club or an academic team because it interests you, not because you think it will look good (or, at least, not just because you think it will look good).

These groups can vary in competitiveness and levels of commitment. Academic competitions or challenges often entail some degree of travel, as well as opportunities for prizes and scholarships.

Academic Decathlon
Academic Triathlon
Adopt-a-Physicist
American Mathematics Competitions
American Regions Mathematics League
Anatomy Club
Arabic Club
Architecture Club
Art History Club
Astronomy Club
Biology Club
Business Club
Caribou Mathematics Competition
Chemistry Club
Chemistry Olympiad
Chinese Club
Clean Tech Challenge
Conrad Challenge (annual innovation and entrepreneurial competition)
Creative Communication Poetry Contest
EconChallenge
Economics Club
Electronics Club
Engineering Club
English Club
French Club
German Club
History Club
Kids Philosophy Slam
Life Sciences Club
Literature Club
Math League
National Academic Quiz Tournament
National Geography Bee
National History Bee
National Science Bee
National Spelling Bee
Odyssey of the Mind
Philosophy Club
Physics Club
Psychology Club
Robotics Club
Russian Club
Science Olympiad
Spanish Club
Trivia and Quiz Clubs
Web Design/Coding Club
Writing Club

Affinity Groups

This list is not comprehensive, as these types of groups tend to vary according to the demographic make-up of one’s high school or region. Likewise, the names of these groups can vary significantly. Don’t see a group that serves you or your peers? Establish one!

African American Student Alliance
American Sign Language Club
Asian Students Association
Association of Latin-American Students
Autism Awareness Club
Black Students Alliance
Black Students Union
Buddhist Club
Caribbean Culture Club
Chinese Student Association
Diversity Awareness Club
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Feminist Club
Filipino-American Club
Gay-Straight Alliance
Indian Students Association
International Students Association
International Women’s Club
Jewish Culture Club
Jewish Student Union
Latino Students Union
LGBTQ2S+ Club
Multicultural Student Union
Muslim Student Union
Muslim Students Association
National Organization for Women
Nigerian Student Association
Pacific Islander Student Association
Persian Club
Queer Student Alliance
Refugee Support and Awareness Club
South Asian Student Association

Do you have a creative side, or are you planning in majoring in art or design?

3-D Modeling
3-D Printing Club
Anime/Manga Club
Blacksmithing
Fashion Design
Graphic Design
Jewelry Making
Knitting and Crochet
Photography
Video Game Development
Woodworking

Community Involvement & Service Organizations

Many school clubs or societies require community service, as do many scholarships. Likewise, some college applications provide a separate section for listing your community service. However, you might also consider volunteering more regularly or joining a service organization. Not only can it be more enriching than a one-off volunteer opportunity, but it also counts as an extracurricular. There are many established service organizations, or you can look up local groups and reach out about volunteer opportunities.

Adopt-a-Highway
American Cancer Society
Amnesty International
Animal Rights Club
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Do Something
Environmental Club
Food Pantry/Soup Kitchen Volunteer
Girls Lean International
Habitat for Humanity
Hospital Volunteer
Humane Society
Kiwanis International
March of Dimes
Missionary Work
Nursing Home Volunteer
Peer Tutoring
Red Cross Club
Religious Institution Involvement (Church, Mosque, Synagogue, Temple Involvement)
UNICEF High School Clubs
Volunteer Fire Department
Youth Groups

Employment & Professional Development

Are you worried about your extracurriculars because you want or need to work instead? Well, don’t. Holding down a job is serious business, and demonstrates responsibility and resolve.

Educators Rising (for future educators)
Entrepreneurship Club
HOSA (organization for future health professionals)
Internships (paid and unpaid)
Lifeguarding
Landscaping
Pet sitting
Retail Work
Service Industry Work (waiting tables, housecleaning, etc.)
Teacher Assistance
Tutoring (paid and volunteer)

Government, Leadership & Activism

From serving on your student council to volunteering for a local (or national) political campaign, there are many government-adjacent extracurricular opportunities. Other ways of cultivating your leadership skills including checking out one of the many established youth leadership groups or working with an organization that represents your political interests and concerns.

Civil Air Patrol
The Climate Initiative
Current Events Club
Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA)
Foreign Affairs Club
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
Girl Scouts
High School Democrats of America
Junior ROTC
Junior State of America
Mock Trial Club
Model Congress Club
Model United Nations
National Beta Club
National Speech & Debate Association
National Teen Age Republicans
Political Campaign Involvement
Racial Justice Club
Sierra Student Coalition
Sunrise Movement
Student Council
Student Government
Team Enough
Young Democrats of America

Honor Societies

Commitment level and degrees of selectiveness can vary.

Mu Alpha Theta (Mathematics Honor Society)
National Honor Society
Quill and Scroll (International Honor Society for High School Journalists)
Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society
Science National Honors Society
Tri-M Music Honor Society

Media & Writing

Even if there is no club or group that fits your media or writing interests, anyone can start a blog or a podcast!

Blogging (personal or through an established web publication)
Creative Writing (poetry, fan fiction)
Culture Reviews (books, films, television)
Literary Magazine
Playwriting Club
Radio (school or local station)
Scriptwriting Club
School Newspaper
Sports Writing
Television (school or local channel)
Yearbook Committee

Music & Performance Art

Remember that this category includes more than performance. Do you love theater but have terrible stage fright? Join the stage crew to help with costumes or design. Do you want to support musical groups but can’t carry a tune? Offer to do the lighting or work as an usher during concerts.

Acapella Group
Chamber Music Group
Choreography
Chorus/Choir (school or community)
Comedy Club
Concert Band
Dance (ballet, jazz, modern, tap, etc.)
Improv Club
International Thespian Society
Marching Band
Slam Poetry Club
Spoken Word
Theater (school or community, acting or production)

Special Interests

There is (or can be) a club for any interest.

Astrology Club
Bridge Club
Cooking Club
Dungeons and Dragons Club
Forensics Team
LARPing (Live Action Role Playing)
Pokemon Club
Renaissance Faires
Society for Creative Anachronism

Sports & Recreation (Teams and Clubs)

You don’t have to be the MVP to get (and stay) involved with athletic extracurriculars. In fact, pursuing a sport even if you’re not an all-star demonstrates commitment and teamwork. If your school doesn’t offer a sport, look for recreational or intramural opportunities.

Bird Watching
Bodybuilding
Cheerleading
Climbing Club
Cross Country
Equestrian Club
Flag Football
Hiking Club
Intramural Sports
Marital Arts
Quidditch Club
Skateboarding
Skiing & Snowboarding
Surfing Club
Track & Field
Ultimate Frisbee Club
Weightlifting

Remember, you can always start a club if you’re intrigued by one on this list and it is not already available at your school or in your region!

Other blogs that may be of interest include:

Computer Science Competitions for High Schoolers
98 Passion Project Ideas
1oo Best Clubs to Start in High School
NHS Essay Examples
Should I Join NSHSS or NHS?
Extracurricular Activities

Jordan Conley

Jordan received her BA from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, where she majored in Religious Studies and Classics. Following her undergraduate work, she spent several years teaching elementary school--first in northern Thailand as a fellow with Princeton in Asia, then in Bozeman, Montana. Jordan went on to receive a Master's in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and is currently working toward completing her PhD at Boston University, focusing on religions of the Ancient Mediterranean.

