As a result, I wrote three HuffPost blogs about the Common App, trying to help users work through many of the confusing parts, lack of directions and out-and-out glitches. In other words, pretty much anything pursued outside the classroom qualifies as an activity. One of the trickiest parts of the Common App is understanding how to make the most of the extracurricular activity section. 6. The activity that you believe sounds most impressive may not be your most personally significant activity, and unless you’ve demonstrated an unusual level of commitment to it in other parts of the application you’ve just lost some legitimacy with the application reviewer. What impact did this have on me personally? That little note at the end signals the activity’s richness while directing the reader to find out more in the additional information section. Admissions officers want to know about extracurricular activities for a few reasons: That may seem like a lot of information to glean from a simple list of extracurricular activities. Thanks for your time and your awesome blog." These tips still apply. Top 41 Successful Common App Essays. Which values are kind of being revealed, but could probably be revealed more clearly in the description? Remember, activities are key documents that inform workers about what work they are authorized to perform, the hazards of that work, and what controls they need to use or follow to minimize their risk of injury. These college essays are from students who got accepted at Common Application. For the 2020-21 application cycle, the Common Application essay prompts remain unchanged from the 2019-20 cycle. Admissions officers do not want to see a general description of what the club does or how many games the soccer team won. 1. If you have some spare time and could post an example Common App activities form with a few different activities, it would be extremely helpful to me and many other confused seniors! Enroll in our, Student Council: The Election Guide for Student Leaders, 75+ Community Service Ideas & Projects: The Volunteer's Guide, Student Loans: 7 Important Things You Need to Know. 40,000 and gathered over 100 clothing items, Learned Android Studio programming to develop an Android App, MyClassicHelper, which connects students with available tutors at their high school, Employed as a competition mathematics teacher for 20 middle school students; taught studentsalgebra techniques to solve MathCounts problems, Tutored 20 elementary and middle school students in mathematics and reading fundamentals, Trained pianist; performed at four recitals every six months; earned all-county honors in 2020. This is the Common App activities section. Here are examples from top high school students. Common App Activities Section Examples. Did I list all my tasks, or just a few? Next, some questions to ask: 1. Along with a personal essay, supplemental essays, Letters of Recommendation from the student’s counselor, and possibly multiple letters from the student’s teachers, the Common App’s ‘Activities’ section is an example of US universities wanting to get to know each prospective student ‘in the round’. What matters to you and why? Really. Here’s 80+ more descriptions that might get you inspired. Goal: Include 2-3 values per activity. Do you have to work and provide childcare for your family, for example? We won’t know unless you tell us. Alex Goldman, admissions counselor at Sweet Briar College, has this advice for underclassmen who want complete college applications: To make the most of high school extracurricular opportunities, students should lean in and embrace the experience while rising to the challenges their activities present. Reading the example above, I’m curious if the author might demonstrate leadership more clearly. Okay, next ask... 2. Posted on July 23, 2018 July 23, 2018 by AdmissionEssayCom. Here’s the second tool for up-leveling your Activities List: What’s the BEABIES exercise? Developing app with Siemens. Applying through the Coalition Application, ApplyTexas, UC Application, or another application system? Instructions: Spend 5-8 minutes filling out a BEABIES chart per activity on your list to generate plenty of content for your Activities List descriptions. Because they’re using just-okay verbs. Make good use of the description box. Did I list tasks I completed that fell slightly outside the scope of my responsibilities? Colleges are empathetic, but they can only be empathetic if you let them know. Feel free to use semi-colons to separate thoughts. Demonstrate skills & values. Here are examples from top high school students. According to Common App, “activities may include arts, athletics, clubs, employment, personal commitments, and other pursuits.”. In this post, you’ll also find some great tips and exercises to help you level-up and write a successful Common App activities section that highlights all of your awesome-ness, as well as the impact you’ve had in your activities, beyond what you’re sharing in your response to the Common App essay prompts. Below are a number of links that provide examples of Common App essays. It’s better to have two to three activities to which you were dedicated than a random assortment of eight or nine activities to which you contributed little. For activities that are close to your heart, save the intimate details for an essay. The most important point I have to make about my extracurriculars: as you go down the list, there is a HUGE drop in the importance of each additional activity to the overall application. You’re about to use it to make your Activities List EXPLODE with depth and variety. Exactly how did you contribute to the fundraiser? You are allowed 50 characters in the name section, so take advantage. Should the activity descriptions be in bulleted form or paragraph. In this article I would like to share some examples of great mobile app designs. School? 30 3. ), 75+ Community Service Ideas & Projects: The Volunteer’s Guide, How to Write the Common App Activities Section (Examples Included! Don’t be afraid to voice your story. Emphasize tangible, measurable impact. Cut my character count from 92, to 61, to 37. You should also keep the focus on the particular role in each activity. For example, if you worked on a political campaign, you shouldn't simply describe what your duties were. Heads up: Using this list for ten minutes will up-level your Activities List verbs, and thereby your descriptions. She hints at some responsibilities, but I wonder if she could delete “updating calendar and active member list” in favor of a detail more clearly demonstrating leadership skills. Played varsity soccer for 4 years; served as captain for 2 years; led stretches and drills at the start of each practice. How many people? Wordiness will dilute the power of your response. If it wasn’t obvious from the title, this is the place on your application where you list awards you’ve won and honors you’ve received. But uncommon activities can add flair and character, especially if those activities are also represented on campus.”