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.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Mastering the Activities List on the Common App

Kevin Zen, a Yale graduate and co-founder of Elevate Ed, introduces himself and his organization that specializes in critical thinking and storytelling for students. He offers eight top tips for filling out the activities list section of the Common App effectively. Kevin emphasizes the importance of consistency, making every character count in descriptions, and providing detailed and specific information about activities. He also advises on how to order activities based on the time and impact invested, using strong verbs, and including numbers to convey impact. Additionally, he suggests adding personality to descriptions and using the additional information section to list honors and awards related to activities. Kevin concludes with a stern warning against exaggerating on the activities list, as it can lead to doubts about a student's authenticity and character.

05:05

🏅 Enhancing Your Extracurricular Impact

In the second paragraph, Kevin Zen continues his guidance on the Common App's activities list, focusing on the importance of quantifying the time and impact of extracurricular activities. He suggests using strong verbs and incorporating numbers to demonstrate a significant impact in a concise manner. Kevin also encourages students to add personal touches, such as humor and personality, to their activity descriptions, especially for lower-ranked activities, to make them stand out. He provides examples of how to transform generic descriptions into more engaging and specific narratives. Additionally, he reveals a 'hack' for including all related honors and awards in the additional information section, rather than overwhelming the activity description. Kevin stresses the importance of honesty and authenticity, warning against exaggerating hours or achievements, as admissions officers can easily detect discrepancies.

Keywords

💡Common App

The Common App is a standardized application form used by many U.S. colleges and universities for undergraduate admissions. It is a platform that allows students to apply to multiple institutions with a single application. In the video, the Common App is central to the discussion as the speaker provides tips on how to effectively fill out the activities list section, which is a part of the application.

💡Activities List

The activities list on the Common App is a section where students detail their extracurricular activities, including leadership roles, clubs, sports, and volunteer work. It is an important part of the application as it showcases a student's interests, commitments, and involvement outside of academics. The video focuses on strategies to optimize this section to present students in the best light.

💡Position/Leadership Description

This refers to the brief description of a student's role or leadership position within an activity or organization. The video emphasizes the importance of making every character count in this section, suggesting that students should be specific and highlight their trajectory and multiple roles within an organization.

💡Organization Name

The name of the organization or club in which the student participated. The video suggests that students should not just state the name but also include a brief description to provide context, especially for acronyms or less well-known organizations, to ensure the admissions officers understand the significance of the activity.

💡Accomplishments Recognition

This pertains to the section where students can describe their achievements or recognitions within an activity. The video advises using strong verbs and quantifying impact with numbers to effectively communicate the student's contributions and the scale of their involvement.

💡Character Count

The character count refers to the maximum number of characters allowed in each field of the activities list. The video stresses the importance of utilizing every character to provide detailed and impactful descriptions of the student's activities, as it can significantly enhance the narrative of their application.

💡Acronyms

An acronym is a word formed from the initial letters of several words. In the context of the video, the speaker advises spelling out acronyms in the activities list to ensure clarity for admissions officers who may not be familiar with specific organizations or awards, especially for international applicants.

💡Hours Spent

This refers to the number of hours per week and per year that a student has dedicated to an activity. The video suggests that the total hours spent on an activity can be a key factor in ordering the activities list, reflecting the student's commitment and the depth of their involvement.

💡Additional Information Section

The additional information section on the Common App is an optional field where students can provide extra context or details that do not fit elsewhere in the application. The video reveals a 'hack' where students can list additional honors and awards related to an activity in this section to avoid cluttering the activity description.

💡Authenticity

Authenticity in the context of the video refers to the student's genuine representation of their activities and accomplishments. The speaker warns against exaggerating or falsifying information, as admissions officers can detect inconsistencies, which can harm the student's chances of admission.

💡Elevate Ed

Elevate Ed is the educational consultancy co-founded by the speaker, Kevin Zen. It is mentioned in the video as an institution that offers services such as college essay guidance, interview workshops, and application assistance. The keyword is relevant as it provides context about the speaker's expertise and the source of the advice given.

Highlights

Introduction to the importance of filling out the activities list section of the Common App effectively.