2-Year Colleges
Application Strategies
Best Colleges by Major
Best Colleges by State
Big Picture
Career & Personality Assessment
College Essay
College Search/Knowledge
College Success
Costs & Financial Aid
Dental School Admissions
Graduate School Admissions
High School Success
High Schools
Law School Admissions
Medical School Admissions
Navigating the Admissions Process
Online Learning
Private High School Spotlight
Summer Program Spotlight
Summer Programs
Test Prep Provider Spotlight

“Innovative and invaluable…use this book as your college lifeline.”

— Lynn O'Shaughnessy

Nationally Recognized College Expert

College Planning in Your Inbox

Join our information-packed monthly newsletter.

I am a... Student Student Parent Counselor Educator Other First Name Last Name Email Address Zip Code Area of Interest Business Computer Science Engineering Fine/Performing Arts Humanities Mathematics STEM Pre-Med Psychology Social Studies/Sciences Submit

Balance it All: Top Part-Time Jobs for Busy Students
Undergraduate Scholarships: Paving the Way to College Success
Fulbright Scholars’ Journeys: Inspiring stories of global education
Thinking Outside the Classroom: Scholarships for Homeschooled Students
Study Abroad Scholarships: Explore the World Without Breaking the Bank
STEM Scholarships: Fueling Innovation and Empowering Future Scientists
Scholarship Application Secrets: How to Stand Out from the Crowd

Scholarships for Community Involvement

Budget Like a Pro: Mastering College Expenses
Beware! Scholarship Scams and How to Avoid Them

Extracurricular Activities for Scholarships

Extracurricular activities play a crucial role in helping students secure scholarships for college. By engaging in various activities outside of the classroom, students not only develop valuable skills but also increase their chances of receiving financial aid. Let’s explore the different extracurricular activities that can open doors to scholarships.

Sports participation is not only beneficial for physical fitness but also offers opportunities for athletic scholarships. Whether it’s joining a school team or participating in local leagues, excelling in sports can catch the attention of scholarship committees.

Volunteering and community service demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility, making students eligible for scholarships. By dedicating their time to helping others, students showcase their compassion and desire to make a positive impact on society.

Taking on leadership roles in clubs or organizations is another way to stand out in scholarship applications. Serving in student government or holding the position of club president highlights leadership, teamwork, and organizational skills, which are highly valued by scholarship committees.

Participating in academic clubs such as Math Club or Science Olympiad showcases academic excellence, boosting chances of securing scholarships. These clubs provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge and passion for specific subjects.

Involvement in arts and music activities, such as theater, choir, or band, can lead to scholarships specifically designed for artistic talents. Performing in theater productions, dance recitals, or musical performances can help students secure scholarships in performing arts fields. Developing skills in visual arts like painting, drawing, or photography can also open doors to scholarships for talented visual artists.

Engaging in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities can make students eligible for scholarships in these fields. Participating in science fairs and conducting research projects can demonstrate scientific aptitude, while being involved in robotics clubs or competitions can showcase problem-solving skills and technological proficiency.

By exploring these different extracurricular activities, students can enhance their chances of securing scholarships for college. It’s important to find activities that align with their interests and strengths, allowing them to shine and stand out in scholarship applications.

Sports provide more than just physical fitness benefits; they also offer opportunities for students to secure athletic scholarships. Engaging in sports activities allows students to showcase their athletic abilities and dedication, making them eligible for financial aid specifically designed for athletes.

Participating in sports helps students develop essential skills such as teamwork, discipline, and perseverance. These qualities are highly valued by scholarship committees, as they demonstrate the potential for success both on and off the field. By excelling in sports, students can stand out among other applicants and increase their chances of receiving athletic scholarships.

Furthermore, sports offer a platform for students to gain recognition and exposure. Exceptional performance in sports competitions or championships can attract the attention of college coaches and recruiters, opening doors to additional scholarship opportunities. It is important for students to actively participate in sports and strive for excellence to maximize their chances of securing athletic scholarships.

Volunteering

Volunteering is a valuable extracurricular activity that can significantly enhance a student’s chances of securing scholarships. By engaging in community service and volunteer work, students not only contribute to the betterment of society but also demonstrate a strong commitment to social responsibility. This dedication to making a positive impact on the community can make them stand out in scholarship applications.

When participating in volunteer work, students have the opportunity to showcase their leadership skills, teamwork abilities, and dedication to service. They can take on various roles within organizations and projects, such as organizing events, coordinating volunteers, or leading community initiatives. These leadership experiences can impress scholarship committees and increase the likelihood of receiving financial aid.

Furthermore, volunteering allows students to develop essential qualities like empathy, compassion, and a sense of civic duty. These qualities are highly valued by scholarship providers who are looking for individuals who not only excel academically but also demonstrate a genuine commitment to making a difference in the world.

Leadership Roles

Taking on leadership roles in clubs or organizations can significantly enhance a student’s chances of securing scholarships for college. Scholarship committees highly value the skills and qualities that come with leadership positions, as they demonstrate a student’s ability to take charge, work effectively with others, and make a positive impact.

By actively participating in clubs or organizations and assuming leadership roles, students can showcase their leadership abilities and dedication. This involvement not only sets them apart from other applicants but also increases their competitiveness for scholarships.

Whether it’s serving as a student government representative or taking on the role of a club president, these leadership positions provide students with valuable experiences that can be highlighted in scholarship applications. They signify qualities such as teamwork, organization, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, all of which are highly sought after by scholarship committees.

Moreover, being actively involved in leadership roles demonstrates a student’s commitment to personal growth, community engagement, and making a difference. It shows that they are not only focused on academic success but also on contributing positively to their school or community.

Overall, taking on leadership roles in clubs or organizations is an excellent way for students to showcase their skills and increase their chances of receiving financial aid through scholarships.

Student Government

Serving in student government can demonstrate leadership, teamwork, and organizational skills, making students stand out in scholarship applications.

Being a part of the student government allows students to develop essential skills that are highly valued by scholarship committees. By taking on leadership roles within the student government, students can showcase their ability to lead, coordinate, and work collaboratively with others. This involvement demonstrates a commitment to making a positive impact within their school community.

Through student government, students have the opportunity to organize and plan various events, such as fundraisers, charity drives, and school-wide activities. These experiences not only require strong organizational skills but also the ability to effectively communicate and delegate tasks to fellow students. Such responsibilities highlight a student’s ability to manage projects and work as part of a team.

Furthermore, serving in student government provides students with the chance to voice their opinions and advocate for the needs and concerns of their peers. This experience fosters effective communication and problem-solving skills, as students learn to address issues and find solutions that benefit the entire student body.

In conclusion, involvement in student government can be a significant asset when applying for scholarships. It demonstrates leadership qualities, teamwork, organizational skills, and a commitment to making a positive impact within the school community.

