What are your chances of acceptance?
Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, next step: add more factors to complete chancing.
3 Successful Extracurricular Activity Essay Examples
Get your essay reviewed by an expert.
Early decision and early action deadlines are about a week away. You can still get a professional review of your college essays in time for early deadlines on CollegeVine.
The purpose of the extracurricular activities essay is for admissions officers to better understand how your extracurricular activities have shaped and motivated you. This essay shouldn’t restate the activities you’ve already shared in your resume, but should elaborate on their impact and significance to you as a person.
In this post, we will share three extracurricular essays, written by real students, that are strong responses. Read them to be inspired in your own essay writing!
Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized.
Essay Example #1
My fingers raced across the keys, rapidly striking one after another. My body swayed with the music as my hands raced across the piano. Crashing onto the final chord, it was over as quickly as it had begun. My shoulders relaxed and I couldn’t help but break into a satisfied grin. I had just played the Moonlight Sonata’s third movement, a longtime dream of mine.
Four short months ago, though, I had considered it impossible. The piece’s tempo was impossibly fast, its notes stretching between each end of the piano, forcing me to reach farther than I had ever dared. It was 17 pages of the most fragile and intricate melodies I had ever encountered.
But that summer, I found myself ready to take on the challenge. With the end of the school year, I was released from my commitment to practicing for band and solo performances. I was now free to determine my own musical path: either succeed in learning the piece, or let it defeat me for the third summer in a row.
Over those few months, I spent countless hours practicing the same notes until they burned a permanent place in my memory, creating a soundtrack for even my dreams. Some would say I’ve mastered the piece, but as a musician I know better. Now that I can play it, I am eager to take the next step and add in layers of musicality and expression to make the once-impossible piece even more beautiful.
What the Essay Did Well
This essay has a descriptive and engaging hook that immediately places the reader in the middle of the action and captivates us for the rest of the essay. The way the student describes playing piano as a full-body experience, from their splayed out fingers to their tensed shoulders, allows the reader to envision the student in front of them, passionately losing themselves in the music. Seeing the way they write about the piano is a sign that this student is dedicated to this extracurricular.
Another strength of this essay is how it shows this student’s character, particularly their determination. By describing the challenge of playing this piece, we can fully appreciate all that they had to overcome to be successful. Rather than simply saying it was a hard song, they show us how it was physically and mentally daunting: “ The piece’s tempo was impossibly fast, its notes stretching between each end of the piano, forcing me to reach farther than I had ever dared. It was 17 pages of the most fragile and intricate melodies I had ever encountered.”
This student knows how to make music in their writing, as well as on the piano. The use of elevated and creative language throughout the essay makes it flow smoothly for the reader. They take a rather simple story, but through their deft writing the student makes it both enjoyable and reveals details about themself.
What Could Be Improved
This essay could have been made even stronger if this student included details about them actually practicing. They go from telling us about how daunting this piece was to suddenly being able to play it months later, but admissions officers are curious about how you overcome challenges, not just the fact that you did.
Two or three sentences that describe the tedious process of practicing a particular scale or how they continuously messed up a certain bar of music would be sufficient to express what this student actually accomplished. Although space is tight in this essay, this would have been a better use of the third paragraph than what the student currently has.
Essay Example #2
My school’s newspaper and I have a typical love-hate relationship; some days I want nothing more than to pass two hours writing and formatting articles, while on others the mere thought of student journalism makes me shiver. Still, as we’re entering our fourth year together, you could consider us relatively stable. We’ve learned to accept each other’s differences; at this point I’ve become comfortable spending an entire Friday night preparing for an upcoming issue, and I hardly even notice the snail-like speed of our computers. I’ve even benefitted from the polygamous nature of our relationship—with twelve other editors, there’s a lot of cooperation involved. Perverse as it may be, from that teamwork I’ve both gained some of my closest friends and improved my organizational and time-management skills. And though leaving it in the hands of new editors next year will be difficult, I know our time together has only better prepared me for future relationships.
This response is great. It’s cute and endearing and, importantly, tells readers a lot about the student who wrote it. Framing this essay in the context of a “love-hate relationship,” then supplementing with comments like “We’ve learned to accept each other’s differences” allows this student to advertise their maturity in a unique and engaging way.
Personifying the newspaper is a creative way to demonstrate the role it plays in this student’s life. Because it is an unexpected tactic, it lets the reader appreciate the humor and wit of the author, while also being a lighthearted and fun response to read.
