Activities section

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many ECs do kids have to list? My daughter barely has time to do much outside of her rowing, where she's devoting 3+ hours a day year-around. Is she really expected to hold down jobs or be a president of a club that has impact? This is a little scary.

I know someone who does crew. Very few other ECs due to time commitment for rowing.

+1
I have a kid who spent 25-30 hours per week, all year long competing in niche sport while attending their local public school. They have no activities to put down aside from being an occasional club member. No leadership roles, no jobs. They let their passion consume everything and they are looking back with regret.

This happens a lot. With ALL sports (at travel level or equivalent). Leaves no time for anything else but studying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many ECs do kids have to list? My daughter barely has time to do much outside of her rowing, where she's devoting 3+ hours a day year-around. Is she really expected to hold down jobs or be a president of a club that has impact? This is a little scary.

I know someone who does crew. Very few other ECs due to time commitment for rowing.

+1
I have a kid who spent 25-30 hours per week, all year long competing in niche sport while attending their local public school. They have no activities to put down aside from being an occasional club member. No leadership roles, no jobs. They let their passion consume everything and they are looking back with regret.

Why regret? My DC (freshman in college) similarly has an all-encompassing passion, although not a sport. She let it consume everything in high school (probably to the detriment of her grades) and she regrets nothing. She's currently in college (not a top 20 because of the detriment of her grades) majoring in something related to her passion. There's more to life than getting into a top 20 school -- I'd say that following your passion is way more important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone follow these tips? We used more resume-type formatting (semicolons, etc).

https://www.saraharberson.com/blog/mistakes-common-app-activities-list

Both of her examples are terrible because they waste characters without giving information. How many meals did she cook? For how many people? Etc. "Sundays are for coming!" doesn't give the AO any information.

I think the issue is everyone is listening to TikTok counselors (325 meals search; 4800 raised; grew membership 400%) that it all sounds the same - like embellished made up Numbers and nonsense.

Her advice is to be different. We followed it - to an extent - last cycle. You want to be memorable. Great Ivy and T20 results.

She had a great pizza server example last cycle - that just made you smile.

The entire process is not about creating the most detailed accounting of your HS time/ECs (people think this and they’re wrong).

It’s to create a story that makes you memorable so the admissions officer remembers you. Comes up with a nickname for you. Is willing to fight for you. That’s all you’re hoping for.

Something to make them stop scrolling.

Y or N:

—the example in the link that she uses as the “good” EC description is good?

—it says: It's supposed to read like a high school student is describing what they do in the most authentic, unique, and personal way.

This sounds authentic: “ to bring sustenance to those in need” and The tone, style, and delivery are “magical.”

I think there’s some really nerdy kids who sound like that. Mine definitely would not.

There’s a difference between knowing a word and using a word like that in that context. I don’t even know an adult who would use it like that even if it’s used correctly. It sounds stilted and bizarre, absolutely not magical.

I think adults would only say it jokingly. Like “what are you doing Sunday?” “Cooking for shelter”. “Wow look at you — bringing sustenance to those in need” “yeah, I’m pretty great that way.”

[Anonymous]

Cringe. Sarah’s sound so phony. I’m all for the old school way of bulleted stating what you did with action words. It should read like a resume it’s an activity list after all.

If either of my son’s wrote like she suggests in the activity list it would be so inauthentic and corny. One is unhooked at an Ivy and solid not follow Sarah or anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone follow these tips? We used more resume-type formatting (semicolons, etc).

https://www.saraharberson.com/blog/mistakes-common-app-activities-list

Oy! I really don't like her example. And imagine if the whole Nation starts doing the list that way. It will look like they all copied one another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone follow these tips? We used more resume-type formatting (semicolons, etc).

https://www.saraharberson.com/blog/mistakes-common-app-activities-list

Both of her examples are terrible because they waste characters without giving information. How many meals did she cook? For how many people? Etc. "Sundays are for coming!" doesn't give the AO any information.

I think the issue is everyone is listening to TikTok counselors (325 meals search; 4800 raised; grew membership 400%) that it all sounds the same - like embellished made up Numbers and nonsense.

Her advice is to be different. We followed it - to an extent - last cycle. You want to be memorable. Great Ivy and T20 results.

She had a great pizza server example last cycle - that just made you smile.

The entire process is not about creating the most detailed accounting of your HS time/ECs (people think this and they’re wrong).

It’s to create a story that makes you memorable so the admissions officer remembers you. Comes up with a nickname for you. Is willing to fight for you. That’s all you’re hoping for.

Something to make them stop scrolling.

Y or N:

—the example in the link that she uses as the “good” EC description is good?

—it says: It's supposed to read like a high school student is describing what they do in the most authentic, unique, and personal way.

This sounds authentic: “ to bring sustenance to those in need” and The tone, style, and delivery are “magical.”