Club President

Holding the position of club president is a valuable extracurricular activity that can greatly enhance a student’s chances of securing scholarships. This role not only showcases leadership abilities but also demonstrates dedication and commitment. Scholarship committees value these qualities and are more likely to recognize and reward students who have held leadership positions.

Being a club president requires taking on responsibilities such as organizing events, managing team members, and making important decisions. These experiences help develop crucial leadership skills that can set students apart from other applicants. By actively participating in club activities and effectively leading a team, students can demonstrate their ability to take charge, work collaboratively, and motivate others.

In addition to highlighting leadership abilities, being a club president also shows scholarship committees that a student is capable of balancing academic commitments with extracurricular responsibilities. This level of dedication and time management skills further strengthens a student’s application, making them more competitive for scholarships.

Academic Clubs

Participating in academic clubs such as Math Club or Science Olympiad can showcase academic excellence, boosting chances of securing scholarships.

Joining academic clubs provides students with a platform to explore their intellectual interests and excel in specific academic areas. Math Club, for example, allows students to engage in challenging problem-solving activities and competitions, demonstrating their mathematical skills and passion for the subject. Similarly, Science Olympiad offers opportunities for students to showcase their scientific knowledge and expertise through various events and experiments.

Being a part of these academic clubs not only enhances a student’s academic profile but also highlights their dedication and commitment to their chosen field of study. Scholarship committees often value students who show exceptional talent, enthusiasm, and dedication in specific subjects. By actively participating in academic clubs, students can demonstrate their academic excellence and increase their chances of securing scholarships that are specifically targeted towards their areas of interest.

Moreover, academic clubs provide a supportive community of like-minded individuals who share similar interests and goals. Students can benefit from collaborating with their peers, exchanging ideas, and learning from each other’s experiences. This collaborative environment fosters intellectual growth and encourages students to push their boundaries, further enhancing their academic achievements.

In conclusion, joining academic clubs such as Math Club or Science Olympiad can significantly boost a student’s chances of securing scholarships. These clubs not only showcase academic excellence but also provide valuable opportunities for personal and intellectual growth.

Arts and Music

Arts and music activities offer a unique pathway to scholarships that are tailored for students with artistic talents. Engaging in these activities, such as theater, choir, or band, not only allows students to explore their creative side but also opens doors to financial aid opportunities.

Participating in theater productions, for example, can demonstrate a student’s dedication, teamwork, and performance skills, making them stand out in scholarship applications. Whether it’s acting, dancing, or singing, involvement in performing arts showcases a student’s artistic abilities and commitment to their craft.

Similarly, developing skills in visual arts such as painting, drawing, or photography can also lead to scholarships for talented visual artists. Students who excel in these areas can showcase their creativity and demonstrate their unique perspective through their artwork.

By immersing themselves in arts and music activities, students not only have the opportunity to pursue their passions but also increase their chances of securing scholarships specifically designed for artistic talents. These scholarships not only provide financial support but also recognize and celebrate the artistic achievements of talented individuals.

Performing Arts

Participating in theater productions, dance recitals, or musical performances can be a gateway for students to secure scholarships in the performing arts fields. These extracurricular activities not only provide students with a platform to showcase their talents but also offer opportunities to gain recognition and financial support for their artistic endeavors.

Theater productions allow students to develop their acting skills, explore different characters, and express themselves creatively on stage. By participating in plays and musicals, students can demonstrate their dedication, passion, and commitment to the performing arts. Scholarship committees often value these qualities and are more likely to award scholarships to students who have shown exceptional talent and commitment in theater.

Dance recitals provide students with the chance to display their technical skills, grace, and artistic expression through various dance forms. Whether it’s ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, or jazz, participating in dance performances can help students stand out in scholarship applications. Scholarships for dance often consider factors such as technique, performance quality, and potential for growth.

Musical performances, whether as a soloist or part of a band or choir, allow students to showcase their musical abilities and passion for music. Whether it’s playing an instrument, singing, or composing, these performances can open doors to scholarships specifically designed for talented musicians. Scholarship committees often look for exceptional musical talent, dedication, and potential for growth when awarding scholarships in the performing arts.

Visual Arts

Visual arts encompass a wide range of creative expressions, including painting, drawing, and photography. For talented individuals in these fields, the opportunity to secure scholarships is within reach. Developing skills in visual arts not only allows students to express their creativity, but it can also lead to financial support for their education.

Painting is a popular form of visual art that involves using various techniques and mediums to create stunning works of art. Whether it’s oil painting, watercolor, or acrylics, mastering this skill can open doors to scholarships specifically designed for talented painters.

Drawing is another form of visual art that requires precision and attention to detail. From pencil sketches to charcoal drawings, honing this skill can make students eligible for scholarships that recognize their artistic abilities.

Photography is a modern visual art form that has gained immense popularity in recent years. Capturing moments and telling stories through the lens can lead to scholarships for talented photographers. Whether it’s landscape photography, portrait photography, or experimental photography, there are opportunities available for those with a passion for visual storytelling.

In conclusion, developing skills in painting, drawing, or photography can open doors to scholarships for talented visual artists. By showcasing their creativity and artistic abilities, students can increase their chances of receiving financial support for their education.

STEM Activities

Engaging in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities can open doors to scholarships specifically designed for students interested in these fields. STEM activities provide hands-on experience and practical knowledge that can make students eligible for scholarships in various STEM disciplines. By participating in science fairs and conducting research projects, students can demonstrate their scientific aptitude and showcase their passion for STEM subjects. These activities not only enhance their knowledge and skills but also increase their chances of receiving scholarships in fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science.

Additionally, being involved in robotics clubs or competitions can further enhance students’ chances of securing STEM scholarships. Robotics activities allow students to showcase their problem-solving skills, creativity, and technological proficiency. These are valuable qualities that scholarship committees often look for in STEM applicants. By participating in robotics, students can gain practical experience in designing, building, and programming robots, which can set them apart from other applicants. Engaging in STEM activities not only provides students with valuable skills and knowledge but also increases their eligibility for scholarships in these high-demand fields.

Science Fairs

Participating in science fairs and conducting research projects can demonstrate scientific aptitude, increasing chances of receiving STEM scholarships. Science fairs provide students with the opportunity to showcase their knowledge, creativity, and problem-solving skills in a competitive environment. By conducting research projects and presenting their findings, students can demonstrate their passion for science and their ability to think critically.

Science fairs also allow students to interact with professionals in the field, such as scientists and engineers, who can provide valuable feedback and guidance. This exposure to experts in the STEM fields can further enhance a student’s understanding and passion for science, making them more competitive for STEM scholarships.

Additionally, science fairs often require students to work in teams, fostering collaboration and teamwork skills. This ability to work effectively in a group is highly valued by scholarship committees, as it reflects an individual’s ability to collaborate and contribute to a team-based work environment.

In conclusion, participating in science fairs and conducting research projects not only showcases a student’s scientific aptitude but also demonstrates their passion, critical thinking skills, and ability to work in a team. These qualities make students strong candidates for STEM scholarships, as they exemplify the qualities that scholarship committees are looking for in future scientists and engineers.