While Extracurricular Essays can be a place to show how you’ve grown within an activity, they can also be a place to show how you’ve grown through an activity. At the end of this essay, readers think that this student is mature and enjoyable, and we think that their experience with the school newspaper helped make them that way.
One strike against this essay is that in the first sentence it claims the student has a love-hate relationship with the newspaper, but the rest of the essay really only addresses their experience from a positive perspective. They say the “ mere thought of student journalism makes me shiver ” but there is little-to-no elaboration about the negatives. Since they poised their essay as a love-hate relationship, it feels like it is missing something without any discussion about the hate aspect of the relationship.
Essay Example #3
The cool, white halls of the Rayburn House office building contrasted with the bustling energy of interns entertaining tourists, staffers rushing to cover committee meetings, and my fellow conference attendees separating to meet with our respective congresspeople. Through civics and US history classes, I had learned about our government, but simply hearing the legislative process outlined didn’t prepare me to navigate it. It was my first political conference, and, after learning about congressional mechanics during breakout sessions, I was lobbying my representative about an upcoming vote crucial to the US-Middle East relationship. As the daughter of Iranian immigrants, my whole life had led me to the moment when I could speak on behalf of the family members who had not emigrated with my parents.
As I sat down with my congresswoman’s chief of staff, I truly felt like a participant in democracy; I was exercising my right to be heard as a young American. Through this educational conference, I developed a plan of action to raise my voice. When I returned home, I signed up to volunteer with the state chapter of the Democratic Party. I sponsored letter-writing campaigns, canvassed for local elections, and even pursued an internship with a state senate campaign. I know that I don’t need to be old enough to vote to effect change. Most importantly, I also know that I want to study government—I want to make a difference for my communities in the United States and the Middle East throughout my career.
The strength of this essay comes from its connections. It connects the student’s extracurricular activity to their studies and connects theirs studies to their personal history.
While this prompt is about extracurricular activities, it specifically references the idea that the extracurricular should support the curricular. It is focused on experiential learning for future career success. This student wants to study government, so they chose to describe an experience of hands-on learning within their field—an apt choice!
As this student discusses their extracurricular experience, they also clue readers into their future goals—they want to help Middle Eastern communities. Admissions officers love when students mention concrete plans with a solid foundation. Here, the foundation comes from this student’s ethnicity. With lines like “my whole life had led me to the moment when I could speak on behalf of the family members who had not emigrated with my parents,” the student assures admissions officers of their emotional connection to their future field.
Something that is missing from this essay is the emotional reflection this student has from their experiences in politics. They tell us they felt like a participant in democracy and they know they want to study government and make a difference, but for a really strong essay you need to dig deeper and tell the reader more about how this extracurricular makes you feel.
What does it feel like to be a participant in democracy? Liberating? Empowering? How did volunteering impact them personally? Did they develop a new appreciation for what it means to be an American? What feeling is this student trying to elicit by studying government? While all of these questions don’t have to be addressed, the idea is to inject more of the student’s feelings and emotion into the essay to help us better understand exactly what this extracurricular meant to them.
More Supplemental Essay Tips
4 Tips for Writing a Diversity College Essay
How to Write the “Why This College” Essay
Where to Get Your Extracurricular Activity Essays Edited
Do you want feedback on your Extracurricular Activity essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.
If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!
Related CollegeVine Blog Posts
Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples
Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples – Introduction
As you work through your college applications, you may come across a version of the extracurricular activities essay. Many college application requirements include an extracurricular supplemental essay. So, don’t be surprised if you need to write an extracurricular supplemental essay for schools on your list. As you brainstorm and draft, it can be helpful to read some extracurricular activities essay examples.
In this guide, we’ve included several extracurricular activities essay examples to show you the ropes. By the end, you’ll see how to successfully complete the extracurricular activities essay. Take a look at these examples before you start your college applications.
The extracurricular activities essay is exactly what it sounds like. You will use the extracurricular supplemental essay to write about the importance of one of your extracurricular activities. Later, we’ll look at several elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples.
In our extracurricular activities essay examples, we’ll look at prompts from the following schools:
- Stanford University
- Rice University
- Bryn Mawr College
- Northwestern University
- Vanderbilt University
University of Florida
- Princeton University
We’ll talk about what you can learn from each of our extracurricular activities essay examples. We will also explain how they contribute to each student’s application narrative. Before we jump into our extracurricular activities essay examples, let’s explore what counts as an extracurricular activity.
What is an extracurricular activity?