Kevin Zen introduces himself as a Yale grad and co-founder of the elevated school.

Elevate Ed's focus on critical thinking, storytelling, and various writing and application assistance services.

Tip #1: Be consistent with your intended college activities as indicated in your essays.

Tip #2: Maximize the use of every character in the position/leadership description.

Example of how to effectively use character space by including multiple leadership positions.

Tip #3: Spell out acronyms to ensure clarity for admissions officers.

The significance of the organization name and how to make it informative within character limits.

Tip #4: Order activities based on the total hours invested and the impact made.

The importance of the 150-character description for detailing accomplishments and achievements.

Using strong verbs and minimizing their use to effectively communicate your activities.

The power of including numbers to convey impact in the activity description.

Tip #6: Adding color, personality, and humor to activity descriptions can make them stand out.

Tip #7: Utilize the additional information section to list honors and awards related to an activity.

Tip #8: A stern warning against exaggerating in the activities list to maintain authenticity.

Conclusion and reminder to like and subscribe for more helpful content.

Transcripts

every admission cycle students ask us

how exactly they should fill out the

activities list section of the Common

App and honestly it's a really great

question and that's why today I will be

sharing our top eight tips to help you

knock this activities list section out

of the park

before we begin allow me to introduce

myself I'm Kevin Zen Yale grad and

co-founder of the elevated school where

we focus on critical thinking and

storytelling here at Elevate Ed we teach

middle schoolers creative writing

analytical writing for high schoolers

college essays You Name It We also help

with transfer applications interview

workshops resumes applying to procedures

boarding schools or summer programs if

you need help in any of those categories

at all visit our website shoot us a

message I personally respond to every

single request

returning to the activities section

let's begin by reviewing everything that

the common app asks for here so first

off we have activity type and then

position slash leadership description

Max 50 characters organization name Max

100 characters accomplishments

recognition and a description of the

activity 150 characters participation

grade levels timing of participation

hours spent per week week spent per year

and finally last but not least a yes no

button that says I intend to participate

in a similar activity in college this

brings me directly to our first tip

which is in relation to that yes no

checkbox tip number one be consistent if

in your essays you mentioned that you

want to study biology and go to med

school after graduating then it's going

to be a good idea to check yes for all

the activities related to Medicine even

the slightly tangential ones related to

research or volunteering should have

that yes I intended do something similar

in college check sounds a little bit

obvious but it could be a red flag if

you skip this now returning to all those

different entries from the activity

section the three most important ones

that we are going to focus on are the

three longest ones position slash

leadership description organization name

and accomplishments recognition

description of the activity the next tip

that I'm going to mention is probably

the most important one tip number two

make every single character count

what does this actually look like well

here's an example most students leave

way too much empty space for that first

50 character response in that position

slash leadership description sometimes

students just write one word for their

current position like president or head

no no no no no no no no no no don't

forget to say all the other leadership

positions both informal and formal that

you held as part of this organization so

rather than just jotting down that one

word president you could write senior

class president 12 which means grade 12

and elections committee hit 11 for grade

11. this helps showcase more of your

trajectory within the organization which

is pretty much always a good thing it

also highlights the fact that you've

worn multiple hats and made different

contributions all while being part of

the same organization now if you didn't

hold any other leadership positions

don't worry that's totally fine another

approach that you can take is to get

really hyper-specific detail what

exactly your contributions and

responsibilities were so instead of just

writing intern you could write social

media marketing intern SEO optimization

or instead of simply saying researcher

you could say genetic basis

identification researcher why is this so

important because this will give you

more space to write about your

accomplishments and recognitions in the

next section which again you're going to

want to use all 150 characters for

moving on to organization name same

principle here my friends don't just

State the title or name of your

organization try to include a brief

description if you can compare these two

organization names one student council

two student council oldest with standing

club and currently largest school

organization with 300 plus active

members here's another example one UVA

CC lab and two University of Virginia

clinical core lab hematology and

immunochemistry Analysis this leads us

to tip number three a small but

important one that's been cited by many

ivy league admissions officers when in

doubt spell out your acronyms don't

assume that the admissions reader knows

what they are this is especially

relevant for international applicants

the fact is that American admissions

officers just aren't as familiar with

your honors Awards and school system as

they are with American honors Awards and

the American education system so trust

me when I say you're really going to

want to spell it out for them literally

okay next we're going to move on to the

most important part of the activity

section but first let's enjoy a quick

break

[Music]