Robotics is a fascinating field that combines problem-solving skills with technological proficiency. Being involved in robotics clubs or competitions can provide students with valuable experiences and opportunities to showcase their abilities, making them competitive candidates for STEM scholarships.

Participating in robotics clubs allows students to collaborate with peers who share a passion for technology and engineering. They can work together to design, build, and program robots, solving complex challenges along the way. These experiences not only demonstrate problem-solving skills but also highlight a student’s ability to work in a team and think critically.

In addition to clubs, robotics competitions provide a platform for students to showcase their skills. These events often involve designing and programming robots to complete specific tasks or challenges. Participating in such competitions not only demonstrates technical proficiency but also showcases a student’s ability to apply their knowledge and skills in a real-world setting.

By actively engaging in robotics activities, students can enhance their chances of securing STEM scholarships. These scholarships are often awarded to individuals who show exceptional aptitude in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Robotics involvement not only provides students with practical skills but also demonstrates their dedication and passion for these fields, making them stand out among other scholarship applicants.

Scholarship Interview Preparation

The College Savings Blueprint: Strategies for Saving Money

Choosing the Right Scholarships

Scholarship Deadlines

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Privacy Overview

Application and Selection
Diverse Scholarships
Financial Planning
Scholarship Opportunities
Success Stories and Tips

Welcome, Login to your account.

Recover your password.

A password will be e-mailed to you.

Home — Essay Samples — Education — Educational System — Extracurricular Activities

Essays on Extracurricular Activities

Importance of extracurricular activities in school, why i'm amazing, made-to-order essay as fast as you need it.

Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences

+ experts online

Involvement in Extracurricular Activities and Its Benefits

The role of academic and extracurricular activities in achieving my lifetime goals, the benefits of extracurricular activities for teenagers, students should work even as they attend school, let us write you an essay from scratch.

450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Reasons Why Students Should Be Obligated to Do Volunteering Work

The cost of the extracurricular activities in students, eliminating elective subjects is not a good idea, after-school programs and its benefits to the youth, importance of charity: extra credit for charity.

Extracurricular activities help children to develop their social skills and learn how to work in a team to achieve a shared goal. These activities allow a child the opportunity to explore different areas of interest, increase self-confidence, build leadership skills and even improve grades.

Extra-curricular activities help students to learn about themselves and develop and use their skills and knowledge in different contexts. Such activities are an essential element of the university experience.

Relevant topics

Middle School
High School
Online Vs. Traditional Classes
Single Sex Schools
Homeschooling
Academic Interests
College Experience
Physical Education
Academic Challenges

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

Instructions Followed To The Letter
Deadlines Met At Every Stage
Unique And Plagiarism Free

Skip to main content
Skip to primary sidebar
Skip to footer

Financial Aid Finder

Your Guide to Maximizing your College Financial Aid

Scholarships for Hobbies and Interests

There are so many reasons to pursue a hobby or extracurricular activity. Hopefully, the first reason is that you enjoy doing a certain activity. But there is also college applications, social interactions and family traditions to consider.

Spending time playing volleyball, chess or the violin are not just fun ways to enrich your life, and maybe increase your chances of getting into college. Hobbies and interests are also a way to qualify for many scholarships for college.

Scholarships by hobby, interest or extracurricular activity are available from a variety of sources. Much like scholarships for specific college majors and fields of study, there might be more financial aid available for students involved in some of the more “popular” or “mainstream” activities, but there are still plenty of available scholarships for unique or unusual hobbies and interests.

The largest pool of scholarship money for special interests is sports scholarships. Most sports scholarships are distributed directly by specific universities who are looking for players for specific teams. These are not limited to the “big” sports like football and basketball. There are also scholarships for lacrosse players, bowlers and golfers which are offered both by universities and by organizations and foundations looking to promote a specific sport. In fact, there are even scholarships for those who participate in sports behind the scenes, like the Evans Scholars Foundation Scholarship for golf caddies!

It is important to note that for many scholarships involving a special interest or hobby, application processes for these awards can be more creative than more straight-forward awards. For example, the Ball State University Letterman Communications scholarships awards creative students with up to $10,000 for creative pursuits related to telecommunications. Students create their own telecommunications project to apply for the scholarship, like videos, websites and other media presentations.

Sports and hobbies are the only things that can help you get non-academic scholarships. Students involved in activism and public service will also find many opportunities to apply for financial aid. There are also scholarships for student environmentalists, and young citizens working to create a better planet.

With all of these different types of scholarships available, the listings found in this section of the site should offer something for just about everyone!

Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan Ad Banner

There are pages in this section featuring scholarships for people who have many different hobbies and interests, including:

Student Athletics
Visual and Performing Arts
Community Service and Volunteering
Social Activism

Our editors are continually uncovering scholarships specific to hobbies and interests. Keep checking back and view our latest scholarship postings . We add new scholarships many times per week.

Debate Scholarships >>>

About FinancialAidFinder Contact Us Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Scholarship Submissions

Scholarship submission form.

PickAScholarship.com

Scholarships Essays
Scholarships for online students
Scholarships for first-generation students
Scholarships for women in STEM
Scholarships for international students in the USA
PhD Scholarships
Master Scholarships
Bachelor Scholarships
Vocational Scholarships
United States Scholarships
Canada Scholarships
Australia Scholarships
France Scholarships
Netherlands Scholarships
United Kingdom Scholarships
Austria Scholarships
Denmark Scholarships
Finland Scholarships
Germany Scholarships
India Scholarships
Ireland Scholarships
New Zealand Scholarships
Russia Scholarships
Spain Scholarships
Sweden Scholarships
Switzerland Scholarships

Extracurricular Activities that Help Earn Scholarships

Table of Contents

Understanding the Importance of Outside School Engagements

In the landscape of educational competitiveness and scholarship opportunities, the importance of outside school engagements cannot be overstated. Extracurricular activities, academic clubs, community service, athletics, and leadership roles offer students a chance to showcase their skills, talents, and initiative beyond the classroom. These activities provide a platform for students to develop and refine a broad spectrum of abilities; ranging from teamwork to problem-solving, leadership, and communication skills. They not only foster personal growth and social interaction but also illuminate students’ multi-faceted capabilities, hinting at their potential for future success. Scholarships, grants, and financial aid programs often take into account students’ involvement in extracurricular engagements as a metric of their overall aptitude and spirit. Therefore, these engagements can tip the balance when it comes to awarding scholarships. They illustrate a student’s dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm in pursuing interests beyond the standard academic curriculum. Thus, participating in outside school engagements not only aids in character and skill development but also significantly boosts students’ chances of securing financial aid and scholarship opportunities.

The Role of Athletics in Securing Financial Aid Opportunities

Sports play a pivotal role in a student’s life; not just in achieving physical fitness and learning teamwork, but they can also pave the way for massive financial aid opportunities during college admissions. Athletic scholarships, for example, have provided countless students with the necessary monetary support for their education, making higher education accessible and comfortable for many. Schools and universities throughout the United States offer substantial funds to credible athletes, encouraging a healthy balance between sporting prowess and academic integrity. In addition to providing financial aid, active participation in athletics can fortify a student’s college application. Student-athletes epitomize discipline, dedication, resilience, and collaboration – vital qualities that many scholarship boards seek in an applicant. Moreover, excelling in a specific sport can demonstrate a student’s formidable commitment and focus, which readily translates to his or her academic pursuits. Thus, the athletic arena invariably proves to be a significant platform, promoting both educational sustenance and holistic growth.