An extracurricular activity, or after-school activity , is something that you participate in outside of your regular classes. Extracurricular activities are important because they give you a chance to explore your interests outside the classroom. In fact, recent research suggests that being involved in extracurricular activities can even help a student’s engagement in school.
When you submit college applications, you’ll include a list of the extracurricular activities you have participated in during high school. Being involved in multiple extracurricular activities can bolster your candidate profile and make you stand out in the admissions process.
Extracurricular activities matter
If you plan to send college applications to top-tier schools, you’ll want to boost your participation in extracurricular activities early in your high school career. Colleges want to see that you have passions in and out of the classroom.
In other words, extracurricular activities can show admissions officers what you care about. Extracurricular activities can also help you learn more about what you enjoy, which can translate into potential extracurricular activities for college.
What are some examples of extracurricular activities?
Extracurricular activities can be clubs, organizations, sports, jobs, or anything in between. As you’ll see in our elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples, extracurriculars will vary from student to student. There are four main categories of extracurricular activities:
School-sponsored activities
- Community activities
Independent activities
Work experiences.
Each category has its own strengths and benefits you’ll want to show in your essay. Our extracurricular activities essay examples highlight activities from each category. As such, you’ll be able to see an activity similar to yours represented.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these categories before we dig into our extracurricular activity essay examples.
Extracurricular Activity Categories
School-sponsored extracurricular activities include clubs, organizations or programs that are hosted by your school. These might be sports teams, special interest clubs like technical theatre, or arts programs like band and orchestra.
Community activities
Another popular type of extracurricular activity is community activities. Community activities include volunteer work and community service.
Getting involved in your local community is a great way to show the admissions committee how you give back.
These kinds of activities can also be a great topic for your extracurricular activities essay. They can include hobbies, learning new skills, or taking online courses in your favorite subject.
Independent activities help showcase your passions and interests. These types of extracurricular activities would be perfect to explore in an extracurricular supplemental essay, especially since they fit less neatly into the activities list on the Common App.
Many high school students have work experiences they can highlight in their college applications. Work experiences could include part-time jobs, internships, or shadowing opportunities.
Talking about your work experiences in your extracurricular supplemental essay can be a great way to show off your time management and professional skills to admissions officers.
Depth over breadth
However, you don’t have to participate in dozens of extracurricular activities to stand out in the college application process. It’s more important to develop depth than breadth in your extracurriculars to showcase your commitment and dedication.
In other words, it’s much more impressive for you to have a handful of extracurricular activities on your resume that you are deeply committed to than a long list of clubs and organizations that you don’t care about.
The best extracurricular activities for you will be the ones that match your interests and goals. Don’t just join every club at your school to fill out your resume. Instead, seek out extracurricular activities where you can explore your interests, learn new things, and grow over time.
Writing about Extracurricular Activities for College
Now that we’ve explored some extracurricular activity options that will be perfect for your extracurricular activities essay, let’s discuss how to write about your extracurricular activities on your college applications.
Most schools use a holistic process to review college applications. This means that they will evaluate you based on your entire candidate profile . This includes test scores , GPA , essays , and extracurricular activities.
Because more students are applying to colleges than ever before, you’ll want to do everything you can to stand out in your college applications. Writing about your extracurricular activities for college can help show the admissions committee who you are, what’s important to you, and what makes you a unique applicant.
Focus on the narrative
Use the extracurricular activities essay to tell a story about your experience. You can describe what it felt like, what it looked like, or how it helped you learn more about your own interests and goals.
When you are writing about your extracurricular activities for college, you’ll want to provide specific details about the type, length, and responsibilities of your involvements. If you’re unsure where to start, try making a list of all the extracurricular activities you have participated in since freshman year. Write down the role you had in this activity, how much time you spent doing it, and what you learned because of this involvement.
For more tips on how to write about extracurricular activities for college, check out this article . In it, you’ll find 39 essay tips from admissions experts on how to write a great college essay, including how to write about extracurricular activities for college.
What are some examples of extracurricular activities essay prompts?
Before we review our extracurricular activities essay examples (along with the reasons why these are college essays that worked), let’s look at the extracurricular activities essay prompts from Stanford, Rice, Bryn Mawr, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, UF, and Princeton.
Although the general idea is the same, each college will have a slightly different version of the extracurricular activities essay prompt. You’ll see the differences in our extracurricular activities essay examples below.
Stanford University
If you plan to apply to Stanford University, you should know that one of the Stanford supplemental essay prompts is as follows:
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.
