Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crimson has good templates/examples. Another one:

Activities List Example 1: Student Admitted to Stanford Class of 2028

1. Volunteer: City Department of Sustainability (only youth member)
16 hr/wk, 24 wk/yr. Developed cultural food distribution strategies for the city’s first Food Plan. Built 2 cultural gardens with 12 types of crop, 50+ Ibs food harvested

2. Capstone: Founder & President, SmartSustainableCities
12 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr. Nonprofit w/ 6 intl. chapters, 90+ members. Spoke at 3 UN conferences about smart transit equity; created 2 city plans promoting walkability.

3. Cultural: Youth intern, National Museum of Asian Art
8 hr/wk, 10 wk/yr. Learned x-ray based analysis and paper conservation techniques w/ archival records. Studied Japanese art curation methods.

4. Research: Student Researcher, George Mason University
30 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr. Researched relationship b/w freeway capping & gentrification through statistical modeling; paper under review at Transportation Research Board.

5. Student Govt: Elected Chair Ambassador (1 of 32), City Youth Council
6 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr. Rep’d 200k+ youth. Directed policy initiatives on homelessness; Curated national workshop for BIPOC-owned businesses: 70+ attendees

6. Volunteer: Intern, Asian American Resource Center
6 hr/wk, 24 wk/yr. Curated youth program on cultural education w/ 16 participants and 3k in funding. Led an intergenerational storytelling event w/ 80+ attendees

7. Debate: Co-Novice Coordinator, Speech & Debate Team
12 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr. Ranked top 5 LD debaters in state. Created/ taught 1:1 curriculum w/ 6 students; debated Asian American critical race arguments

8. Research: Student Researcher, UC Santa Cruz Summer Internship Program
20 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr. Developed code book from 11 interviews w/ members of Black nonprofits. Presented impact of land-based, Black resistance on contemporary racial justice

9. Research: Student Researcher, UT Austin
4 hr/wk, 26 wk/yr. Researched the impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on 8 Indigenous communities in the Pacific; published 3 Op-Eds on Indigeneity in geopolitics.

10. Other: Photographer
2 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr. Curated 5 photo-essays w/ 10+ pictures each; created online exhibit w/ 80+ views on involuntary displacement, urban sprawl, and parking in city

Why does it not qualify for how many years this was done? If everything was done every year, this would amount to 45 hrs per week - a full time job with no vacation. Even only the first 2 activities combined (which presumably were done for a few years, and they were done for a good part of the year) add up to 28 hours/week. Plus a presumably rigorous course schedule ... Do universities check how reasonable the lists are, or if they are conducive to student mental health?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Found this online.

It’s vital to approach your activities section as a whole, at least at the planning and organization level. By this we mean curating your activities in a way that shows development of who you are. There should also be some kind of overarching thematic connect that speaks to your passions, ambitions, and key strengths.

The ranking of activities is just as crucial as the activities you select. If your activities are all over the place thematically and in the wrong order, admissions committees will have a much harder time distinguishing you from the crowd.

Most students find that the chronological strategy works best to organize this section. Ideally, your activities have evolved and become more sophisticated or advanced over time. For instance, starting out with a beginner’s martial arts class early on, and placing in a tournament later on, and so on.

If you were student council president your senior year, for instance, you’ll want to anchor that toward the end of your activities. Similarly, for a part-time job you maintained throughout all of high school, place it at the top of your list and work toward the present as you move on. The Activities section doesn’t include a designated space for dates, but this is exactly why ordering your activities can be helpful in providing a sense of narrative and development.

However, there’s a big caveat to this: always start with the most notable activity/activities first, and then move into chronological order. Many students miss this critical instruction provided at the top of the Activities section:

“Please list your activities in the order of their importance to you.”

The logic for this is obvious: grab their attention and then finish painting your picture. Additionally, this will establish a lofty accomplishment at the outset and then provide a clear sense of the steps taken to arrive there. If your biggest achievement is a youth internship with Facebook, start there and then lay out the steps you undertook to become skilled in computer science or programming.

Let’s take the example of one of our students, Ashley, to understand how to select and rank activities.