The Power of Community Service and Volunteering in Scholarship Acquisition

Community service and volunteering play a significant role in scholarship acquisition. They provide a platform for students to demonstrate their leadership skills, compassion, and dedication to improving their communities. These individual traits are highly sought-after by scholarship committees. Scholarships like the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, to name a few, specifically reward students who have significant volunteer service hours. Moreover, these experiences, whether organizing a community clean-up or volunteering at a local food bank, provide compelling material for scholarship essays. They help illustrate the values, character and determination of the student. Additionally, volunteer activities can lead to networking opportunities, where students can meet industry professionals who may later act as references or mentors. In reality, the advantages of community service and volunteering extend beyond scholarships, they help shape better, more responsible and engaged citizens.

Exploring the Impact of Leadership Roles in Getting Scholarships

Leadership roles within the school environment offer a unique platform for students to demonstrate their skills and earn scholarships. These positions, ranging from student government officers to club presidents, provide opportunities for students to show their ability to manage, inspire, and work collaboratively with others. Further, students holding leadership roles often exhibit qualities such as initiative, responsibility, and the ability to make tough decisions, traits that scholarship organizations find desirable. On the other hand, serving in leadership roles complements academic prowess with practical skills, painting a holistic picture of a student’s potential. Scholarship committees tend to favour students who can balance high GPAs with active involvement in school functions, seeing this as an indication of exceptional time management and multitasking abilities. Schools, nonprofit organizations, and corporate businesses offer various scholarship schemes expressly for student leaders, acknowledging the correlation between leadership skills and success in college and beyond. The ability to lead is not just a bonus; it can make all the difference in securing substantial financial aid for higher education.

Arts and Music: A Pathway to Winning Scholarships

The world of arts and music brims with scholarships to recognize talented students who bring creativity into play. These special facets of education, often undervalued in juxtaposition to mainstream academic disciplines, provide a unique pathway to college funds. Those with a knack for painting, photography, instrumental mastery, singing, or theatrical prowess can explore untold opportunities. Need-based and merit-based scholarships are abundant in these fields, and they offer financial liberation to pursue education. In supporting arts and music, scholarships work on two levels. First, they release the financial burden from students who wish to major in these disciplines, in turn validating their career choices. Second, even for students not necessarily focusing in these areas, gaining scholarships can be a means to finance their broader academic journey. Entities like universities, art societies, public and private foundations, corporations and even individual philanthropists appreciate artistic talent and offer scholarships. It is crucial for students to tap into this potential channel of financial aid and pave their path towards winning scholarships.

How Academic Clubs and Competitions Contribute to Scholarship Attainment

Academic clubs and competitions provide a unique platform where students can demonstrate their expertise, skills, and understanding in specific subjects. This active participation not only showcases a student’s dedication to their academic pursuits but also illuminates their desire to go above and beyond the standard curriculum. On a macro level, the exposure gained from these activities amplifies the student’s profile, making them stand out among their peers. Scholarship selection panels put substantial weight on these out-of-class engagements as they indicate a student’s ability to apply acquired knowledge in real-world scenarios. Additionally, the heightened competitivity and increased pressure in academic competitions equip students to handle stressful situations, which is a coveted trait sought by many colleges and scholarship providers. Therefore, joining academic clubs and competing in dialogues not only enhances the chances of securing scholarships but also aids in holistic personal development.

The Influence of Debate and Public Speaking Engagements in Scholarship Pursuits

Engaging in debate and public speaking forums offers students a multitude of benefits and can significantly enhance their chance to secure scholarships. Not only do debate and public speaking activities help students develop crucial skills such as critical thinking, effective communication, and robust argumentation, but they also provide a platform for students to showcase these skills. Scholarship committees often view these skills favorably and accordingly consider these students for awards. For most scholarships, the ability to communicate effectively remains a vital criterion. Consequently, students who demonstrate these skills, as provided by participating in debate and public speaking, stand at a competitive advantage. Moreover, engaging in debate and public speaking activities assist students in establishing their social and leadership credentials. These credentials play a significant role in the selection process for many scholarships. The ability to influence, persuade, and work with a team is highly sought after by many scholarship committees. Therefore, students with backgrounds in debate and public speaking often lead the pack, reinforcing the strong correlation between these activities and the probability of securing scholarships. Participating in debate and public speaking thus, presents students with unique opportunities for personal growth, career development, and above all, scholarship acquisition.

Science and Technology Clubs: A Gateway to Scholarship Opportunities

Engaging in science and technology clubs presents students with a unique pathway towards earning academic scholarships. These clubs allow students to showcase their passion and knack for the sciences, in addition to their abilities in technological skills. It gives them unique access to a myriad of competitions and hands-on experiences that can highlight their abilities to scholarship awarding bodies. These opportunities prove beneficial in demonstrating their potential, further strengthening their chances of scholarship attainment. Moreover, participation in science and technology clubs encourages students to undertake projects that offer practical solutions to real-world problems. This problem-solving perspective makes them appealing to scholarship committees who often are on the lookout for innovative, forward-thinking students. Scholarships often anticipate supporting future leaders in scientific and technological advancement; hence, students active in these clubs greatly increase their prospects of securing financial aid. The exposure to this spectrum of educational engagement propels students towards a better understanding of the fundamental concepts in science and technology, equipping them with necessary skills and reinforcing their scholarship prospects.

The Connection Between Student Government and Scholarship Prospects

Engaging in student government allows students to develop essential skills, such as leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving ability. These are the same qualities that scholarship granting institutions value highly. Participating in student government often means students are put in decision-making situations, allowing them to exhibit their skills in conflict resolution, diplomatic negotiation, and the ability to work in a team. As a result, their experiences and achievements provide a strong foundation for scholarship applications. In addition to showcasing a student’s leadership abilities, engagement in student government illustrates a commitment to service and mission-oriented goals. Numerous scholarships are programmed specifically to recognize students that go the extra mile in involvement with community service and exhibit exceptional citizenship traits. Therefore, active participation in student government may not only increase a student’s college application appeal but also unlock financial aid opportunities.

Language Clubs and Their Contribution to Scholarship Achievements

Dedicating your time to language clubs can offer rewarding experiences while magnifying your scholarship potential. These communities create an atmosphere for students to enrich their linguistic skills, offering them an edge in our increasingly global society. Additionally, they serve as platforms where students can demonstrate their linguistic proficiency, cultural understanding, and social adaptability. Moreover, many universities and organizations appreciate the dedication and efforts of students involved in language clubs. Hence, they offer a myriad of scholarships to recognize such commitment and encourage further development of these abilities. These scholarships are often catered to students demonstrating excellence in specific languages or those pursuing studies in literature, linguistics, or international relations. Therefore, getting involved in language clubs can be a strategic move towards unlocking scholarship opportunities.