This extracurricular activities essay prompt is intentionally broad. You’ll need to select just one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences to describe in this Stanford supplemental essay.
This Stanford supplemental essay prompt is your opportunity to showcase one of your many involvements. It also gives you a chance to elaborate on why it is important to you. If possible, select an extracurricular activity or work experience that you have not already discussed at length anywhere else in your Stanford application.
Rice University
This essay prompt on extracurriculars from Rice University is fairly straight forward. You can see the exact wording below:
The extracurricular activities essay prompt or Rice is the same as the one for the Stanford application. Like we mentioned above, you’ll want to highlight an activity that is not mentioned elsewhere in your application.
There are three Bryn Mawr supplemental essays that are required for admission. The first of the Bryn Mawr supplemental essays is about your extracurricular activities:
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below.
This prompt is the same as the ones for the Stanford application and Rice application. Our suggestions for those essays also apply for the first prompt of the Bryn Mawr supplemental essays.
Northwestern
Here is the Northwestern essay prompt:
Vanderbilt
If you are applying to Vanderbilt, you should know that the Vanderbilt application requires that you answer this extracurricular activities essay prompt:
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.
Both the Northwestern essay prompt and the Vanderbilt application prompt are the same as the ones for Stanford, Rice, and Bryn Mawr.
The UF application includes the following extracurricular activities essay prompt as part of the required University of Florida essays:
During high school, what is the most enriching long-term or ongoing activity in which you have participated outside of the classroom? Tell us about it – Why is it enriching to you? What have you gained or learned by participating in it? How do you plan to continue this type of activity in the future?
Unlike the prompts for the Stanford, Rice, Bryn Mawr, Vanderbilt, and Northwestern applications, this extracurricular activities essay prompt asks you to answer direct questions about your experience.
You’ll want to choose an activity that is the most significant, long-term activity that you have participated in during high school. Then, you’ll want to explain why it was enriching, what you learned in this activity, and how you plan to continue with this type of activity in college and beyond.
You’ll see how to answer these questions in our extracurricular activities essay examples.
The Princeton extracurricular activities essay prompt is as follows:
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences that was particularly meaningful to you.
This prompt is similar to the ones above, but it does make an important distinction. You’ll want to choose an activity that was meaningful to you, which means you will need to spend part of your essay describing why you found this experience particularly impactful. We’ll take a look at how to do this in our extracurricular activities essay examples.
Which schools require an extracurricular activities essay?
In addition to the extracurricular activities essay prompts we highlighted above, many colleges include an extracurricular activities essay as part of their college application requirements.
Each of these schools’ college applications require you to write an extracurricular activities essay:
- Georgetown University
- University of California schools
- Howard University
- Amherst College
- Purdue University
Even though we won’t look at extracurricular activities essay examples for these colleges, the extracurricular activities essay examples we do highlight can help give you inspiration as you work on your college applications.
Now, it’s time to examine some extracurricular activities essay examples. Our elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples include Stanford essays examples, Rice supplemental essays examples, Bryn Mawr supplemental essays, Northwestern essay examples, Vanderbilt essay examples, UF supplemental essay examples, and Princeton essay examples.
Following each of the extracurricular activities essay examples, we’ll provide an analysis on why these are college essays that worked.
First, let’s kick off our extracurricular activities essay examples with the Stanford essays examples.
Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples: Stanford University
Here’s the first of our elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples:
Stanford Essay Examples
In February of 2016 my neighbor texted me and asked me to tutor her third grader in math. My first thought was “Third grade math?! This will be easy.” I was wrong. The girl I tutored is dyslexic and had ADHD, so working with her challenged me in a new way. I had to devise ways of teaching where she could understand it but also remain focused for long enough to accomplish it. I had to practice my patience in a way I never have before, and I have become a better person because of it. By the end of our work together, she was excited to play the math games I made up and she was so proud every time she understood a question or a concept. I am so thankful for that opportunity.
Why this essay worked
This sample of the Stanford essays examples works for several reasons. First, the author describes how the activity challenged them to come up with new ideas as a math tutor. This shows the admissions officer how thoughtful and creative this person can be in different situations.
In this essay (one of our Stanford essays examples), the author shows how they developed key skills, like patience, through this extracurricular activity. Highlighting new skills that you have learned through your extracurricular activities is a way to stand out from the crowd.
Showcasing personal growth, like the author did above, also shows the admissions team you are willing to change and better yourself when faced with challenges.