Ashley has a passion for chess, and was President of her high school’s chess club. She also won first place in the Ohio under-18 state-level chess tournament. Additionally, she has YouTube channel about chess strategies that has over a 1000 followers. Her other key interest is in music, and she plays the harp in her high school orchestra. She also tutored students in harp-playing. She worked as a sales associate at her local indie music store and was promoted to assistant manager in her junior year. In addition to this, she’s a member of other school clubs like Nature Club, Foreign Film Club, Music Club, and so on. So, which of her activities should she pick? How should she rank them? Let’s take a look at a correct and incorrect example of the list of activities Ashley can include:

Incorrect example:

President of High School Chess Club
Lead Harpist in High School Orchestra
Member of Nature Club
Member of Foreign Film Club
Member of High School Music Club
Learnt Basic Mandarin in Mandarin Club7
YouTube Channel “No Mess in Chess” with 1000+ followers

Correct example:

1st Place in Ohio Under-18 Chess Tournament
YouTube Channel “No Mess in Chess” with 1000+ followers
President of High School Chess Club
Lead Harpist in High School Orchestra
Tutor at Whistles Musical Academy
Assistant Manager at Mystery Tunes
Sales Associate at Mystery Tunes
Member of High School Music Club

Can you see why the second example is a more successful example of a Common App Activities section?

The former example does not focus on her most impressive activities and simply reads like a list of clubs she participated in, or like a high school resume. She doesn’t even mention her winning first place in the state level chess competition and omits her work experiences altogether. On the surface, it seems she has ranked the activities in order of importance. But there isn’t any logic to the flow from one activity to the next. This list is not likely to stand out to the admissions committee or properly communicate Ashley’s strengths.

What if her winning 1st place in the state chess tournament was from her freshman year rather than junior year? Should she still list it at the top of activity lists?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How you talk about your activities matters A LOT

Based on? My kid just entered the info and did great this year. 20 apps, 15 acceptances, many in the top 15/top 20.

+1. Unless the activity is 'top tier', it's of low importance in the admission process. If it were a top tier activity it will be addressed in other parts of the application, anyways..

I'm the one you're responding to. I don't necessarily agree with you. I think some activities can be meaningful to admissions, however, the meaningfulness won't be coming from the description. The examples above are horrible. "Endurance specialist" for a non-recruited distance swimmer? Mentioning relays - so dumb. Other people use fake stuff to puff up an entry. A friend said her kid said an internship was highly competitive and it definitely was not. My own kid applied and during the interview was told almost everyone gets a spot.

Anonymous wrote:Found this online.

It’s vital to approach your activities section as a whole, at least at the planning and organization level. By this we mean curating your activities in a way that shows development of who you are. There should also be some kind of overarching thematic connect that speaks to your passions, ambitions, and key strengths.

The ranking of activities is just as crucial as the activities you select. If your activities are all over the place thematically and in the wrong order, admissions committees will have a much harder time distinguishing you from the crowd.

Most students find that the chronological strategy works best to organize this section. Ideally, your activities have evolved and become more sophisticated or advanced over time. For instance, starting out with a beginner’s martial arts class early on, and placing in a tournament later on, and so on.

If you were student council president your senior year, for instance, you’ll want to anchor that toward the end of your activities. Similarly, for a part-time job you maintained throughout all of high school, place it at the top of your list and work toward the present as you move on. The Activities section doesn’t include a designated space for dates, but this is exactly why ordering your activities can be helpful in providing a sense of narrative and development.

However, there’s a big caveat to this: always start with the most notable activity/activities first, and then move into chronological order. Many students miss this critical instruction provided at the top of the Activities section:

“Please list your activities in the order of their importance to you.”

The logic for this is obvious: grab their attention and then finish painting your picture. Additionally, this will establish a lofty accomplishment at the outset and then provide a clear sense of the steps taken to arrive there. If your biggest achievement is a youth internship with Facebook, start there and then lay out the steps you undertook to become skilled in computer science or programming.

Let’s take the example of one of our students, Ashley, to understand how to select and rank activities.

Ashley has a passion for chess, and was President of her high school’s chess club. She also won first place in the Ohio under-18 state-level chess tournament. Additionally, she has YouTube channel about chess strategies that has over a 1000 followers. Her other key interest is in music, and she plays the harp in her high school orchestra. She also tutored students in harp-playing. She worked as a sales associate at her local indie music store and was promoted to assistant manager in her junior year. In addition to this, she’s a member of other school clubs like Nature Club, Foreign Film Club, Music Club, and so on. So, which of her activities should she pick? How should she rank them? Let’s take a look at a correct and incorrect example of the list of activities Ashley can include:

Incorrect example:

President of High School Chess Club
Lead Harpist in High School Orchestra
Member of Nature Club
Member of Foreign Film Club
Member of High School Music Club
Learnt Basic Mandarin in Mandarin Club7
YouTube Channel “No Mess in Chess” with 1000+ followers

Correct example:

1st Place in Ohio Under-18 Chess Tournament
YouTube Channel “No Mess in Chess” with 1000+ followers
President of High School Chess Club
Lead Harpist in High School Orchestra
Tutor at Whistles Musical Academy
Assistant Manager at Mystery Tunes
Sales Associate at Mystery Tunes
Member of High School Music Club

Can you see why the second example is a more successful example of a Common App Activities section?

