How will you write your college extracurricular activity essay?
The Common Application used to ask you to “elaborate” on one of your extracurricular activities in 150 words. Now this essay is not quite as common. At least it is no long required on the Common App.
However, many other colleges do require it, either as a part of their application or as a “supplement” the Common Application.
Either way, this short paragraph can be an essential component of your entire presentation as an applicant. In just a few sentences, you must convey something personal, meaningful, and interesting about yourself.
Seems impossible, right? “How can I sum up my experience in my favorite extracurricular activities in just a few sentences?”
Well, it’s time to tackle the impossible. These tips may help you decide which activity to focus on, and how to write a well-structured paragraph that gives the reader a deeper understanding of your motivations and your priorities.
Choose the Right Activity
Don’t necessarily pick the activity that looms largest on your resume or activity list. If you are a star tennis player and a possible recruit for a college team, that fact will be clear on your activity list. If you are the best clarinetist in the city, then your activity list should reflect that fact. Remember, the prompt asks you to “elaborate” on the activity. It doesn’t say you have to choose the one that takes up the most time, nor does it say that it must be the one that is your primary extracurricular focus.
More specifically, it may be that the activity in which you have achieved or excelled the most is not the activity that will be the best to elaborate upon in this short essay. Consider the other activities that may help to round out your application and present another view of what motivates and interests you.
Consider which activities carry the most personal meaning to you. Look back over your resume or activities list and ask yourself, “Which of these would I miss the most if I could no longer do it?” Perhaps it’s that annual scouting trip, or the weekends skiing with your family. Or maybe it’s that concert you organize at the nursing home twice a year that brings you particular joy. Choosing the right activity is the first step as you write your extracurricular activity essay.
Your “Hidden” Activities
Consider elaborating on an activity that is not on the activities list or resume. For example, perhaps your extended family shares Sunday dinner together regularly, and this ritual has had a big influence on you and helped to shape your feelings about family. Maybe you actually enjoy mowing your lawn every week, making it look nice by paying attention to details. Perhaps you ride your bike to school every morning, and you use that time to notice details on your route and get your head together before and after your workday.
Not Necessarily Your “Best” Activities
Consider taking one of your activities and giving it greater specificity and detail. As you know, the space on the application in which to elaborate on your activities is very, very limited. So use this short paragraph to pull out some details. For example, perhaps you mention on your activity sheet that you have done volunteer work at a hospital, and that you have several responsibilities. But perhaps there is one responsibility, in particular, that you most enjoy. That one responsibility could be the focus of your extracurricular.
To take another example, perhaps you are a guitar player, and your activity list indicates that you’re fairly good, but not great. However, there I some particular aspects of playing the guitar that you enjoy. Perhaps you don’t mind playing scales over and over in order to improve your technique.
Or maybe you go to a music store on Saturdays where a bunch of bluegrass players get together and jam, and you join in, despite the fact you aren’t the best player; or you are a huge fan of Andre Segovia and have listened to every piece he has ever recorded. These sorts of details can say a lot about the depth of your interest in an activity, even if it is not where your greatest accomplishments lie.
The Focus: “Why?”
Your activity list or resume should address the questions of “What, When, and Where?” (the “who” should be apparent: you!). This list explains your accomplishments and the range of your commitments. But it doesn’t explain your motivations or your priorities. This short essay-ette gives you an opportunity to do some explaining.
As with your primary college essay and with the supplements, the aim here is to give the admissions officer reading your file a bit more information about yourself. What you convey in this short paragraph is something that they won’t find in the essays, and that they won’t really know from reading your activity list. This is another opportunity for you to present another interesting and important facet of your personality. All the essays give your application depth and dimension. Don’t throw away this opportunity to tell the reader more about yourself.
Tips for Writing the College Extracurricular Activity Essay
Start with a list of reasons you participate in this activity. What do you get out of it? Why do you enjoy it? Why would you miss it if you suddenly were unable to do it anymore?
Remember that not every aspect of your participation may be enjoyable. Are there reasons you participate in this activity that actually help you accomplish something else that is, in fact, even more enjoyable? For example, weight training may not always be fun, but it can make you stronger. Practicing the flute may be enjoyable in some respects, and not so much in others—but practicing makes you a better player.
Once your list of reasons why you participate in this activity, pick the top three. Write your essay in 5 sentences. One to introduce the activity, three to explain why you do it, and 1 to spare, either as a conclusion or as an elaboration on your introduction.
Some Prompts to Get You Going
If you are having trouble, try completing these sentence prompts to get you going.
- When I participate in this activity, I feel ___________.
- I originally got involved in this activity because ____________. And now I continue this activity because ____________.
- My favorite aspect of this activity is ____________.
- My friends think this activity is ___________.
- I take the most pride in this aspect of the activity: ___________.
The College Extracurricular Activity Essay – Final Notes
For most of us–adults as well as teens–our activities are good reflections of our priorities, talents, and motivations. We often demonstrate excellence through the things we do outside of school (or outside our jobs or professions).
This Common App supplemental extracurricular activity essay is a great way for you to share more about who you are as a person. If you focus on WHY you engage in these activities, you’ll be able to convey those motivations and priorities.
You have fun engaging in your extracurricular activities. Now enjoy writing about one that is especially important to you.
Need Help With Your College Extracurricular Activity Essay?
If you are having trouble putting together your college essays, including your college extracurricular essay for the Common App, then you might want to consider giving a call to the folks at Great College Advice. We help students with every aspect of the college admissions process, and we would love to guide your toward your educational objectives. If you’d like to learn more about what we do, contact us. We’ll be happy to chat with you!