How To Write The Rice Supplemental Essays
Now, let’s turn to Rice supplemental essays examples. Below, you’ll see another version of the elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples.
Rice Supplemental Essay Examples
With an interest in business, it is hard to pass up the chance to become a part of the business club at my school. This competition-based club allows members to learn detailed ways to start and manage a business. Although my curiosity urged me to participate, the thought of writing 30 pages with a fast-approaching deadline seemed daunting. Prior to this program, I had very little knowledge on the basic principles of business management, however, through research and a bit of persistence, I learned countless fundamentals of business. Although I was awarded a medal and recognized as a State Finalist in the International Business Plan category, the most valuable thing I earned was the drive of an entrepreneur which taught me that even the most difficult of tasks can be accomplished if they are done with continued determination.
Getting straight to the point
This is one of our Rice supplemental essays examples. In it, the author mentions their academic interest right away. This helps the reader understand the forthcoming connection between the extracurricular activity and this person’s interests.
If you’re working with a tight word limit, like the one in the Rice supplemental essays examples, you’ll want to be concise with your details. The Rice supplemental essays examples only give you so many words to work with, so you have to make the most of them. In this essay, the author summarizes the purpose of their extracurricular activity quickly. This provides the reader with more context about their involvement without taking up too much space.
This is an example of college essays that worked because the author shows what they learned as a result of their involvement in this activity. This highlights the author’s potential success in a college setting.
How To Write The Bryn Mawr Supplemental Essays
Like the two extracurricular activities essay examples above, the Bryn Mawr supplemental essay is another version of the elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples.
Bryn Mawr Essay Example
After watching my grandfather suffer from heart ailments, it was particularly meaningful to have the opportunity to conduct echocardiography research with a pediatric cardiologist. During my summer internship at a Health and Science University, I designed and built heart models to mimic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) disease and investigate strain comparisons in a 2D and 3D model.
Continuously designing and analyzing my own experiments has not only taught me the value of diligence, patience and replication in the laboratory setting, but it has also instilled in me the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that will enable me to tackle difficult, and sometimes unknown, problems with sound reasoning and confidence as I serve the underrepresented to eliminate health disparities.
This response is one of the college essays that worked for several reasons. The author of this essay explains the personal significance of this extracurricular activity. This gives the reader more information about who this person is and why this activity is meaningful to them.
Additionally, the author uses their response to explain what they did during their internship as well as the values and skills they learned from this activity. They even go the extra mile to describe how they will use these values and skills to reach their goals in the future.
Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples: Northwestern University
The following essay is another of our elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples.
Northwestern Essay Example
After having been a Girl Scout for over 10 years, I can confirm that the most common questions I get asked are, “When are you selling the cookies,” or “Can I get [insert favorite cookie here]”. However, Girl Scouts means so much more to me than simply selling cookies for a few months.
Being a part of Girl Scouts has entailed, as the Girl Scout Law indicates, “being a sister to every Girl Scout”. When I first joined the organization as a Brownie, I didn’t think I would interact with the older girls at all. However, I soon began to admire my older Girl Scout sisters and looked up to them the more time I spent with them. As an Ambassador now, I try to show the same level of leadership by mentoring and working with younger girls, building a strong relationship with them and helping them on their journey to the higher ranks (as well as through life).
As a Girl Scout, I have also learned to enthusiastically help my community. Whether it be through providing assistance at food pantries, cleaning up litter, donating to the homeless, or singing carols in retirement homes, Girls Scouts has taught me the importance of helping others in need around me and improving the state of the world.
So, yes, being a Girl Scout does mean selling cookies. But, more importantly, Girl Scouts has meant growing into a confident young woman, being a mentor, and providing service to better the world.
Focus on depth of involvement
This sample comes from one of our Northwestern essay examples. In it, the author mentions the length of their involvement in the Girl Scouts and their progression from a junior member to a senior member.
Like we mentioned earlier, it’s important to have extracurricular activities on your list that show depth, especially in your Northwestern application. In other words, the longer you participate in an activity, the more significant it is to your college applications.
This is another example of college essays that worked because the author can describe how they eventually moved into a leadership role and what that new role entails. If you are a leader in your organization, be sure to mention it on your Northwestern application and in your essay.
Finally, the author concludes with a description of who they are and what this activity has taught them. We saw similar versions of this conclusion in the extracurricular activities essay examples above, which goes to show that these are college essays that worked.
Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples: Vanderbilt University
Next, let’s look at Vanderbilt essay examples. This essay is one of the longer samples of our extracurricular activities essay examples. Please note that the name of the program described has been removed for anonymity.
Vanderbilt Essay Examples
I silently sat in the passenger seat of my mother’s car with a churning feeling in my stomach. My legs bounced wildly, and my body was tense. My anxiety came from the fact I would be starting my first day at a pre-college program to which I was recently accepted.
When my mother dropped me off at the building where my first class would be held, I nervously walked in, surprised to be greeted by the smiling faces of my peers. Looking around, I saw faces of all shades. This amazed me, having been surrounded by people who looked like me for most of my life. As I engaged in conversation with students already present, I increasingly became more comfortable.
Though class began with typical icebreakers, we quickly transitioned into math topics, beginning with algebra and progressing into trigonometry and summations. When the professor concluded the lecture, I was shocked to find that the class had passed by so quickly. Similar sentiments arose after completing my critical thinking class in the afternoon. When my mother picked me up after that class, I enthusiastically spilled my experiences from the day.
The following six weeks of that summer (and ensuing summers) comprised of me being introduced to new perspectives. Being surrounded by peers that were different in lifestyle and socioeconomic status made me more open-minded to unfamiliar concepts and interpretations.
The brother and sisterhood I formed with my peers made me way less dependent on my twin sister and increased my confidence in my beliefs and individuality.
Additionally, being taught by university professors in rigorous subject matter instilled in me a newfound passion in exploring challenging topics. This program has assisted in developing me into a more well-rounded, cultured individual not only through exposure to a research program at the university hospital, but through enrichment activities during the school year (watching plays, attending politic and STEM-based talks, and experiencing cultural shows). Though I was initially apprehensive in applying to this program, I now look back at the program as life-altering and am thankful for the experience. Three years ago, I was just a “twin” who did well in school, however today I am an individual with my own unique views, eager to learn the endless knowledge the world has to offer me.
Unlike the extracurricular activities essay examples above, this essay puts you right in the middle of the story. This can be an effective way to grab your reader’s attention as they review your Vanderbilt application.
Additionally, this is a great example of college essays that worked because the author describes self-growth because of their involvement. In this sample from our Vanderbilt essay examples, the writer explains the new skills they learned and details the type of experiences they had while in this extracurricular activity.
Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples: University of Florida
Now, let’s look at UF supplemental essay examples. This essay is a little different from our previous extracurricular activities essay examples.
This is a slightly elevated take on the elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples prompt. It asks you to do more than just explain your involvement in an extracurricular activity.
UF Supplemental Essay Examples
“Thaka-dhimi thaka- janu! Strike your foot higher! Sit more! Discipline yourself!”
To most, these phrases and commands would have sounded like gibberish. But to me, it meant beauty and grace. It meant dedication and determination. It invoked a sense of community and contentment. It meant Bharatantyam.
From the ripe age of 5 years old, I’ve had the opportunity to learn an Indian Classical Dance form, Bharatanatyam, from my mother. I took this opportunity seriously in tenth grade. Once I chose to commit fully to Bharatantyam, it was life changing.
Bharatantyam has transformed me for the good as a person. Countless hours spent in practice disciplined me. Preparing mentally for a more sophisticated piece or dance item allowed me to expand my brain’s depth. From a physical standpoint, one can see that Bharatantyam is a beautiful dance that harmonizes your brain and body.
Viewing Bharatanatyam from a scientific standpoint is what made it so much more enriching. Watching a video from my mother’s guru, I began to understand the neurological benefits of both dancing and watching Bharatantyam. Viewing that clip gave me a revolutionary idea: treating neurological diseases for senior citizens through Bharatanatyam.
I began to perform at senior assisted living facilities around my city. Many of the seniors I performed for weren’t able to even stay awake for it. While at times discouraging, small moments of joy kept me going. Every smile I received from my audience and every conversation I had with the seniors were the reasons why I kept dancing.
Now, I plan to expand this activity more at UF. Creating a non-profit in which dancers have paid performances and donate that money to neurological research institutes is how I believe I should start. With UF’s resources, I easily see this idea becoming reality.
Extracurricular activities essay prompt
With this extracurricular activities essay examples prompt, you must answer all three parts of the University of Florida essays question to complete your UF application.
Like the extracurricular activities essay examples for Vanderbilt, this sample from our UF supplemental essay examples puts you right in the middle of the story. It starts off with a quote, grabbing the reader’s attention. This sample of the University of Florida essays also shows you the length of involvement this author had in the activity while highlighting aspects of their unique culture.