The former example does not focus on her most impressive activities and simply reads like a list of clubs she participated in, or like a high school resume. She doesn’t even mention her winning first place in the state level chess competition and omits her work experiences altogether. On the surface, it seems she has ranked the activities in order of importance. But there isn’t any logic to the flow from one activity to the next. This list is not likely to stand out to the admissions committee or properly communicate Ashley’s strengths.

Anonymous wrote:Crimson has good templates/examples. Another one:

Activities List Example 1: Student Admitted to Stanford Class of 2028

1. Volunteer: City Department of Sustainability (only youth member)
16 hr/wk, 24 wk/yr. Developed cultural food distribution strategies for the city’s first Food Plan. Built 2 cultural gardens with 12 types of crop, 50+ Ibs food harvested

2. Capstone: Founder & President, SmartSustainableCities
12 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr. Nonprofit w/ 6 intl. chapters, 90+ members. Spoke at 3 UN conferences about smart transit equity; created 2 city plans promoting walkability.

3. Cultural: Youth intern, National Museum of Asian Art
8 hr/wk, 10 wk/yr. Learned x-ray based analysis and paper conservation techniques w/ archival records. Studied Japanese art curation methods.

4. Research: Student Researcher, George Mason University
30 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr. Researched relationship b/w freeway capping & gentrification through statistical modeling; paper under review at Transportation Research Board.

5. Student Govt: Elected Chair Ambassador (1 of 32), City Youth Council
6 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr. Rep’d 200k+ youth. Directed policy initiatives on homelessness; Curated national workshop for BIPOC-owned businesses: 70+ attendees

6. Volunteer: Intern, Asian American Resource Center
6 hr/wk, 24 wk/yr. Curated youth program on cultural education w/ 16 participants and 3k in funding. Led an intergenerational storytelling event w/ 80+ attendees

7. Debate: Co-Novice Coordinator, Speech & Debate Team
12 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr. Ranked top 5 LD debaters in state. Created/ taught 1:1 curriculum w/ 6 students; debated Asian American critical race arguments

8. Research: Student Researcher, UC Santa Cruz Summer Internship Program
20 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr. Developed code book from 11 interviews w/ members of Black nonprofits. Presented impact of land-based, Black resistance on contemporary racial justice

9. Research: Student Researcher, UT Austin
4 hr/wk, 26 wk/yr. Researched the impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on 8 Indigenous communities in the Pacific; published 3 Op-Eds on Indigeneity in geopolitics.

10. Other: Photographer
2 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr. Curated 5 photo-essays w/ 10+ pictures each; created online exhibit w/ 80+ views on involuntary displacement, urban sprawl, and parking in city

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How you talk about your activities matters A LOT

Based on? My kid just entered the info and did great this year. 20 apps, 15 acceptances, many in the top 15/top 20.

+1. Unless the activity is 'top tier', it's of low importance in the admission process. If it were a top tier activity it will be addressed in other parts of the application, anyways..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crimson has good templates/examples. Another one:

Activities List Example 1: Student Admitted to Stanford Class of 2028

1. Volunteer: City Department of Sustainability (only youth member)
16 hr/wk, 24 wk/yr. Developed cultural food distribution strategies for the city’s first Food Plan. Built 2 cultural gardens with 12 types of crop, 50+ Ibs food harvested

2. Capstone: Founder & President, SmartSustainableCities
12 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr. Nonprofit w/ 6 intl. chapters, 90+ members. Spoke at 3 UN conferences about smart transit equity; created 2 city plans promoting walkability.

3. Cultural: Youth intern, National Museum of Asian Art
8 hr/wk, 10 wk/yr. Learned x-ray based analysis and paper conservation techniques w/ archival records. Studied Japanese art curation methods.

4. Research: Student Researcher, George Mason University
30 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr. Researched relationship b/w freeway capping & gentrification through statistical modeling; paper under review at Transportation Research Board.