We also recommend reading the following:

University of Oxford: Acceptance Rate, Admission, Courses, Tuition Fees, Scholarships
Simple tips to help you manage your time between work and college
How to apply for a scholarship to study in Canada?

Most Popular Student Guides Articles

List of Harvard Scholarships for African Students in 2023, 2024 & 2025

Top 15 Soccer Scholarships in Europe, 2023

Top USA Scholarships to apply for in 2023

10 Tuition-Free Colleges in the USA for International Students in 2022

15 Best Online Doctorate of Ministry (Dmin) Programs in 2021 | Programs, cost, requirements

An Overview of All the Documents You’d Need for A Successful Scholarship

15 Cheapest Universities in Paris for International Students

2024 Most Affordable Universities in the US for International Students

24 Fully Funded Scholarships for Students in Developing Countries, 2022

University of Ghana Scholarships for Undergraduates in 2022

Load More Popular Student Guides Articles

Search for more Scholarships

Plan for College and Career
Take the ACT
School and District Assessment
Career-Ready Solutions
Students & Parents
Open Search Form
College and Career Readiness
Succeed in High School
Most Popular Downloads
Testing Advice for the ACT
High School Resources
What to Do After High School
Prepare for College
Applying to College
Choosing a College
Paying for College
College Life
Career Planning
Starting Your Career
Recursos para estudiantes y padres
Consejos de prueba para el ACT
Planificación universitaria y profesional
Aplicar a la universidad
Vida de la escuela secundaria
Pagar la universidad
Vida universitaria

Other ACT Services and Products

How to Find Scholarships

How to get scholarships.

Scholarships are a type of financial aid awarded to students based on academic achievements, athletic skills, community involvement, financial need, or other considerations. Earning scholarships can help make college more accessible and affordable. Dive into our guide for an overview of how to find and apply for scholarships to ease the financial burden of college.

Understanding Scholarships

Several types of scholarships are available, such as merit-based aid, skill-based, and need-based aid. Every scholarship comes with unique requirements to both receive and keep the funds. Be sure to carefully read the scholarship eligibility requirements, application process, and other details before applying.

Do you have to pay back scholarships?

College scholarships are a type of financial assistance that you won't need to repay. It’s essentially free money given to help cover your educational expenses like tuition, housing, class supplies, and more. This makes them an excellent option for students looking to reduce the cost of college without worrying about student loan debt.

How do scholarships differ from grants?

While both grants and scholarships offer financial aid for college, they differ in several important ways. Scholarships are usually merit-based, meaning they're awarded based on achievements like academic excellence, athletic skills, or involvement in community service or clubs. They're often provided by private organizations, colleges, or individuals.

On the other hand, grants are typically need-based and awarded to students who demonstrate a financial need. They are often provided by either state or federal government sources. A well-known example of a government-backed grant is the Pell Grant, which is federal aid given to undergraduate students with significant financial need.

You can visit the official Pell Grants page for more detailed information. This resource details qualifications, application processes, and how Federal Student Aid can help fund your college education.

Why You Should Apply for Scholarships

Scholarships are an important tool for making your college education more affordable. Despite what many think, there's actually a lot of unclaimed scholarship money out there every year. According to the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA), about $100 million worth of scholarships are not awarded annually, mainly because students do not apply for them.

With so many available scholarships going unclaimed, it's important to explore your options thoroughly. Doing well on standardized tests like the ACT is one way to enhance your chances of tapping into this unclaimed scholarship pool. Actively seeking out and applying for scholarships can increase your likelihood of receiving financial support, which not only eases the financial strain of college but also supports your academic and personal growth, smoothing the path to a brighter and more secure future.

Typical application requirements for scholarships

When applying for scholarships, students must meet a variety of requirements to be considered for aid. Common requirements include:

Academic performance: Keeping up a certain GPA or academic level.
Extracurricular activities: Being active in clubs, sports, or community service projects.
Standardized test scores: Some scholarships ask for scores from tests like the ACT to measure your academic readiness.
Essays: Crafting an essay that reflects your personal achievements or aspirations.
Letters of recommendation: Securing support from teachers or mentors who can speak to your character and achievements.
Financial need evidence: Showing that you require financial support to pursue your education. Often this requires you to submit your FAFSA.
Unique qualifications: Adhering to specific conditions outlined by the scholarship, like studying in a certain field or identifying with a particular demographic.

Will all scholarships require an essay?

How to find scholarships.

While earning a scholarship isn't guaranteed, there are several steps you can take to increase your chances of securing these valuable funds. Focus on the factors within your control such as timing, research, preparation, organization, and commitment. Taking your scholarship search seriously can help you tremendously in the long run.

Start the process early

It's important to start your scholarship application process as early as possible. Studentaid.gov suggests getting a head start on your research and applications during the summer between junior and senior years of high school. Starting the process early gives you ample time to find opportunities, meet deadlines, and prepare stronger applications.

Utilize scholarship searches

Various lists and resources are available that specialize in helping you find scholarships that fit your needs. One notable option is the ACT free scholarship list , which includes more than 80 scholarships that require an ACT score. The Department of Labor also provides information for over 9,500 scholarships on their sponsored scholarship finder . These searches can help you discover a wide range of opportunities that align with your specific academic and extracurricular achievements.

Check local scholarships

Students should also focus on local scholarships, which often have fewer applicants and higher chances of winning compared to larger, national scholarships. Check with local businesses, community and religious organizations, clubs, and your school counselor if they offer any scholarship opportunities. Often the scholarship details and application can be found on their website. You might also consider searching for scholarships through word of mouth, community Facebook pages, or local newspapers

Apply for several scholarships

Increase your chances of receiving financial aid by applying for multiple scholarships. Each application improves your likelihood of success, broadening your range of opportunities. You can enhance your chances for securing a scholarship by applying for a range of scholarship types from many different sources.

Look out for fake scholarships

Students and parents need to be vigilant to identify fake scholarships. Warning signs include requests for personal financial information or payments, such as application fees or processing charges, no past recipients mentioned, or saying you won a scholarship you don’t recall applying for. Legitimate scholarships will never ask for money or sensitive personal financial details as part of the application process.

How to apply for scholarships

The process of applying for scholarships will largely depend on the type of scholarship you're pursuing, but several standard steps are involved in most applications. Understanding and following these common steps can help you collect and prepare the documents you’ll need when applying. Here are some ways in which the process may differ:

Eligibility criteria: Some scholarships are open to all students, while others may target specific groups, such as students pursuing certain majors, belonging to certain demographic groups, or having specific talents or interests.
Application requirements: While some scholarships may require essays, others might request video submissions, artistic portfolios, or project proposals, depending on the criteria.
Submission method: Methods range from online forms to mail-in or even in-person presentations. Be sure to adapt your approach based on each scholarship’s guidelines.
Selection process: Each scholarship committee will assess candidates based on what was submitted. Recipients are typically students who had a well-rounded application, met all the criteria outlines, and demonstrated their readiness for college.
Financial need assessment: Some scholarships are merit-based and don't consider financial need, while others may require financial information and a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine need-based eligibility.
Recommendation letters: Some scholarships might ask for multiple letters of recommendation from a teacher, mentor, or community leader.
Deadlines: Deadlines can vary significantly. Some scholarships offer multiple application rounds, while others may be once-a-year chances.

