Colleges really care about the kind of people they admit. What kind of person do you think you are? When you think about it, you are what you do every day, every weekend, every month, every summer and every year. Thus, extracurricular activities–how you spend your time when you are not in class–are of great interest to admissions people.

Admissions officers prefer applicants who will take full advantage of their school’s academic and other opportunities, as well as give back. They tend to admit people who will make a difference during, as well as after, college. One of the best ways of predicting what a student will do in college is to see what he or she has done in high school.

1. The Golden Rule for choosing extracurricular activities: do what you love or at least what you’re interested in.
   • People who do what they enjoy are more likely to persist in the activity, feel happy, and be successful.
   • One’s enthusiasm for an activity–or lack of it–often comes through in college applications.
2. No one activity or accumulation of activities will get you accepted to a college. What college admissions people look for is the weaving together of a pattern of activities (sometimes going back to when a student was very young) that demonstrate your interests, talents and abilities.
3. Extracurricular activities are a major way of showing your uniqueness. Special talents and “off-beat” hobbies are especially powerful material for college applications.
   • Go for quality, not quantity when it comes to outside interests. Two, three, or four activities and/or sports over a number of years is a good number.
   • Community service is a useful way of demonstrating how you give back to your school and/or community, but only if your heart is in it.
4. Beginning freshman year, keep track of everything you do, including any activities, sports, projects, contributions, leadership roles, recognition you receive, as well as dates, number of weeks and hours you spend. This information is needed to fill out activities grids on college applications.
5. It’s never too late to begin looking for something special to do. Many students would love to find an activity they enjoy, but don’t have a clue about how to do that. (If that’s your dilemma, go to Guide 2: Extracurricular Activities, for a process of finding activities you will enjoy, if not love.)

	Freshman Year Freshman year is a perfect time to taste and explore different activities to see what is fun, interesting and/or meaningful to you. In the spring, begin exploring special experiences for the summer before your sophomore year.
	Sophomore Year 10th grade is the time to focus your activities on three or four areas that you really enjoy. See what’s available at school and if you don’t find what you like, then check out opportunities outside of school or even create what you want. In the spring, don’t forget to plan something for the summer before your junior year.
	Junior Year By the time you hit your junior year, you should have settled into a few favorite activities. Go beyond just being a member of a club or team; take a leadership role. 11th grade is also a perfect time to put together a first draft of your Activities Résumé. (See Guide 8: Your Activities Résumé for how to do this.) Make sure that you do something special for the summer before your senior year. A number of applications ask what you did during the past two summers.
	Senior Year Senior year is when your involvements should peak. Go for the presidency or another officer position of a club/organization, push yourself to be the leader or captain of a team, apply for selected programs in an area of your interest, or go outside your school to develop a skill/talent. Since the college admissions process is time consuming, limit your activities to those that are most enjoyable and meaningful. Drop any that are not.
	Parents Don’t push your kids to do certain things “everyone says will get them into college.” Rather, support them in doing things that fit their interests, talents and personal bents. Encourage your child to find and do what he or she loves. And if your student doesn’t know what that is, refer them to “How To Find Extracurricular Activities You Enjoy, If Not Love” in Guide 2: Extracurricular Activities. Encourage him or her to pay attention to what she or he likes and dislikes doing. Colleges are not looking for students who are involved in everything; they want students who show depth and quality in a few strong interests. Don’t forget to work with your son/daughter to achieve a balance between schoolwork and living a full, happy, active life.

If you want more information about any of the above, or

• How to increase the chances of your finding activities you really like
• How to develop a skill, talent or interest
• Cool examples of other students’ extracurricular pursuits
• What college admissions people look for as they review your activities list
• Special tips for students who want to attend an Ivy League or other competitive school
• An exercise you can go through to find:
  • Subjects and topics of interests
  • In school and out of school activities
  • Community service possibilities
  • Work experiences
  • Sports alternatives
  • Special skills, talents and hobbies
• Recommended websites and books

If you want to gain access to Guide 2, Choosing Extracurricular Activities for free, click here for an online, bare bones version.

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