Aug 30, · Extracurricular activities are simply anything you do that is not a high school course or paid employment (but note that paid work experience is of interest to colleges and can substitute for some extracurricular activities). You should define your extracurricular activities in broad terms—many applicants make the mistake of thinking of them solely as school-sponsored groups such as yearbook Apr 15, · By definition, extracurricular activities are activities that are “pursued in addition to the normal course of study”. When it comes to your college applications, though, extracurriculars are a bit more complex than this — they require a consistent time commitment, a degree of responsibility and initiative, and in the best cases, a level Mar 22, · The Academic Activity. The first key type of extracurricular activity is the academic activity. This is an activity that is somehow related to what you're hoping to study in college.. What Are Some Examples? For example, if you want to get a degree in journalism, you could be working for your school newspaper
3 Successful Extracurricular Activity Essay Examples
Contrary to being a well-rounded student who participates in a variety of unrelated extracurricular activities, extracurricular activity essay, extracurricular activity essay spike approach encourages students to be very good at one thing and do everything they can to demonstrate this interest on the application. The spike approach is not bad, and is certainly more likely to lead to Ivy League admission than the well-rounded approach.
However, extracurricular activity essay, we here at IvyZen like to take the spike approach a step further. The trouble with the spike strategy is that it runs the risk of coming across as superficial, contrived, or forced. A theme is a simple unification of what the student is good at and what the student likes, but presented in a streamlined manner. An effective IvyZen theme is comprised of four parts: 1 Academics 2 Extracurricular activities — Leadership 3 Extracurricular activities — Scholarship 4 Accomplishments and competitions.
This extracurricular activity essay will focus on the middle categories, extracurricular leadership activities and extracurricular activity essay scholarship activities. The reasons for these categories are obvious: colleges like leaders and colleges like scholars.
In these categories, there are plenty of different activities, but we know, based on experience, that different activities have varying degrees of success when it comes to college admissions. In addition, students should keep in mind that it is a common myth that having a large quantity of activities is beneficial.
Remember, quality over quantity. Below, you will find a list of quality activities ranked from good to better to best. It is important to remember that this set of recommendations is just that: recommendations.
IvyZen is meant to help students strategize when selecting extracurricular activities, and thus help them achieve the best possible chance of Ivy League admission. However, you should always keep the hedgehog concept in mind.
A high achieving student must balance that which they love with that which is practical, and part of doing this is selecting the perfect theme. With this in mind, let the list begin! Ivy League colleges expect to see students who have demonstrated leadership abilities in some way, because these colleges are expecting to cultivate future leaders. Whether a student pursues science and technology, art and performance, or writing and humanities, Ivy League colleges expect this student to be the best at what they do if they expect to receive admission.
So how does one prove himself or herself to be a great leader? Colleges are interested in admitting students who are actively engaged with their communities. Remember, an Ivy League college is interested in choosing the people most likely to make big achievements and big differences in the world. This, of course, begins with community engagement. Plus, volunteer work is a great educational experience. What qualifies as meaningful volunteer work? Is it helpful? Is it impressive? Well, in a sense, spending your Saturday picking up garbage does demonstrate strength of character, but it also draws the image of convicts in orange jumpsuits doing their penance for petty crime.
A better alternative would be something like an environmental conservation volunteer, which yes, may include picking up trash, but with a greater goal in mind. What about volunteering to read to seniors at the retirement home? Spending time with senior citizens demonstrates patience and selflessness, sure, but this activity is open to anyone with the ability to read, which is the majority of the population. Read: not impressive, extracurricular activity essay. Why not take a commitment to senior citizens a step further and implement an activity extracurricular activity essay you created?
Make some calls, have some supplies donated, and start a senior art class. Teach them how to dance. Rather than reading to them yourself, connect them with local elementary students who need to practice literacy.
There are thousands of ways to transform a generic, extracurricular activity essay, menial volunteer task into something impressive that demonstrates initiative and leadership. Traveling to Europe can give an artistic perspective. Traveling to a developing country can stir latent humanitarian feelings, especially if the purpose for traveling to the location is service related.
It is good for a student to talk about the different ways that travel has impacted his or her decisions, outlook, extracurricular activity essay, and global perspectives. But does it qualify as extracurricular activity essay extracurricular activity in its own right?
In order to determine whether travel should be included on an application, it is important to consider purpose, extracurricular activity essay. If the purpose of the travel was to spend time with family, as in a family trip to the Grand Canyon, the application may not be the best place to include the experience. If the purpose of the travel was educational, as in a class trip to Washington DC for the purpose of observing a congressional session, it may not be best to include the experience in the application itself but perhaps mentioning it in an essay would be helpful.
If the purpose of the travel was service related, consider the scope of the service. Was the student building houses with Habitat for Humanity? This is probably better left in an essay rather than the application, since anyone who can operate a hammer and nails has the ability to help build homes.
Was the student teaching underprivileged students how to read? Was the student helping to establish an orphanage or a school? Was the duration of stay extended, with a true purpose of establishing meaningful change, or did the student spend a week in a foreign country and leave a project partially finished? The answers to these questions should give insight as to the value and scope of the travel and whether it will impress an admissions officer.