. This student played varsity soccer all four years and served as captain for two. If so, consider writing about those experiences and how they changed and shaped your life. Support and uplift your peers by learning to be a part of a team? “Debate Awards”Revised version: “Debate: (4) 1st place finishes, Dade County Forensic League, 19-3 career policy debate record”, 7. Leverage this during college applications. You should explain why you believed in the campaign. Today's Common App also now includes Faculty Respect, Maturity, Leadership, Integrity, Reaction to Setbacks, Concern for Others, and TE Overall. If you haven’t completed the values exercise, you can do that here. Want to pack multiple awards into one slot? 8. Instead of: Tutored students.Try: Provided support to fourth graders with particularly difficult math concepts. Emphasize tangible, measurable impact. Here’s the third tool for up-leveling your Activities List: The Value Scan is a great way to make sure your core values are apparent throughout your application. “Student of the Month” Revised version: Student of the Month (1 of 350 students chosen) for “positive impact on school culture.” Won twice. What detail might show this? Before submitting your writing, ask a friend, mentor, or family member to read your response and follow up with the question: “What did you learn about me from reading this paragraph?”. Each activity can then start another activity in order to perform different actions. First, write down a list of all the extracurricular activities you listed on your application. Experience failure and did it make you a better person? How to write an amazing activity in your activities list: State role and organization name in top box. Ethan helps students write amazing college essays by offering free resources, one-on-one essay sessions, online webinars, and in-person workshops. Bonus points if this activity heavily influenced your ambitions for college and beyond. Remember that colleges want to learn about the activities that you made legitimate contributions to. It’s great for developing better content for your activities list. But I’ll keep it short so we can get to the examples. Your activities list can make a big difference in your application. Go back and check. First-year. A student who founded the Spanish club and ran a successful fundraiser to sponsor a field trip is not the same as the student who attended meetings “sometimes, when they felt like it. How do I know? If you opt to end one of your descriptions with a period, make sure they all conclude that way. Have you included a wide range of responsibilities? Common App and Reach Higher have united to inspire more people to complete their education and own their future, no matter what it holds. School? (This works because you’ve explained the significance of the activity: why the event mattered and to whom). Full-time volunteer EMT (11th - 12th)Virginia Paramedic Association Responded to emergency calls, performed BLS protocols, interacted with patients and families, assisted paramedics, organized ambulance rigs. Ideally, you should have at least 2-3 activities demonstrating significant involvement, but it’s okay to include a few other less significant activities. When listing extracurricular activities, some students are tempted to list every activity they’ve ever participated in, even if it was for an insignificant period of time. Mention that too! Was I tackling a much larger (perhaps global) problem? Family responsibilities? The activities that go at the top of the list are likely related closest to what makes you tick. 2. Heads-up: admission officers can usually spot it when a student is loading up activities in 12th grade just to pad their activities lists. Or maybe you practice gymnastics eight hours a day? Top 41 Successful Common App Essays. Go back to #1 for a concrete example! Below are a number of links that provide examples of Common App essays. Declared Time Commitment: 2 hours per week, 16 weeks per year. When in doubt, spell it out. To learn about what’s important to you outside of the classroom, To envision how you will contribute to their campus, To see that you are pursuing your interests and passions, To get an overall picture of your personality and high school experience. What if there isn’t much to say or it was a one-time event? Say so! The Common Application (informally known as the Common App) is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to any of more than 800 member colleges and universities in 49 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, China, Japan, and many European countries. Working? That means that the app will be callable by another app to perform some specific actions defined by the activity. Which values are not in the description at all yet, but perhaps could be included? Go for a walk and think about your activities. This will give the admissions officers a frame of reference for when they evaluate how important the activity was to you. That’s 40 characters, and it frees up space in the description for the student to go into detail about her leadership role and impressive statistics on the field. How did you apply lessons from the activity beyond the activity itself? popular-all-random-users | news-AskReddit-funny-pics-todayilearned-worldnews -tifu-Jokes-aww-videos-mildlyinteresting-movies-gaming-television-Showerthoughts-explainlikeimfive-gifs-OldSchoolCool-Futurology-Music-science-space-LifeProTips-nottheonion-Art-nosleep … 33 Views 3 Replies 0 points Most recent by RichInPitt November 19 Common and Coalition Application. For example, let's pretend we want to build a photo manager. I’m like, “Oh, now I get what debate looks like to you.” But wait, what makes a verb stronger? Become a leader and learn to manage a team? Please do not copy them, as this is plagiarism. It’s an awesome (and quick) way to figure out what your 3-5 core values are. But wait. Telling your story. While not necessary for all activities, inclusion of these types of attributes in activity descriptions may be useful. You include everything you’ve done, demonstrating a wide range of interests and achievements. Once you’ve written a new draft, hand your activities and awards list to a trusted editor. For example: Don’t be afraid to plan. Activity type: Community Service (Volunteer) Position/Leadership description and organization name, if applicable: Key Club: Club President; Kiwanis Coordinator … Overall, your discussion of extracurricular activities should be short, sweet, and to-the-point. That’s why you need to list details, metrics, and other specifics to best explain your role in the activity. 10 Examples of Honors and Awards That Could Have Been Improved—And Then Were! Each section also shows how you can create an intent filter to advertise your app's ability to perform the same action. Most students forget to include solving problems, gaining skills, and making tangible (and even quantifiable!) Playing video games or hanging out with friends at the beach doesn’t count as an extracurricular activity. But this is a good start. The definition of lifestyle with examples. The launch screen will be seen by every single app user and will last for a couple of seconds, however it’s crucial to make a good first impression and set some expectations. You have 150 characters in the description box, so don’t waste them. You will have only 150 characters per activity description. You are given 50 characters for the title/position of your extracurricular activity, and 150 characters for that activity's description/your responsibilities. Led practices and motivated teammates to perform at high level. Get to know the Common App and how the application works. 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