It's important to keep track of deadlines for each scholarship and submit your applications promptly, as late submissions can disqualify you even if you’re an outstanding candidate. Try using an online calendar or planner specifically for scholarship deadlines to stay organized and ensure you never miss a submission date. You can also keep a digital folder with all your scholarship materials —essays, recommendation letters, transcripts, and any other required documents. This makes it easier to tailor each application without starting from scratch.

Explore more resources to help pay for college

To learn more about paying for college and managing your expenses, check out some additional resources that offer helpful tips and advice. Starting to look for scholarships that match your interests early in high school gives you plenty of time to set your goals and plan how to achieve them.

This action will open a new window. Do you want to proceed?

Welcome to ACT

If you are accessing this site from outside the United States, Puerto Rico, or U.S. Territories, please proceed to the non-U.S. version of our website.

How to Find and Apply for Scholarships

College board scholarship search, what are scholarships .

Scholarships are a type of financial aid commonly referred to as “free money” or “gift aid.” Scholarships usually require an application and are often awarded to students based on a combination of factors including merit. Merit scholarships tend to have specific requirements and are awarded to applicants based on certain skills and accomplishments and may not be based on financial need. Scholarships may be renewable, meaning you can receive scholarships for more than one year. A new application may be required along with maintaining certain eligibility requirements, such as GPA or a certain major.

Why do I need scholarships?

Scholarships are a great type of financial aid because they do not have to be repaid. Receiving scholarships can help cover the remaining bill and indirect costs, while also minimizing the amount you need to borrow in loans while in college.

What are some common scholarship application requirements?

Many scholarships require similar application materials, which commonly include:

The application, which can be paper or an online form.
Essays, often personal statements, that provide insight into your activities inside and outside the classroom.
Letters of recommendation from teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, community members, or other mentors.
Honors or awards you have received, academic or otherwise.
Information about your high school or college, which may include your transcript, GPA, Student Aid Report, or financial aid offer.
A résumé that includes any employment, volunteer, or extracurricular experiences.

Specialized scholarships may require additional information and may have a priority deadline. For example, scholarships supporting the arts may require portfolios or writing samples. Be sure to read each application thoroughly for requirements so you don’t miss any.

What should I do before college to increase my chances?

Since many scholarships are merit based, maintaining good grades and increasing your involvement in school and community activities are important. Some scholarships have GPA requirements, so keeping your grades up will help open more opportunities. Additionally, many applicants with varied extracurriculars and volunteer or job experiences may stand out. The more scholarships you’re eligible for and apply for, the better the odds you have of receiving one.

What are the best ways to find and receive a scholarship?

There is no guarantee that you’ll receive a scholarship, but there are a few things you can do to increase your chances while applying. One of the most important things to remember is that the scholarship committee wants to get to know you through the applications—you want to show why your college education is worth investing in.

There are a few things that you can do to increase your chances, including:

Start early and search year-round: No matter what stage in the college process you’re at, you should start looking for scholarships now. There are even scholarships that high school students can receive before senior year. Scholarship deadlines vary, so setting some time aside every few weeks to search and apply will open up more opportunities of securing a scholarship.
Use the right search engine: Finding scholarships to apply for can be difficult, but with the right search engine you can narrow your search and find scholarships you’re eligible for. BigFuture’s scholarship search is a great resource to use.
Find a balance: You should apply for several scholarships—the more you apply for, the better your chances of receiving one. However, it’s important to use your time wisely. You should only apply for those you’re eligible for, based on the requirements.
Research local scholarships: Local scholarships tend to have fewer applicants, meaning you may be more likely to get them. Your high school counselor or college financial aid department might have insight about where to find and apply for local scholarships. Be sure to talk to others in your community, and check with local businesses and organizations like banks and churches.

How do I know a scholarship is legit?

While plenty of legitimate scholarships are available, some fake scholarships are set up to scam students out of money or personal information. Using reliable search engines, like BigFuture, can help avoid this. Scholarships should always be free to apply. Some may ask for your bank account information after choosing you as a recipient, but they should not ask for this information as an application requirement. If you’re unsure, contact the organization or company providing the scholarship to ensure they are legit.

Finding and applying to scholarships sounds like a lot of work—how can I make this process easier?

Because scholarships don’t need to be repaid, they can be an important part of making college affordable. However, we know that it might not always be feasible to spend a lot of time applying. There are a few things you can do to simplify the process and save time where possible.

Start early: Prioritize getting two or three letters of recommendation, and write your essay/personal statement before you start searching to help save time.
Time management: Plan to spend a day or two a month searching and submitting applications with your prepared materials to avoid last-minute applications, missed deadlines, and stress.
Stay organized: Collecting and organizing your application materials and tracking due dates will help you stay on track and avoid missing out on opportunities.
Reuse essays when possible: Many scholarship essay topics are similar, so editing one of your previously written essays to fit the scholarship you’re applying for can save you time.

With these tips and resources, you’ll be better prepared for scholarship applications and increase your chances of receiving scholarships to help cover your college costs. Check out your chance to earn $500 and $40,000 scholarships in monthly drawings offered by BigFuture to students who complete the steps to plan for college .

IMAGES

How to Write a Great Extracurricular Activity Essay
≫ High School Extracurricular Activities Free Essay Sample on Samploon.com
Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples
Fantastic Extracurricular Activities Essay ~ Thatsnotus
Extracurricular Activities Essay
The Importance of Extracurricular Activities Camry (400 Words

VIDEO

Tips from former College Lead student Sonal Aggarwal (accepted to UCLA, Cornell, NYU & more)
Boost Your College Applications: Top 28 Extracurricular Activities At Home! || @RifatAbrarJowad
Writing Scholarship Essays: Tips and Resources
Palaniandavar College Online Application Demo Video
Your direct gateway to the #ivyleague
Friday activities at Gate of knowledge