5. Student Govt: Elected Chair Ambassador (1 of 32), City Youth Council
6 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr. Rep’d 200k+ youth. Directed policy initiatives on homelessness; Curated national workshop for BIPOC-owned businesses: 70+ attendees

6. Volunteer: Intern, Asian American Resource Center
6 hr/wk, 24 wk/yr. Curated youth program on cultural education w/ 16 participants and 3k in funding. Led an intergenerational storytelling event w/ 80+ attendees

7. Debate: Co-Novice Coordinator, Speech & Debate Team
12 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr. Ranked top 5 LD debaters in state. Created/ taught 1:1 curriculum w/ 6 students; debated Asian American critical race arguments

8. Research: Student Researcher, UC Santa Cruz Summer Internship Program
20 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr. Developed code book from 11 interviews w/ members of Black nonprofits. Presented impact of land-based, Black resistance on contemporary racial justice

9. Research: Student Researcher, UT Austin
4 hr/wk, 26 wk/yr. Researched the impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on 8 Indigenous communities in the Pacific; published 3 Op-Eds on Indigeneity in geopolitics.

10. Other: Photographer
2 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr. Curated 5 photo-essays w/ 10+ pictures each; created online exhibit w/ 80+ views on involuntary displacement, urban sprawl, and parking in city

How would Stanford confirm any of this btw??

The theoretical kid that this represents probably did very little of this.

Or that they did but the impact has been exaggerated.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How you talk about your activities matters A LOT

Based on? My kid just entered the info and did great this year. 20 apps, 15 acceptances, many in the top 15/top 20.

Anonymous wrote:How you talk about your activities matters A LOT

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crimson has good templates/examples. Another one:

Activities List Example 1: Student Admitted to Stanford Class of 2028

1. Volunteer: City Department of Sustainability (only youth member)
16 hr/wk, 24 wk/yr. Developed cultural food distribution strategies for the city’s first Food Plan. Built 2 cultural gardens with 12 types of crop, 50+ Ibs food harvested

2. Capstone: Founder & President, SmartSustainableCities
12 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr. Nonprofit w/ 6 intl. chapters, 90+ members. Spoke at 3 UN conferences about smart transit equity; created 2 city plans promoting walkability.

3. Cultural: Youth intern, National Museum of Asian Art
8 hr/wk, 10 wk/yr. Learned x-ray based analysis and paper conservation techniques w/ archival records. Studied Japanese art curation methods.

4. Research: Student Researcher, George Mason University
30 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr. Researched relationship b/w freeway capping & gentrification through statistical modeling; paper under review at Transportation Research Board.

5. Student Govt: Elected Chair Ambassador (1 of 32), City Youth Council
6 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr. Rep’d 200k+ youth. Directed policy initiatives on homelessness; Curated national workshop for BIPOC-owned businesses: 70+ attendees

6. Volunteer: Intern, Asian American Resource Center
6 hr/wk, 24 wk/yr. Curated youth program on cultural education w/ 16 participants and 3k in funding. Led an intergenerational storytelling event w/ 80+ attendees

7. Debate: Co-Novice Coordinator, Speech & Debate Team
12 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr. Ranked top 5 LD debaters in state. Created/ taught 1:1 curriculum w/ 6 students; debated Asian American critical race arguments

8. Research: Student Researcher, UC Santa Cruz Summer Internship Program
20 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr. Developed code book from 11 interviews w/ members of Black nonprofits. Presented impact of land-based, Black resistance on contemporary racial justice

9. Research: Student Researcher, UT Austin
4 hr/wk, 26 wk/yr. Researched the impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on 8 Indigenous communities in the Pacific; published 3 Op-Eds on Indigeneity in geopolitics.

10. Other: Photographer
2 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr. Curated 5 photo-essays w/ 10+ pictures each; created online exhibit w/ 80+ views on involuntary displacement, urban sprawl, and parking in city

How would Stanford confirm any of this btw??

The theoretical kid that this represents probably did very little of this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crimson has good templates/examples. Another one:

Activities List Example 1: Student Admitted to Stanford Class of 2028

1. Volunteer: City Department of Sustainability (only youth member)
16 hr/wk, 24 wk/yr. Developed cultural food distribution strategies for the city’s first Food Plan. Built 2 cultural gardens with 12 types of crop, 50+ Ibs food harvested

2. Capstone: Founder & President, SmartSustainableCities
12 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr. Nonprofit w/ 6 intl. chapters, 90+ members. Spoke at 3 UN conferences about smart transit equity; created 2 city plans promoting walkability.

3. Cultural: Youth intern, National Museum of Asian Art
8 hr/wk, 10 wk/yr. Learned x-ray based analysis and paper conservation techniques w/ archival records. Studied Japanese art curation methods.

4. Research: Student Researcher, George Mason University
30 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr. Researched relationship b/w freeway capping & gentrification through statistical modeling; paper under review at Transportation Research Board.