Model UN is unique because it is an activity almost universally favored by admissions officers for the wide breadth of benefits it presents. First, Model UN is an excellent educational opportunity because it teaches students through action. What better way to learn about history than to be placed in the middle of it? What better way to develop global awareness than to resolve conflicts diplomatically?
Model UN provides a uniquely hands on approach to learning that top colleges genuinely appreciate. Model UN is also a great way to connect with students from all over the world while cooperating in teams. Model UN is a globally recognized activity with opportunities to participate in conferences in many different countries, and as such it draws international students from almost every conceivable background. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, participation in Model UN demonstrates leadership in a very real and demonstrable way.
Model UN delegates must speak publically in front of large groups in order to make arguments, debate points, extracurricular activity essay, and compromise in the spirit of cooperation.
Delegates must also fulfill a variety of roles as they are placed into certain committees and positions. If you are successful at fulfilling such roles, there are many opportunities to receive awards and commendations, which look great on college applications. Ivy League admissions officers appreciate Model UN participants because such participants are most likely to be good, confident leaders, with goals of improving the world through cooperation and diplomacy, extracurricular activity essay.
Sports are good extracurricular activities because they promote teamwork, dedication, and perseverance. However, sports are a really popular choice of extracurricular activity because there is basically a team for anyone who wants to participate.
Therefore, students must be extremely discerning and honest about their ability and potential in a given sport before deciding to undertake the enormous time commitment. Allow me to elaborate. However, all team extracurricular activity essay are still expected to participate in team practices and games, which are likely to take place nearly every night after school, and often on Saturdays too, extracurricular activity essay.
Games may require extracurricular activity essay to other towns, counties, extracurricular activity essay, or states, depending on the level of competition, and frequently these seasons last for months. The question for young athletes, extracurricular activity essay, then, becomes this: Is it really worth the time? Perhaps the student would prefer to choose a less time consuming sport, like an intermural or a B team that requires less time and dedication, but still demonstrates a commitment to physical health.
But then, is this really an enriching addition to a college application? Sports are helpful on Ivy League applications, but only insofar as they also demonstrate a level of skill or leadership. In other words, if you are in a leadership or starting position on your team and your team is good enough to win games, competitions, or prizes, then sports are helpful. An impressive application would list a student as the captain of his or her team and a solid record of victories.
An application that lists a student as a participant in the intermural swim team who never placed in a competition begs the question: could all that time have been better spent? But if a student has a genuine talent for athletics and the chops to demonstrate leadership on the field, court, pitch, or pool, then that activity should definitely be pursued and emphasized. If not, it may be best to consider alternatives.
Ivy League colleges love to see active students, so activism is extracurricular activity essay of the most powerful extracurricular activities to include on an application.
There are plenty of ways to engage in political activism. This may be related to food security, human trafficking, education, homelessness, or any one of the most pressing issues that face our world today. The student may also choose to engage with a cause through an organization such as Amnesty International or another large organization with the resources and tools to build a campaign.
Students may then choose to extracurricular activity essay petitions, organize extracurricular activity essay, and orchestrate rallies to support this cause.
When an admissions officer sees that a student has identified an important cause then approached a real life problem from many angles, he or she will probably be impressed. We at IvyZen recommend applying a theme to an application, extracurricular activity essay, and the more specific a theme is, the more successful the application is likely to be. However, extracurricular activity essay a very specific club may prove difficult.
Art club may exist, but digital art may not. If a student and a few friends of his are interested in a subject, why not start a new club? Starting a new club is relatively simple, usually only requiring a staff sponsor and an administrative signature. Once the correct signatures are obtained, the benefits begin. First, founding a club likely comes with an automatic leadership title such as president. Or, if a student is a co-founder, perhaps they may be co-president, vice-president, secretary, etc.
Second, starting a specific type of club gives students the opportunity to collaborate on a large project, extracurricular activity essay, such as a research paper or community outreach program, which means an opportunity to include demonstrated extracurricular activity essay on the application, extracurricular activity essay.
And third, students have the ability to bond with a faculty sponsor who will then be more likely to provide a solid recommendation when the time comes. College admissions officers like to see initiative, and starting a club shows more initiative than simply extracurricular activity essay one.
Overall, starting a club is a favorable addition to any Ivy League application. Scholarship activities are every bit as important as leadership activities, and they extend far beyond the classroom.
Top colleges know that the best students have an active interest in their academic pursuits that reaches into their free time and admissions officers expect to see proof of such an interest in the extracurricular activity list. A part time job or internship is undoubtedly a good, character building experience.
How to Make Your Mediocre Extracurricular Essay Better (in About 30 Minutes)
, time: 1:28The 3 Best Extracurricular Activities for Your College App
Apr 15, · By definition, extracurricular activities are activities that are “pursued in addition to the normal course of study”. When it comes to your college applications, though, extracurriculars are a bit more complex than this — they require a consistent time commitment, a degree of responsibility and initiative, and in the best cases, a level Jul 02, · Discover your chances at hundreds of schools. Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admission—and how to improve them Nov 20, · Extracurricular Activity Essay Example: The Catalyzing Creativity Club Extracurricular Activity Essay Example: Earthquakes A Step-by-Step Guide to Brainstorming and Writing a Narrative (Challenges-Based) Extracurricular Essay The Montage
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