COMMENTS

16 Scholarship Essay Examples to Help You Win Scholarship
Demonstrated Leadership and Well-Roundedness: The essay showcases the applicant's involvement in extracurricular activities. It highlights their ability to balance academic responsibilities with active participation in clubs, sports teams, and community service initiatives.
What Are Extracurricular Activities and Why Do They Matter?
However, extracurricular activities do have a significant impact at large public universities when it comes to the merit scholarship selection process. Large, competitive public universities Internationally-renowned public universities like University of Michigan and UNC Chapel Hill generally are very selective in their admissions process.
How to Write a Scholarship Essay: Complete Guide + Examples
Approach #1: Use the resources above to write a great essay that spells out your big dreams, then end with 1-3 sentences describing specifically how you'll use the scholarship money. (We'll call this the "I have big dreams and you can help" approach.) Approach #2: Explain your financial situation in detail, then end with 1-3 sentences ...
College Essays About Extracurricular Activities
Potential!! Activities are great for showing off the 5 Traits that colleges look for in essays. That brings us to the 5 traits. If you've read almost any of our other articles, you know that the 5 traits that colleges look for in applicants are: Drive (aka Grit) Initiative. Contribution.
How to Write the Harvard Extracurricular Activities Essay
In this post, we look at Harvard University's supplemental essay focusing on extracurricular activities. For more information, check out this article on how to get into Harvard.. Purpose of the Prompt Harvard's second supplemental essay prompt reads, "Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences."
How to Write a Scholarship Essay (with Examples)
With a BA in Literary Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, and a Master's in Translation from Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, Kaylen has been working with students on their writing for over five years. Previously, Kaylen taught a fiction course for high school students as part of Columbia ...
How to Write an Extracurricular Activities Supplemental Essay
Step 2: Choose your extracurricular activity based on the values, impact, or lessons you want to show. Remember that your personal statement, supplemental essays, and other application components work together to form a cohesive application narrative.
How to write the 'Extracurricular Activity' essay
How to write the "Extracurricular Activity" College Essay. Bonus Material: Examples of real supplemental essays that worked for schools like Princeton and Yale If you're in the process of applying to colleges, you likely already know that many universities (especially top-tier schools like Ivies) ask you to write essays in response to supplemental prompts.
How to write an extracurricular activities essay?
Writing an extracurricular activities essay can be a fantastic way to showcase your achievements, interests, and dedication while also displaying your personality and what makes you unique. Here are a few tips on what to include and how to structure it: 1. Choose a specific activity: Instead of writing about multiple extracurriculars, pick one that you're truly passionate about and has had a ...
How to Write a Great Extracurricular Activity Essay (2023 Guide)
Practicing the flute may be enjoyable in some respects, and not so much in others—but practicing makes you a better player. Once your list of reasons why you participate in this activity, pick the top three. Write your essay in 5 sentences. One to introduce the activity, three to explain why you do it, and 1 to spare, either as a conclusion ...
How to Write a Personal Statement for a Scholarship + Examples
That said, it is of the utmost importance that you find a focus. First, think about both your goals and your values. Types of goals include: Career goals. Goals for personal growth. The type of friend you want to be. The change you want to make in the world. Values could include: Authenticity.
Can I Get A Scholarship Based On My Extracurricular Activities?
Scholarships and Extracurricular Activities ... Essay or Personal Statement. Many scholarship applications require an essay or personal statement. Use this opportunity to showcase the value and impact of your extracurricular activities on your personal growth and development. Share your experiences, challenges faced, and how you have grown as ...
Complete List of Extracurricular Activities: 100s of Examples
Sports and Recreation. You probably already know about the sports teams at your schools, but there are also many opportunities to participate outside of those. Try doing extramural sports, join a club league in your community, or consider coaching a youth team. Baseball and softball.
Writing About Extracurriculars in Your College Essays
Um, and then with the essays, you have a word count limit. So you get whole words, um, ranging from one word to 800 words depending on the, if it's a supplement. The personal statement, which is the big essay that most people tend to write about extracurriculars in, um, is a minimum 250 words and a maximum of 650 words.
Complete List of Extracurricular Activities
Remember that an extracurricular can be any activity not related to coursework. This includes both formal activities and informal hobbies, paid work and volunteer positions, clubs and sports, etc. List of Extracurricular Activities Divided by Category. Many of these activities could easily fit into multiple or alternate categories.
Extracurricular Activities for Scholarships
Volunteering. Volunteering is a valuable extracurricular activity that can significantly enhance a student's chances of securing scholarships. By engaging in community service and volunteer work, students not only contribute to the betterment of society but also demonstrate a strong commitment to social responsibility.
Free Extracurricular Activities Essays and Research Papers on
The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities for Teenagers. 3 pages / 1165 words. Sports have a powerful and unique way of making a positive impact on a society. It provides a platform for people to come together. It gives individuals a sense of identity, courage, support and most importantly a way of escaping the realities of the world...
Extracurricular Activities Can Translate Into Scholarship Opportunities
Some Benefits Of Extracurricular Activities. Club advisors can be excellent resources for letters of recommendation. Many academic and non-academic scholarship programs consider involvement in extracurricular activities in the selection process. Many scholarship programs reward leadership experience, and holding offices in high school clubs is ...
Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples
Extracurricular activities, in simple terms, mean activity that is done outside the normal curriculum of a school, college, or university. When you get involved in any such activity, it demonstrates that you're going outside of what is expected from you. These activities may include arts, athletics, clubs, employment, personal commitments, and ...
Explore Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples for Free at StudyMoose
Essay examples. guide. FAQ. 1. A Personal Experience Of Different Extracurricular Activities. Words • 877. Pages • 4. The numerous extracurricular activities that I have participated in throughout my High School and College careers have all impacted me in a variety of ways that have created the person I am today.
Scholarships For Hobbies and Extracurriculars
Types of scholarships available by hobby and extracurricular activities. There are many unique scholarships available for students and list of scholarships you can find in the internet that is applicable for you. Academic scholarships are awarded to students based on academic excellence. In the case of sports or athletic scholarships, students ...
Scholarships by Hobby and Extracurricular Activity Scholarships
Scholarships by hobby, interest or extracurricular activity are available from a variety of sources. Much like scholarships for specific college majors and fields of study, there might be more financial aid available for students involved in some of the more "popular" or "mainstream" activities, but there are still plenty of available scholarships for unique or unusual hobbies and ...
Extracurricular Activities that Help Earn Scholarships
Extracurricular activities, academic clubs, community service, athletics, and leadership roles offer students a chance to showcase their skills, talents, and initiative beyond the classroom. These activities provide a platform for students to develop and refine a broad spectrum of abilities; ranging from teamwork to problem-solving, leadership ...
Finding Scholarships
When applying for scholarships, students must meet a variety of requirements to be considered for aid. Common requirements include: Academic performance: Keeping up a certain GPA or academic level. Extracurricular activities: Being active in clubs, sports, or community service projects. Standardized test scores: Some scholarships ask for scores from tests like the ACT to measure your academic ...
How to Find and Apply for Scholarships
A résumé that includes any employment, volunteer, or extracurricular experiences. Specialized scholarships may require additional information and may have a priority deadline. For example, scholarships supporting the arts may require portfolios or writing samples. Be sure to read each application thoroughly for requirements so you don't ...
PDF TAX SECTION State Bar of Texas Law Students Pursuing Tax Law
Law Students Pursuing Tax Law Scholarship Application. The Tax Section of the State Bar of Texas annually awards up to three $2,000 scholarships to students demonstrating academic excellence and commitment to the study and practice of tax law. Any student who is enrolled in an ABA accredited law school at the time the application is submitted ...
PDF 2024 Kentucky Department of Agriculture Equine Scholarship Application
A $500 award will be mailed directly to the recipient. The scholarship winners will be announced at the State 4-H Horse Show opening ceremony on Monday August 5, 2024. To be eligible, applicant should: have a minimum 3.0 cumulative high schoolGPA ora minimum 2.5 cumulative college. GPA (on a 4.0 scale) have participated in a state horse show or ...