This is one of our college essays that worked because this response details the author’s experience, growth, and future goals. On top of that, this sample from our UF supplemental essay examples further strengthens the writer’s UF application by connecting their experience to how they hope to continue this activity at UF.
Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples: Princeton University
This sample from the Princeton essay examples is the last of our college essays that worked.
Princeton Essay Examples
Serving as a Student Government leader at my college has taught me the power of student voice and collaborative leadership. During my Junior year, I began attending Senate Meetings and was elected as a Senator a few months later. I began proposing solutions to problems my college faces, from lack of STEM programming to low voter turnout rates to poor multicultural outreach programs. I created student committees to tackle these problems, the most recent being a committee working to bring a series of local STEM professionals for our artist-in-residence series. I was appointed as a student voice to faculty committees, such as the Diversity and Equity Committee. I use this position to bring student concerns I hear from SG directly to the college board to catalyze changes in our college, such as the introduction of STEM cohort groups or providing resources for students of color.
The last of our extracurricular activities essay examples mentions the activity right away. It also mentions what the activity taught the author. Like the extracurricular activities essay examples above, this response adds specific details. Moreover, the author describes the impact of their leadership role.
In addition to describing the experience itself, this essay highlights how the author implemented solutions to the problems they recognized within their community, another key skill that will be important in college.
How To Write A Great Extracurricular Activities Essay
In our extracurricular activities essay examples, you saw different ways to write a great extracurricular activities essay. Now let’s talk about how you can use these extracurricular activities essay examples to help you write your own.
When you write your own extracurricular activities essay, be sure to refer to the extracurricular activities essay examples above. Each of the extracurricular activities essay examples highlights a different aspect of each applicant’s candidate profile—from backgrounds to passions to academic interests and goals.
Read every prompt carefully
Remember, some colleges might have different ways of approaching the extracurricular activities essay, which will be evident in the essay prompt. Like some of the extracurricular activities essay examples above, you might be working with a shorter or longer word limit. You also may have specific questions you need to address when elaborating on your extracurriculars.
There’s no specific formula on how to write a great extracurricular activities essay. However, here are a few tips to help you write a strong response that will stand out from the crowd.
Additional Tips for Writing Extracurricular Activities Essays
Choosing which activities to write about and how to present them is key to writing a successful extracurricular activities essay. Reading some elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples can help you learn how to structure your own essays. You’ll likely need to write about your extracurriculars to complete your college application requirements. So, use this as a chance to show the admissions committee what matters to you.
In this guide, we’ve reviewed extracurricular activities essay examples from some of the top colleges in the nation. We hope this helps you as you write your own extracurricular activities essay.
Three tips to help you write your extracurricular activities essays:
1. demonstrate your passion . .
Like we saw in the extracurricular activities essay examples, this is your opportunity to show what’s important to you. Use your essays to demonstrate your passion.
2. Show your dedication.
Many of our extracurricular activities essay examples discussed how long the author was involved in the activity. Show your dedication to your hobby, club, or organization through your essay responses.
3. Match your extracurricular activities essay examples to a school’s mission or values.
There are plenty of applicants who can fill out all the college application requirements. However, to truly stand out, you’ll want to show the admissions office why you are a great fit for their university. Match your extracurricular activities essay examples to a college’s mission or values to prove that you are committed to attending that university.
Other CollegeAdvisor Resources on Extracurricular Activities
If you need help figuring out how to get involved, watch our webinar for tips on how to join new extracurricular activities in high school. For more ideas on which extracurricular activities might be right for you, check out our article on 38 high school extracurricular ideas for college applicants.
38 High School Extracurricular Ideas for College Applicants
Wondering how to showcase your extracurricular activities in your college applications? Check out our guide for more information on how to approach extracurricular activities in the college admissions process.
How to Showcase Extracurricular Activities In Your College Applications
Finally, check out our panel for additional tips on how to craft your activity and extracurriculars list for college.
Crafting Your Activity and Extracurriculars List
Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples – Final Thoughts
We hope that our guide on extracurricular activities essay examples (and college essays that worked) help you prepare your own extracurricular activities essay. If an extracurricular activities essay is part of your college application requirements, be sure to refer back to our extracurricular activities essay examples for guidance.
As you likely noticed from our extracurricular activities essay examples, college essays that worked tend to highlight students’ passion. This is even more true when it comes to extracurriculars. Don’t feel daunted by the extracurricular supplemental essay requirement. Instead, use it as a chance to highlight how you engage deeply with the world around you.