5. Student Govt: Elected Chair Ambassador (1 of 32), City Youth Council
6 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr. Rep’d 200k+ youth. Directed policy initiatives on homelessness; Curated national workshop for BIPOC-owned businesses: 70+ attendees

6. Volunteer: Intern, Asian American Resource Center
6 hr/wk, 24 wk/yr. Curated youth program on cultural education w/ 16 participants and 3k in funding. Led an intergenerational storytelling event w/ 80+ attendees

7. Debate: Co-Novice Coordinator, Speech & Debate Team
12 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr. Ranked top 5 LD debaters in state. Created/ taught 1:1 curriculum w/ 6 students; debated Asian American critical race arguments

8. Research: Student Researcher, UC Santa Cruz Summer Internship Program
20 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr. Developed code book from 11 interviews w/ members of Black nonprofits. Presented impact of land-based, Black resistance on contemporary racial justice

9. Research: Student Researcher, UT Austin
4 hr/wk, 26 wk/yr. Researched the impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on 8 Indigenous communities in the Pacific; published 3 Op-Eds on Indigeneity in geopolitics.

10. Other: Photographer
2 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr. Curated 5 photo-essays w/ 10+ pictures each; created online exhibit w/ 80+ views on involuntary displacement, urban sprawl, and parking in city

How would Stanford confirm any of this btw??

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's fine.

The activity section is less about weighing and more about giving a picture of the person, what their interests are, how they have sought to develop themselves.

I guess it just confuses me a lot, because I would think kids grow, change, have different commitments, so how do things even fit, work out on the app?

I’m not fully understanding the question, but you’d list activities done and then in description explain impact. It’s more about explaining who they are and how they choose to spend their time. If there are a lot of activities and not a lot of depth, than maybe it’s eager to try new things, explore that will connect dots across the application as a whole.

I mean for instance this: 2 years of animal shelter volunteering, then none, one type of summer job 1 year, none the following, a different year-round job the next, one year fall sport, one year winter sport, four year spring sports of same sport...Do you list all of that including freshman year activities?

Anonymous wrote:Crimson has good templates/examples. Another one:

Activities List Example 1: Student Admitted to Stanford Class of 2028

1. Volunteer: City Department of Sustainability (only youth member)
16 hr/wk, 24 wk/yr. Developed cultural food distribution strategies for the city’s first Food Plan. Built 2 cultural gardens with 12 types of crop, 50+ Ibs food harvested

2. Capstone: Founder & President, SmartSustainableCities
12 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr. Nonprofit w/ 6 intl. chapters, 90+ members. Spoke at 3 UN conferences about smart transit equity; created 2 city plans promoting walkability.

3. Cultural: Youth intern, National Museum of Asian Art
8 hr/wk, 10 wk/yr. Learned x-ray based analysis and paper conservation techniques w/ archival records. Studied Japanese art curation methods.

4. Research: Student Researcher, George Mason University
30 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr. Researched relationship b/w freeway capping & gentrification through statistical modeling; paper under review at Transportation Research Board.

5. Student Govt: Elected Chair Ambassador (1 of 32), City Youth Council
6 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr. Rep’d 200k+ youth. Directed policy initiatives on homelessness; Curated national workshop for BIPOC-owned businesses: 70+ attendees

6. Volunteer: Intern, Asian American Resource Center
6 hr/wk, 24 wk/yr. Curated youth program on cultural education w/ 16 participants and 3k in funding. Led an intergenerational storytelling event w/ 80+ attendees

7. Debate: Co-Novice Coordinator, Speech & Debate Team
12 hr/wk, 36 wk/yr. Ranked top 5 LD debaters in state. Created/ taught 1:1 curriculum w/ 6 students; debated Asian American critical race arguments

8. Research: Student Researcher, UC Santa Cruz Summer Internship Program
20 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr. Developed code book from 11 interviews w/ members of Black nonprofits. Presented impact of land-based, Black resistance on contemporary racial justice

9. Research: Student Researcher, UT Austin
4 hr/wk, 26 wk/yr. Researched the impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on 8 Indigenous communities in the Pacific; published 3 Op-Eds on Indigeneity in geopolitics.

10. Other: Photographer
2 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr. Curated 5 photo-essays w/ 10+ pictures each; created online exhibit w/ 80+ views on involuntary displacement, urban sprawl, and parking in city

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just list in order of importance or remove the oldest ones. Don't overthink this!! The list of activities is not going to make or break the application especially if they are one-off things.

Even the animal shelter thing, which was a very consuming time activity for two years, but 9th and 10th? I am completely overthinking it yes. That other post about summer jobs has me freaking out everyone is doing perfectly consistent perfect things!