How To Fill Out the Common App Activities Section in 2024 (the RIGHT Way)

Summary

Kevin Zen, a Yale graduate and co-founder of the Elevated School, offers top tips for filling out the Common App's activities list. He emphasizes consistency with future academic interests, making every character count in descriptions, and providing detailed leadership roles. Zen also advises on the importance of spelling out acronyms, ordering activities based on time commitment and impact, using strong verbs and numbers, adding personality to descriptions, and including related honors in the additional information section. Above all, he warns against exaggerating activities to maintain authenticity.

Takeaways

• 😀 Be consistent with your intended college activities: If your essays align with certain interests, ensure your activities list reflects this.
• 🔍 Make every character count: Utilize the full character limit to showcase your trajectory and contributions within an organization.
• 🏆 Highlight multiple roles: If you've held various positions, list them to demonstrate your diverse involvement and leadership.
• 📝 Be specific with descriptions: Instead of generic titles, provide detailed descriptions of your roles and responsibilities.
• 📊 Include brief descriptions in organization names: Add context to help admissions officers understand the scale and nature of the organization.
• 🤝 Spell out acronyms: Ensure clarity by spelling out acronyms to avoid confusion, especially for international applicants.
• 📉 Order activities based on time commitment and impact: Consider the number of hours and the impact you've had on others when ranking activities.
• 💪 Use strong verbs and quantify achievements: Describe your accomplishments with action verbs and include numbers to convey impact.
• 🎨 Add personality to descriptions: For less significant activities, use color, humor, and personality to make them stand out.
• 🏅 List additional honors and awards in the 'Additional Information' section: Use this space to highlight accolades that don't fit in the activity description.
• ⚠️ Avoid exaggeration: Be truthful about the time spent and roles held to maintain authenticity and avoid raising suspicion.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is providing tips on how to fill out the activities list section of the Common App effectively.

Who is the speaker in the video script?

The speaker in the video script is Kevin Zen, a Yale graduate and co-founder of the elevated school.

What is the purpose of the elevated school mentioned in the script?

The elevated school focuses on critical thinking and storytelling, and offers assistance in areas such as creative writing, analytical writing, college essays, transfer applications, interview workshops, resumes, and applications to boarding schools or summer programs.

What is the first tip provided by Kevin Zen for filling out the activities list?

The first tip is to be consistent with the 'yes/no' checkbox that asks if the student intends to participate in a similar activity in college, aligning it with their stated interests in their essays.

Why is it important to make every character count in the activities list?

Making every character count allows students to showcase more of their trajectory within an organization, highlight multiple contributions, and provide more space to write about accomplishments and recognitions.

What is the significance of being specific in the position/leadership description?

Being specific in the position/leadership description helps to convey a student's exact contributions and responsibilities, which can make their application stand out.

Why should acronyms be spelled out in the activities list?

Acronyms should be spelled out to ensure that the admissions officers, who may not be familiar with them, especially international applicants, can understand the organization or award being referenced.

How does the order of activities on the Common App reflect a student's commitment?

The order of activities should reflect the total number of hours invested, the impact made on others, and the potential continuation of the activity in college, which demonstrates a student's commitment and passion.

What is the advice given for describing accomplishments and achievements in the activity description?

The advice is to use strong verbs, include numbers to communicate impact, and add color, personality, and humor where appropriate to make the description more engaging and impactful.

Why is it recommended to include honors and awards in the additional information section of the Common App?

Including honors and awards in the additional information section allows students to avoid cluttering the activity description with awards and instead focus on tangible impact and leadership within the activity.

What is the final and most important tip regarding the activities list?

The final and most important tip is to never exaggerate in the activities list, especially regarding the hours spent, as it can raise doubts about the student's authenticity or character.