In this guide, I’ll cover the following: 

1. Basic Things to Keep in Mind Throughout Filling the List

2. What is the Activities Section?

3. What Qualifies as a Significant Activity?

4. Structure your List Around a Theme

5. What should you write in the Position/Leadership Description Box?

6. What You Should Write in the Organization Name Box?

7. How do you write the description of an activity?

8. A List of Action Verbs

9. Which Activities Will Have the Most Impact on Your Application? 

10. Names of the Activities listed in the Common App

11. Mistakes to Avoid

12. Grade Levels

13. Time Spent on an Activity.

14. Will You Continue This Activity in College?

15. Brainstorm Activities to Write by Reading the following Activities

16. Frequently Asked Questions.

First, let’s talk about a few basics before moving forward:

• Use 12 Font Size

• Use New Roman Times Font

• Don’t use repetitive words.

• There are 30 activities listed on the Common App, but you can list only 10.

• Use simple present continuous tense if you are still doing the activity

• More hours and doing an activity for an extended period of time is very appreciated by the admission officers.

What is the Activities Section?

The Activities Section of the Common App is an opportunity to showcase who you are beyond academics. The extracurriculars section helps potential universities understand who you are beyond just test scores and GPA and gives you an excellent opportunity to reveal where you direct your time and passions or where you spend your time after school. It's not about listing as many activities as possible but focusing on those that reflect your dedication, leadership, and personal growth. Thoughtful descriptions that emphasize accomplishments and responsibilities can make this section a powerful part of your application, helping admissions officers understand the complete picture of your life and interests.

What Qualifies as a Significant Activity?

Essentially, the activities you invested in over time, put much effort into, showed leadership or achievement, and have an impact on the community. For comparison, MIT, one of the most selective institutions, has just four slots on its own application for extracurriculars! 

Structure your List Around a Theme

Place the activities in order, ex, focus on placing the ones related to your field of choice at the top, then the ones you made the most impact on society, and last but not least, the ones where you showed long-term commitment to that activity. Also, imagine that your application reader spills coffee on their computer or their dog gets sick while they’re in the middle of reading about your activities. They made it through the first five, so they don’t feel like they need to come back to see more. Which five do you want to make sure they see? 

If you have done two similar activities, list them as one. For example, if you have tutored math and English, write it as “Math & English Tutor.” Now, if you have done those two activities in two different organizations, then write it like this:

Organization name: ….ABC…. & …. XYZ….

Position/Role: Math & English Tutor

* Meaning, you tutored math at ABC and English at XYZ

What Should You Write in the Position/Leadership Description Box?

You should clearly and concisely state your role or title within the activity. This can range from formal leadership positions to general roles that highlight your involvement. If you didn’t hold an official title, focus on describing your primary responsibility or function within the activity.

What Should You Write in the Organization Name Box?

The name of the organization is optional but recommended. The only reason why you wouldn’t add it in is if you participate in an activity that isn’t officially under an organization, like writing a novel on your own time or caring for family members. You can write the section/department where you worked, ex, World Health Organization: Polio Eradication. It helps them understand better, plus you will be able to write more in the description part; yay!

Provide a brief explanation if the organization name doesn’t show what it’s about. For example, “Theater Club” is clear, while “National Honor Society” might need clarification. Additionally, many activities are referred to by acronyms. Still, admissions officers might not be familiar with all of them, especially local ones, so to avoid confusion, write out the full name alongside the acronym. For example, “NHS (National Honor Society)” ensures clarity.

 Use commonly recognized abbreviations to save your limited space, such as Asstd for Assisted and Pres. for President.

How to Describe an Activity? 

Don’t waste the characters because you are allowed to type only 150 characters, around 25 words, or two sentences (spaces between words are also included). Write about your impact on the community and what you achieved rather than just explaining the activity. Be specific, for example: “Tutored 100+ girls, achieving their desired scores”. Be to the point to save characters, and don’t even use the word “I”; the admission officers know you are talking about yourself.

Don’t write complete sentences; use strong/comprehensive action verbs instead. For example: Recruited 30+ members, developed partnerships with seven organizations, & facilitated 20 projects with at least 10 participants each in 1 yr. Another example: Organized soccer games for locals, fundraised $300 through a bake sale, and led teammates to victory at the 2021 Bakersville Cup. Third example: Redesigned summer reading program, increasing student engagement. Organized book clubs across fields of interest, doubling reported reading hours.