I think there’s some really nerdy kids who sound like that. Mine definitely would not.

There’s a difference between knowing a word and using a word like that in that context. I don’t even know an adult who would use it like that even if it’s used correctly. It sounds stilted and bizarre, absolutely not magical.

I think adults would only say it jokingly. Like “what are you doing Sunday?” “Cooking for shelter”. “Wow look at you — bringing sustenance to those in need” “yeah, I’m pretty great that way.”

Then the answer was not even an adult would use it in that context.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many ECs do kids have to list? My daughter barely has time to do much outside of her rowing, where she's devoting 3+ hours a day year-around. Is she really expected to hold down jobs or be a president of a club that has impact? This is a little scary.

I know someone who does crew. Very few other ECs due to time commitment for rowing.

+1
I have a kid who spent 25-30 hours per week, all year long competing in niche sport while attending their local public school. They have no activities to put down aside from being an occasional club member. No leadership roles, no jobs. They let their passion consume everything and they are looking back with regret.

Activities are much less of a big deal than most applicants think - unless the student is going to compete in college. The activities section is way down the list of what is important. In any case, AOs prefer depth over over a large number of activities.
-college counselor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many ECs do kids have to list? My daughter barely has time to do much outside of her rowing, where she's devoting 3+ hours a day year-around. Is she really expected to hold down jobs or be a president of a club that has impact? This is a little scary.

I know someone who does crew. Very few other ECs due to time commitment for rowing.

+1
I have a kid who spent 25-30 hours per week, all year long competing in niche sport while attending their local public school. They have no activities to put down aside from being an occasional club member. No leadership roles, no jobs. They let their passion consume everything and they are looking back with regret.

My kid is like that but it was a different activity. I did feel exactly like you. When we used SH, she admonished us "one dimensional", everything in the application is about that one activity, told us to redo everything - personal statement, supplemental essays, activities and even recommendation letter.

Kid did not want to change a thing, ended up with two admits to HYPSM.

I think AO's can tease out genuine passion and like kids who are authentic. No one who read my kid's application would say it is polished and done by anybody other than the kid.

Give your best shot and you might be surprised.

Truly one activity? Then your kid was hooked somehow (or feeder school). One area but several related activities, sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many ECs do kids have to list? My daughter barely has time to do much outside of her rowing, where she's devoting 3+ hours a day year-around. Is she really expected to hold down jobs or be a president of a club that has impact? This is a little scary.

I know someone who does crew. Very few other ECs due to time commitment for rowing.

+1
I have a kid who spent 25-30 hours per week, all year long competing in niche sport while attending their local public school. They have no activities to put down aside from being an occasional club member. No leadership roles, no jobs. They let their passion consume everything and they are looking back with regret.

Activities are much less of a big deal than most applicants think - unless the student is going to compete in college. The activities section is way down the list of what is important. In any case, AOs prefer depth over a large number of activities.
-college counselor

This may be true at non-T25 spots, but where I am a reader, it's the 2nd thing we look at it. It's how to frame all the kids who look EXACTLY the same from a high school. It's actually one of the first ways to stand out. Even before the essays. Do something other people aren't doing and do it well/deeply.

So, I disagree that it's not important. It is important, if only to show your passion, why you do it. I think people over-rotate on the same 10-15 activities: no one cares about your debate or your Varsity soccer or your DECA. Especially because most kids just sign up to these clubs because they feel they have to. They don't really care deeply about any of it.

Better to be an EMT. A blacksmith. Restoring vintage baseball paraphernalia. Even tinkering with old watches. Or an artist restoring traditional textiles and artifacts.

Look to see how a school treats "Extracurricular Activities and "Talent/Ability" on the CDS. If they say, "Very Important" - it means they absolutely look at it (and often before "Important" or "Considered" - like Class Rank, GPA, Recommendations, Application Essay or Test Scores) - and maybe look at it early.

UChicago CDS: https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/voices.uchicago.edu/dist/8/2077/files/2025/08/CDS_2024-2025_to_publish.pdf
Vanderbilt CDS: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/dsa/common-data-set/
Duke CDS: https://provost.duke.edu/sites/default/files/CDS-2023-24-FINAL.pdf
Northwestern CDS: https://www.enrollment.northwestern.edu/data/2024-2025.pdf
WashU CDS: https://washu.edu/app/uploads/2025/06/2024-2025-WashU-CDS.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many ECs do kids have to list? My daughter barely has time to do much outside of her rowing, where she's devoting 3+ hours a day year-around. Is she really expected to hold down jobs or be a president of a club that has impact? This is a little scary.

I know someone who does crew. Very few other ECs due to time commitment for rowing.

