High School: Extracurricular Activities

When it comes to applying to college, everyone knows the importance of grades and test scores. However, it is the extracurricular activities that will help you stand out!

The more extracurriculars you have on your college application, the better you will look to an admissions office. Colleges look for students who will become active members on their campus … in addition to those who will perform well in school.

Get started with extracurricular activities early in your high school career. The people handling admissions are smart: they will notice if you have no extracurriculars throughout your first three years of high school and then suddenly tack on a few during senior year. Even if you are participating specifically to spruce up your college application, it is best not to make it look that way. Here are few activities that look excellent on college applications.

Volunteering. There are endless volunteer opportunities outside of school. Volunteering will show an admissions office that you can handle other responsibilities on top of your schoolwork. It also shows that you care about being involved in your community.

Student Government. It will impress an admissions office to see an applicant who was elected to a leadership position. If you can handle the responsibility, than student government is a good choice.

Student Clubs. Find a group that interests you and get involved. Even better, take an interest of yours and develop your own group. It will show initiative, as well as your ability to effectively lead and organize others.

Sports. Sports always look good on a college application … it doesn’t matter which one. Being able to work with a team is an important quality in all aspects of life … and colleges recognize it.