Don’t be poetic and show writing skills - be informative, comprehensive, and to the point. Mentioning any awards, certificates, or recognition you have received will gain you more points. In my case, I said, I was given three medical books as an award. If you don’t have a certificate/award/picture of one or two activities, you can still list them. There’s no need to include complete sentences here. “I organized helpful meetings for other group members. I also led the team to our state competition in 2019 and won an impressive award for team spirit.” sounds contrived and lengthy. Instead, take out adjectives, and instead of sentences, use semicolons: “Organized meetings; led team to 2019 state competition; won team spirit award; recruited 20 more members; collaborated with president and secretary.” Always write numbers; make numbers your friend while writing this section. For example, “Wrote a 300-page novel; published in 10 bookstores; marketed to 1000s of people” sounds much more impressive than “wrote a novel; published it; marketed to people.” Focus on results, not just tasks. Don’t simply list duties like “tutored students.” Mention the impact: “Provided one-on-one tutoring, creating personalized study plans that improved student grades by an average of 10%.”

Use strong action verbs to highlight your achievements and what you’ve learned, but avoid overusing them, as it may give the impression that a professional has written it for you.  Don’t use gerunds; use present/ past tense verbs. Avoid using the same category. Max 3x is enough. The personal statement and other supplemental essays are primarily for colleges to know who you are. The activities section is so that colleges know what you, the applicant, have done outside the classroom. The activities you took in the junior or senior year will be weighed more heavily than those you joined earlier but then quit. If an activity fits into multiple categories, prioritize the more specific one. For instance, “Math Club” belongs under “Science/Math” rather than the broader “Academic” category. You can list up to ten activities, but if you have more than ten that couldn’t fit but represent an essential aspect of who you are, you might consider including 1. a brief description of it in the Additional Information section or 2. You can write it in your resume and then attach it to your Common App application. 3. If you feel you were involved in it and the 150 characters cannot describe its importance, write it in your personal statement. But I have to remind you to:

Focus on quality, not quantity: focus on fewer significant activities. If you add all types of activities, the admissions officers may get confused, and wonder which fields your true passion lies in. It may clutter your application and won’t help you. Therefore, you must prioritize what activities you will include and which ones you will leave out. However, that does not mean you have only to list the activities that are aligned with your future career, so try to add volunteer, athletic, tutoring, and debate activities as well. To put it another way, consider a dynamic approach. Moreover, if you are applying to top colleges, it’s better to choose both quality and quantity, meaning fill out all the ten slots.

A List of Action Verbs

Engaged, Led, Mentored, Assembled, Organized, Initiated, Designed, Founded, Managed, Coordinated, Spearheaded, Implemented, Directed, Achieved, Improved, Innovated, Executed, Volunteered, Created, Executed, Facilitated, Fostered, Advised, Arranged, Championed, Collaborated, Communicated, Decreased, Delivered, Developed, Directed, Established, Evaluated, Improved, Increased, Inspired, Instructed, Redesigned, Accomplished, Achieved, Built, Lead, Coach, Support, Found, Create, Spearhead, Research, Mentor, Found, Record, Structure, Organize.

In addition, it’s essential to switch up the verbs you use. For example, let’s say you founded three different clubs. Instead of using the word “founded” three times, try using “founded,” “established,” and “implemented.”

Importance of the Activities Section

It accounts for roughly 30% of the final admissions decision. This makes them almost as important as your academic achievements.

What Activities Have the Most Impact on Your Application? 

You should be doing activities most related to your field, but a person should have hobbies too. You can list an excellent hobby that showcases your strength.

Some of the Activities listed in the Common App:

Academic, Art, Athletics Clubs, Athletics: JV/Varsity, Career Oriented, Community Service (Volunteer), Computer/Technology, Cultural, Dance, Debate/Speech, Environmental, Family Responsibilities, Foreign Exchange, Foreign Language, Internship, Journalism/Publication, Junior R.O.T.C., Music: Instrumental, Music: Vocal, Religious, Research, Robotics, School Spirit, Science/Math, Social Justice, Student Govt./Politics, Theater/Drama, Work (Paid), Other Club/Activity

The above list is broad; you will undoubtedly find a category for your activity. If not, there’s always the “Other Club/Activity” option.

