College Admissions: The Real Story on Extra-Curriculars

College Admissions: The Real Story on Extra-Curriculars

It seems in my practice that there are two kinds of kids. One who participates in extra-curricular activities to the point of exhaustion and stress, and the other who gets dragged kicking and screaming into one or two clubs junior year in an attempt to look good for college admissions. Still the question looms-what activities do colleges want to see and how many? The answer depends on the competitiveness of the college and their areas of focus.

According to the US Dept. of Education, 38% of seniors are graduating with an A average. Last year, Harvard received more than 2,000 applications from students with a perfect 800 on the verbal portion of the SAT and more than 3,000 with an 800 on the math section. This means that extra-curricular activities have become a defining factor at competitive colleges.

Sports

Obviously, colleges need to field sports teams. Whether they are Division I, II or III, they need athletes. And while scholarships for sports are limited, sports can help you get into a more competitive college than you may ordinarily be accepted to, if the coach is pulling for you. Which sports are best? Well, the popular ones are usually the hardest to get noticed in. So, the lacrosse or soccer player is going to have a much harder time getting a coach’s attention than a squash player or a gymnast.

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Arts

Another area that is important to colleges is the arts. Performing arts talent, like acting, singing and dancing, and visual arts like painting, can all influence the decision process. However, it is rarely going to jump off the page of your application at an admissions officer, unless you also submit a portfolio or CD displaying your talent. They don’t want to see 100 of your drawings or an entire ballet; a 3-5 minute performance clip or 12 pieces of art will suffice.

Community service

Community service is also critical. Colleges want to see at least 50 hours a year of volunteer work, and for some colleges, it is a major focal point. Students who stand out participate consistently in two or three different organizations, and hold a leadership role by junior or senior year.  Community service superstars are those who see a need and start a program to fill a void. If you can relate your service to a passion (i.e. an artist who starts a painting program for at risk youth), all the better.

Leadership

Finally, colleges love leaders. They need them on campus to drive student government, clubs and school spirit. So, for those students who are willing to put themselves out there and run for class president, lead the Model UN or head the Drama Club, they will reap the benefits. What about a job? That’s also great.  In fact, if you have to work to help support your family and you can’t participate in a lot of extra-curricular activities, colleges will not penalize you for it. You simply need to state that somewhere in your application.

What's the magic number?

In the end, how many activities and hours you need to have varies depending on the colleges you are applying to. However, colleges generally don’t want to see you spread too thin. They would rather see you deeply engaged in 4 or 5 activities, year after year, than see you jump from one thing to another. Commitment counts and hours count. Remember that when you fill out your college application, you will be asked how many weeks per year, and how many hours per week, you participated in each activity. Colleges want to know that when you matriculate, you will do more than go to class, eat in the dining hall and sleep in the dorm. They want to know that you will be an actively engaged member of the student body, AND that you are able to juggle multiple commitments and maintain good grades.

Cristiana Quinn, M.Ed. is the founder of College Admission Advisors, LLC, a private college admissions counseling company based in Providence, Rhode Island. www.collegeadvisorsonline.com