Kristen
What types of extracurricular activities are colleges most interested in?
Are they more interested in group activities like marching band or a sports team? Or are they more interested in academic organizations like student government, FBLA, or SMAC (Student Movement Against Cancer)? Is work experience, like teaching piano lessons, equally as important or more important than these activities?
#extracurriculars #college #clubs #workexperience #student
3 answers
Harris Oliner
Harris’s Answer
Daria Konanykhina
Daria’s Answer
Hi Kristen,
It's great that you're thinking about various extracurricular activities that colleges would be interested in!
I would say that what colleges value most when it comes to activities listed on your application is whether it was something you were truly passionate about. If you love being in student government, then do that, and it will allow you to tell a personal story of how much you enjoyed being involved in that organization and why. The same goes for any sport or marching band, as long as the reason you're doing it isn't just for college applications. If you truly have an interest in business and enjoy being part of FBLA, that would be something you can also take with you to college and join a student-led business organization that is active at that college. If you're able to speak about your interest to get involved on campus this way in your admissions essays or interviews, then it would likely make you stand out.
However, colleges also value leadership experience. For example, if you were the president (or equivalent) of SMAC, it would look better than if you were just a participant who came to events.
Work experience would also look good on an application, because it would show that you could manage your time well between school responsibilities and work.
I hope this helps!
Thank you for the insight!
Kristen