Mistakes to Avoid:

• Failing to Prioritize Activities by Importance

• Using Vague/Generic Descriptions and not talking about the impact made

• Failing to Quantify Achievements

• Using industry-specific language 

• Prioritizing quantity over quality 

• Using Passive Voice Instead of Active Voice

  • Passive voice makes descriptions less engaging.

  • Example fix: Instead of “Was responsible for managing events,” write “Managed and coordinated events attended by over 200 people.”

• Using Repetitive words

• Focusing on participation rather than leadership.

• Neglecting to Connect Activities to Future Goals

• Forgetting to proofread, overlooking grammatical and spelling errors. 

Final Tip: Treat the activities section as a chance to tell a compelling story about who you are beyond academics. Focus on impact, leadership, and personal growth.

Grade Levels

This section is included with each activity, allowing you to indicate the grade you were in when you participated in the activity. Once again, they will appreciate your long-term commitment to an activity, so if you indicate that you participated in an activity during grades 11 and 12—or even better, across grades 9, 10, 11, and 12—it strengthens your application by demonstrating long-term commitment and dedication.

Time Spent on an Activity

This section is included with each activity and requires you to list the number of hours each week and the number of weeks per year that you participated. It’s often hard to estimate how many hours you spend each week on different activities. Do your best—it doesn’t have to be perfect, just realistic, because the admissions committees know you only have a handful of hours after each school day. Thus, if you say you worked at a job for 20 hours a week, met with a club for 15 hours, and played a sport for 10 hours, admissions officers might start to wonder if you are a superhuman.

Will You Continue This in College? 

This is a straightforward question. Saying that you may not want to continue an activity is totally fine. Because some activities end, like seminars, campaigns, a high school-specific club…. However, selecting “Yes” shows you want to keep doing an activity that shows a prolonged interest. After all, colleges are looking to build a well-rounded student body with future leaders who are passionate about specific fields. Therefore, if you think you may want to participate in the activity in college, answer “Yes.” This answer won’t be binding in any way, and colleges aren’t going to follow up. You won’t get any messages like “Did you join the Spanish Society? You told us you would…” Proofread! This goes for your entire application.

Brainstorm Activities while reading the following:

• School clubs you’ve joined in the past few years

• Internships you participated in

• Volunteering/community service, like donations to mosques, donating clothes, tutoring kids, or …

• Family responsibilities, like significant chores or caring for family members

• Jobs, even ones you only held during the winter break

• Sports you played, with school or not, like cycling or the Free to Run marathon running competitions held in Bamiyan.

• Organizing campaigns, like spreading awareness about an issue.

• Camps, trips, academic programs, or other summer programs

• Online or winter break courses that don’t appear on your transcript

• Hobbies (what do you do with your free time? Build computers? Read? Write books? Develop apps? You might be missing a project.)

If the academics section is the foundation of the cake, the activities section is the icing, and all the essays become the cherry on the top. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. What if I don’t have ten activities to list?

That’s perfectly fine! Admissions officers care more about depth and commitment than the number of activities. Focus on showcasing meaningful involvement.

2. How important is the order of the activities?

The order matters. List your most significant and impactful activities first because admissions officers often give more attention to the top entries.

3. What if I was part of an activity but didn’t hold a leadership position?

Leadership isn’t only about titles. Highlight moments where you took the initiative, contributed to the group's success, or developed essential skills.

4. Should I include summer programs or one-time events?

Include them if they were significant, competitive, or had a lasting impact on your academic or personal growth.

5. How should I describe unpaid or informal work (e.g., helping with a family business)? 

Treat it like any other activity. Highlight the responsibilities, skills gained, and impact.

The College Guy Essay’s article about writing a successful activities list: https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/guide-college-activities-list-common-app-example-application. 

Feel free to share your questions in the comments below, and our team will respond as soon as possible.

Thank you for reading. Be proud of all you have done and how it has made you stronger. I wish you all good luck on your college applications!