Tag activities

Do activities matter?

do activities matter

Colleges use activities to understand you more as a person – how do you like to spend your time and what types of activities have you committed yourself to?  Essentially, what makes you, you?  Colleges typically look for depth of involvement – assessing how long you have been a part of the activity and whether you’ve held a leadership role (even if that role did not have a formal title).  What’s not recommended is “padding your resume” by joining many clubs and activities in senior year just to add something to your list.   

Use GuidedPath to help create your activity list.   

  • Make a master list of all your activities starting with 9th grade.  These may be in-school or out-of-school.  Record all the ways you dedicate your time outside of class and homework.  Student government, sports, performing arts, volunteer commitments, paid jobs,    
  • Write down everything for now – you can prioritize later.  The Common App will ask you to list your ten most important activities.   
  • Ask parents and friends for input.  They may remember something you forgot. 
  • Include events, like a blood drive or fund-raising event, especially if you were involved in planning or organizing. 
  • List hobbies and other ways you spend your time  work, family obligations, cooking, music, gaming, writing.  Again, these do not need to be school-sponsored.     

Take Action 

Complete the Activity Record under Surveys in GuidedPath and keep it updated.  You can give it to teachers and counselors when they write your recommendations.  It will help them write a better recommendation for you.  It will also be useful when you are completing the Activities section on the Common Application.  

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What to do in the summer?

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Summertime!  Dreaming of sleeping in, hanging out with friends and producing YouTube videos?  Time is precious!  Plan now to use your summer time to explore careers, build upon your extra-curricular experiences, learn new skills or have new experiences.  Here are some summer ideas. 

  1. Take up a new form of exercise (swimming, biking, running, etc.). 
  2. Volunteer to help in a political campaign. 
  3. Take a college class. 
  4. Do a job shadow. 
  5. Explore your creative side through a class or project. 
  6. Take a first aid class. 
  7. Volunteer at a children’s summer camp. 
  8. Take a class at the local arts center or theater group. 
  9. Volunteer to coach or be an assistant coach for a sport. 
  10. Do an internship. 
  11. Take a study skills class. 
  12. Take a speed reading class. 
  13. Learn how to take notes. 
  14. Take a computer skills or keyboarding class. 
  15. Do a summer exchange program. 
  16. Start a business. 
  17. Participate in a simulation program like Mock Trial or Model United Nations. 
  18. Do a language immersion program. 
  19. Do a trek. 
  20. Teach a new skill to children or senior citizens. 
  21. Organize a family reunion. 
  22. Volunteer at a community event. 
  23. Write articles for your local newspaper. 
  24. Volunteer for the city or other parks in your community. 
  25. Write a family history. 
  26. Create and publish a photo book. 
  27. Organize and create a mural in your community. 
  28. Organize a local youth event. 
  29. Write and produce a video to support local conservation. 
  30. Start a blog on a topic you care about. 

Summer will fly by quickly – make a plan now to explore some of these options! 

Take Action 

Be sure to add your activities to your course plan in GuidedPath.

 

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