+1
I have a kid who spent 25-30 hours per week, all year long competing in niche sport while attending their local public school. They have no activities to put down aside from being an occasional club member. No leadership roles, no jobs. They let their passion consume everything and they are looking back with regret.

Activities are much less of a big deal than most applicants think - unless the student is going to compete in college. The activities section is way down the list of what is important. In any case, AOs prefer depth over over a large number of activities.
-college counselor

Also an IEC and I disagree. I know many kids at T20s, especially the Ivies, and their passion shows through in their activities. It’s obvious why they got in despite being from public high schools. Kids who attend feeders do not need great activities as AOs will trust the school. The rest need great activities and they are important, but an athlete is understandably busy with their sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many ECs do kids have to list? My daughter barely has time to do much outside of her rowing, where she's devoting 3+ hours a day year-around. Is she really expected to hold down jobs or be a president of a club that has impact? This is a little scary.

I know someone who does crew. Very few other ECs due to time commitment for rowing.

+1
I have a kid who spent 25-30 hours per week, all year long competing in niche sport while attending their local public school. They have no activities to put down aside from being an occasional club member. No leadership roles, no jobs. They let their passion consume everything and they are looking back with regret.

Activities are much less of a big deal than most applicants think - unless the student is going to compete in college. The activities section is way down the list of what is important. In any case, AOs prefer depth over a large number of activities.
-college counselor

This may be true at non-T25 spots, but where I am a reader, it's the 2nd thing we look at it. It's how to frame all the kids who look EXACTLY the same from a high school. It's actually one of the first ways to stand out. Even before the essays. Do something other people aren't doing and do it well/deeply.

So, I disagree that it's not important. It is important, if only to show your passion, why you do it. I think people over-rotate on the same 10-15 activities: no one cares about your debate or your Varsity soccer or your DECA. Especially because most kids just sign up to these clubs because they feel they have to. They don't really care deeply about any of it.

Better to be an EMT. A blacksmith. Restoring vintage baseball paraphernalia. Even tinkering with old watches. Or an artist restoring traditional textiles and artifacts.

Look to see how a school treats "Extracurricular Activities and "Talent/Ability" on the CDS. If they say, "Very Important" - it means they absolutely look at it (and often before "Important" or "Considered" - like Class Rank, GPA, Recommendations, Application Essay or Test Scores) - and maybe look at it early.

UChicago CDS: https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/voices.uchicago.edu/dist/8/2077/files/2025/08/CDS_2024-2025_to_publish.pdf
Vanderbilt CDS: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/dsa/common-data-set/
Duke CDS: https://provost.duke.edu/sites/default/files/CDS-2023-24-FINAL.pdf
Northwestern CDS: https://www.enrollment.northwestern.edu/data/2024-2025.pdf
WashU CDS: https://washu.edu/app/uploads/2025/06/2024-2025-WashU-CDS.pdf

Thank you for this!

Today I heard several counselors say that AOs look up applicants’ social media and LinkedIn profiles. I’m wondering if you have time to do that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone follow these tips? We used more resume-type formatting (semicolons, etc).

https://www.saraharberson.com/blog/mistakes-common-app-activities-list

Oy! I really don't like her example. And imagine if the whole Nation starts doing the list that way. It will look like they all copied one another.

All their essays must read similar as well. Their essay editing service with its promise of a final, polished result seems kind of unethical.

[Anonymous]

Saw this today - did anyone else's kid change the activities depending ont he school they are applying to?


https://ingeniusprep.com/blog/optimizing-your-activities-list-for-the-ivy-league-and-top-30-universities/

One of the biggest mistakes strong applicants make is treating every Activities List the same. At the top schools, optimization isn’t just about what you did — it’s about how you signal alignment with what that school values.

Colleges shift priorities each year. One may emphasize civic engagement, another global perspective, another research. A New York Post report pointed out that even high-achieving applicants sometimes get into Ivies but are rejected at “peer” schools because their applications weren’t tailored. The Activities List is one of the easiest places to send subtle signals of fit.

For example, the same tutoring activity can be framed three different ways:

For Georgetown: “Organized 200-hour civic engagement project in local schools.”
For MIT: “Tutored peers in STEM; developed problem sets to expand AP curriculum.”
For Stanford: “Created AI app to support student learning; used by 500 peers.”
A second lens I stress with students: evidence for your intended major. As we discussed in training, “you still want to put what major you plan on [studying]… but you want to show evidence for that particular major you’re thinking about right now.” You don’t have to be locked in, but the activities should make your academic direction feel inevitable.

TRY THIS: Take your most flexible activity and try writing it three ways. Which version matches your dream school’s culture best?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many ECs do kids have to list? My daughter barely has time to do much outside of her rowing, where she's devoting 3+ hours a day year-around. Is she really expected to hold down jobs or be a president of a club that has impact? This is a little scary.