[Music]

nice I hope you guys enjoyed that clip

when I'm not helping kids get into their

dream school or making YouTube videos

you could usually find me spitting on my

head okay so before we continue a lot of

students often ask how should I order my

activities phenomenal question simply

consider the total number of hours that

you've put into this extracurricular

that's hours per week times weeks per

year times total years participated also

don't forget to consider the impact

you've had on others how many people in

total have you helped and how exactly

did you help them yes yeah sure there

are other factors to consider like

whether you'll continue doing this

activity in college as well as the

honors and awards associated with this

particular extracurricular activity

however doing a raw hour counts and just

quantifying the impact tends to be the

easiest most straightforward most

objective way to figure out a ranking

now on to the most important parts that

150 character description this is where

your are going to detail your

accomplishments achievements and more I

do have quite a few thoughts and pieces

of advice here but I figured I would

start with verbs use strong verbs and

when you can try using fewer verbs

instead of writing something like I am

responsible for running swim practices

planning fundraising events and

assisting in the recruiting process for

new swimmers which was a little bit

repetitive let's try something like this

led 5am practices three times a week

organize 12 fundraisers total over 2K

recruited 18 new swimmers in six weeks

through Word of Mouth referral campaign

oh my goodness what a difference right

now I'll keep this example up because

another thing I want you guys to notice

are the numbers numbers are your friend

numbers communicate big impact in very

few characters which is why we should

try to utilize them whenever we can

naturally this does pose another

question which is you know what if I

don't have much to say about a one-time

event or activity let's pretend that you

are writing about a tutoring initiative

project that you are a part of back in

the day when you were a freshman in

grade nine you can still get really

really specific and improve your chances

of getting into whichever school you

want to get into by adding color

personality flavor and humor instead of

writing tutored fourth graders in math

you can actually go for something more

like I taught fourth graders how to

multiply fractions they taught me how to

play Roblox on an iPad

now don't get me wrong this is

definitely more of a high risk High

reward play but when done properly it

can make a huge difference it's an

especially helpful tactic for those

lower ranked activities like 7 through

10. so tip number six in other words is

don't be afraid to add color and

personality to your activity

descriptions just make sure that you you

know run it by an adult or friend or

counselor before you actually hit that

submit button moving on to tip number

seven which is something I really

haven't heard other counselors talk

about it's more of a hack than a tip

really but it's most of the seniors that

I work with aren't aware that you can

actually put all of the honors and

awards that are related to a certain

activity in the additional information

section of the Common App in fact most

kids leave this additional information

section blank which is kind of a mistake

in my professional opinion here's the

thing sometimes I find myself really

lucky and privileged and I'm working

with these amazing high schoolers who

just have a bunch of awards and

accolades that are related to one

specific activity if you find yourself

in a similar boat I actually wouldn't

just flood the activity description

section with all of your awards no I'd

put maybe your most impressive award and

then just put the rest in the additional

information section admission officers

want to see more tangible impact and

leadership in the activity description

not just a bunch of fancy sounding

Awards although you know to be honest

fancy sounding awards are never really a

bad thing finally tip number eight the

most important one do not do this never

ever exaggerate in your activities list

especially in the hours per week weeks

per year apart trust me your admissions

reader will do the math and if the

numbers are sus if they don't add up if

you have too many hours for too many

activities we

that is the sound of an alarm going off

in some extreme cases this could be the

difference between admission and

rejection ending on a serious note do

not give them a reason to doubt your

authenticity or character alrighty folks

that is it for today I hope you found

today's video helpful you enjoyed it we

make this content for you and yeah don't

forget to like And subscribe again I'm

Kevin Zen co-founder of the elevated

school I will catch you at the next one

alright stay out of trouble take it easy

peace