Want to learn about maximizing your activities section Common App? It seems simple enough: just list out all of your extracurricular activities, sports, honors, and accomplishments and trust that the information will speak for itself… right? Well, like any aspect of college applications, using a little strategy can maximize this section of your application and boost your chances of getting into the best colleges in California and across the nation.

Your first step should be to create a list of everything you have done outside of class. In this step, do not leave really good experiences off your list because you didn’t spend a long time doing it. Generally, if you did something that lasted longer than two weeks, as long as it wasn’t video games or a YouTube binge, it’s probably worth noting.

Next, write a two-sentence description of each activity. The first sentence should describe what you did. The second one should be about the effect this activity had on you. In other words, describe what you learned or gained from it.

After that, it is time for you to organize and order your activities into the following categories:

Listing your activities in this order will make your involvement easy to follow while communicating to admission readers that you are both well rounded and organized. So how do you decide how to categorize each activity?

Leadership is defined as any formally recognized experience that required you to help or empower others. Typically, titles associated with this category have to do with club involvement, leadership class, school events, sports, or band. If you had a leadership title, it counts!

Learning includes both formal and informal academic learning experiences that were part of your high school experience. If you were a general club member, for instance, of a Robotics team, then this would be a good place to put that. However, if you were part of the leadership of that Robotics team, you’ll want to put that in the Leadership bucket. Note that personal projects and internships also fall into this category.

Other, of course, includes any experience that doesn’t meet the prior definitions. Popular entries here include sports and recreational activities, such as music or crafts not pertaining to your major.

Now, here are some more tips tailored to the UC Application.

For the most part, you’ll fill out your UC Activities Section similar to the Common App Activities List. For example, you should still include meaningful activities even if they were short-term, and you should list your activities in the same order (leadership, learning, other).

One core difference is that the UC application gives you more opportunities to elaborate elsewhere. Elaborate elsewhere. If you find yourself needing way more words than the character count allows, that probably means you should consider writing a PIQ on it. At the very least, describe the activity in further detail in Additional Comments at the end of your application.

Here are a few tips specific to the Common App Activities Section.

First, use the Awards Section.  Don’t take up valuable space in Activities when you can highlight your awards elsewhere.

You should also choose the right category. Select the option from the dropdown that best reflects the nature of the activity. If the activity was largely career-oriented, then designate it as such. However, if it was more of a fun learning experience, then be honest. Lastly, don’t stress if you’re not sure which category is best. Chances are you’re thinking way harder about it than your reader will.

Lastly, combine. If you had different involvements or positions within the same organization, then put your highest earned title when asked for your position, and provide a description of your changing roles in the description. This allows you to highlight your greatest accomplishment while saving you space for more activities.

As a bonus, here’s a list of some of the activities that you are most likely forgetting about.

For more details about putting together your Activities Section, check out our YouTube video about it.

We are always posting more helpful tips and tricks to help reduce the stress of college application season. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Then, sign up for a free consultation!

See you soon!

The post Maximizing Your Activities Section Common App appeared first on ReadyEdgeGo.