I know someone who does crew. Very few other ECs due to time commitment for rowing.

+1
I have a kid who spent 25-30 hours per week, all year long competing in niche sport while attending their local public school. They have no activities to put down aside from being an occasional club member. No leadership roles, no jobs. They let their passion consume everything and they are looking back with regret.

Activities are much less of a big deal than most applicants think - unless the student is going to compete in college. The activities section is way down the list of what is important. In any case, AOs prefer depth over a large number of activities.
-college counselor

This may be true at non-T25 spots, but where I am a reader, it's the 2nd thing we look at it. It's how to frame all the kids who look EXACTLY the same from a high school. It's actually one of the first ways to stand out. Even before the essays. Do something other people aren't doing and do it well/deeply.

So, I disagree that it's not important. It is important, if only to show your passion, why you do it. I think people over-rotate on the same 10-15 activities: no one cares about your debate or your Varsity soccer or your DECA. Especially because most kids just sign up to these clubs because they feel they have to. They don't really care deeply about any of it.

Better to be an EMT. A blacksmith. Restoring vintage baseball paraphernalia. Even tinkering with old watches. Or an artist restoring traditional textiles and artifacts.

Look to see how a school treats "Extracurricular Activities and "Talent/Ability" on the CDS. If they say, "Very Important" - it means they absolutely look at it (and often before "Important" or "Considered" - like Class Rank, GPA, Recommendations, Application Essay or Test Scores) - and maybe look at it early.

UChicago CDS: https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/voices.uchicago.edu/dist/8/2077/files/2025/08/CDS_2024-2025_to_publish.pdf
Vanderbilt CDS: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/dsa/common-data-set/
Duke CDS: https://provost.duke.edu/sites/default/files/CDS-2023-24-FINAL.pdf
Northwestern CDS: https://www.enrollment.northwestern.edu/data/2024-2025.pdf
WashU CDS: https://washu.edu/app/uploads/2025/06/2024-2025-WashU-CDS.pdf

Yep: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1233143.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many ECs do kids have to list? My daughter barely has time to do much outside of her rowing, where she's devoting 3+ hours a day year-around. Is she really expected to hold down jobs or be a president of a club that has impact? This is a little scary.

I know someone who does crew. Very few other ECs due to time commitment for rowing.

+1
I have a kid who spent 25-30 hours per week, all year long competing in niche sport while attending their local public school. They have no activities to put down aside from being an occasional club member. No leadership roles, no jobs. They let their passion consume everything and they are looking back with regret.

Activities are much less of a big deal than most applicants think - unless the student is going to compete in college. The activities section is way down the list of what is important. In any case, AOs prefer depth over a large number of activities.
-college counselor

This may be true at non-T25 spots, but where I am a reader, it's the 2nd thing we look at it. It's how to frame all the kids who look EXACTLY the same from a high school. It's actually one of the first ways to stand out. Even before the essays. Do something other people aren't doing and do it well/deeply.

So, I disagree that it's not important. It is important, if only to show your passion, why you do it. I think people over-rotate on the same 10-15 activities: no one cares about your debate or your Varsity soccer or your DECA. Especially because most kids just sign up to these clubs because they feel they have to. They don't really care deeply about any of it.

Better to be an EMT. A blacksmith. Restoring vintage baseball paraphernalia. Even tinkering with old watches. Or an artist restoring traditional textiles and artifacts.

Look to see how a school treats "Extracurricular Activities and "Talent/Ability" on the CDS. If they say, "Very Important" - it means they absolutely look at it (and often before "Important" or "Considered" - like Class Rank, GPA, Recommendations, Application Essay or Test Scores) - and maybe look at it early.

UChicago CDS: https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/voices.uchicago.edu/dist/8/2077/files/2025/08/CDS_2024-2025_to_publish.pdf
Vanderbilt CDS: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/dsa/common-data-set/
Duke CDS: https://provost.duke.edu/sites/default/files/CDS-2023-24-FINAL.pdf
Northwestern CDS: https://www.enrollment.northwestern.edu/data/2024-2025.pdf
WashU CDS: https://washu.edu/app/uploads/2025/06/2024-2025-WashU-CDS.pdf

On the EMT point, its interesting that this website says certain schools value EMT certification more than others.

https://www.collegebase.org/blog/certified-wfr-or-emt-in-hs-college-admissions
"WFR certification carries particular weight at colleges with strong outdoor programs including Colorado College, Middlebury, Dartmouth, and University of Vermont. These institutions value students who can contribute to outdoor programming and campus safety. EMT certification resonates most strongly with universities featuring undergraduate EMS programs such as Georgetown, Case Western Reserve, Rice, and Washington University in St. Louis. Admissions data from these schools indicate that 65-80% of admitted pre-med students with EMT certification matriculate compared to 45-55% without such credentials."