Not all prompts are the same
Remember, the prompt to your extracurricular activities essay might look different than the ones we highlighted in our extracurricular activities essay examples above. Even if your prompt is different from our ‘elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples’, you can still use them to brainstorm ideas for your own extracurricular activities essay.
Do you need help with other college application requirements? CollegeAdvisor.com can help. Register today to get one-on-one support as you begin your college application process.
This article was written by Claire Babbs . Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile. We will help you increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.
Personalized and effective college advising for high school students.
- Advisor Application
- Popular Colleges
- Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice
- Student Login
- California Privacy Notice
- Terms and Conditions
- Your Privacy Choices
By using the College Advisor site and/or working with College Advisor, you agree to our updated Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy , including an arbitration clause that covers any disputes relating to our policies and your use of our products and services.
- 720-279-7577
‹‹ BACK TO BLOG
The College Extracurricular Activity Essay
Mark montgomery.
- April 9, 2020
How will you write your extracurricular activity essay?
The Common Application used to ask you to “elaborate” on one of you 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 upon, 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 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 aspect 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 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 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, weigh 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 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 convey those motivations and priorities.
You have fun engaging in your extracurricular activities. Now enjoy writing about one that is especially important to you.
Archive by Date
Recent posts.
- The Perfect College Essay–Consider Your Audience
- Should I Disclose Learning Differences on the College Application
- Common App Essay: Choose Your Own Topic
- College Timeline for 9th Graders
- 4 Reasons College Campus Visits Are a Waste of Time and Money
Join our Facebook Group ›› Stay informed about college admissions trends and ask questions of experts who can give you Great College Advice.
Choose Your Test
Sat / act prep online guides and tips, amazing extracurricular activity examples for college applications.
Extracurriculars
Extracurriculars are a great way to participate in an activity you enjoy and meet new people, and they can also be an important part of your college application.
What makes an extracurricular activity particularly impressive to colleges? How do your extracurriculars measure up?
Read this guide to see four amazing extracurricular activities examples. I'll discuss why they're exceptional and how you can participate in similar activities to boost your own college application.
What Are Extracurricular Activities and How Are They Useful?
An extracurricular is any activity you participate in outside of class. It can be associated with your school, such as a sports team or club, or completely separate. They also include any jobs or internships you have had, as well as volunteer work you have performed. Extracurriculars cover a wide range of activities and interests, from painting to science to helping the homeless and more.
Why would you want to participate in an extracurricular? There are several ways they can benefit you:
They Let You Do Something You Enjoy
Extracurriculars let you participate in an activity you enjoy, whether that's playing football, painting, or another activity. Practicing this activity regularly will help you get better at it, and you may be able to develop new skills that you find useful in the future. Doing something you enjoy not only makes you happier but can also give you a much-needed break from schoolwork.
They Introduce You to New Friends
Students often make many friends through their extracurriculars because they see other members regularly and have a shared interest.
They Are Important for College Applications
Extracurriculars can also be included in your college applications to show your interests and talents. Read on to learn more about the importance of extracurriculars when applying to college.
Want to build the best possible college application?
We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies . We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools , from state colleges to the Ivy League.
We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools .
Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.
How Are Extracurriculars Important for College Applications?
Extracurriculars can be a key part of your college application. Most applications have a section where you can list all the extracurriculars you were involved in. If a certain extracurricular is particularly important to you, you can also write about it in your personal statement and have the people writing you letters of recommendation discuss it so that it is a more prominent part of your college application.
Why do colleges care about extracurriculars? Colleges like to admit students who are involved in their communities, interact well with others, and work to develop their talents and passions. A student who participates in extracurriculars is more likely to do each of those things than a student who has no extracurriculars.
Also, there is more to college than simply going to class; colleges are full of opportunities to be active, interact with others, and give back, and schools want to admit students who will keep their campuses connected and interesting. Great extracurriculars can also help you stand out from the thousands of applications colleges receive by highlighting a particular skill or interest of yours that makes you unique and memorable.
How competitive your extracurriculars need to be depends on how selective the colleges you're applying to are. For Ivy League and other top schools, strong extracurriculars are usually required. For more information, check out our guide that explains how to develop extracurriculars that will help you get into Harvard and other top schools. If you're applying to your state school, you likely don't need your extracurriculars to be exceptional, but if you do have awesome extracurriculars and decent grades, then you have an excellent chance of being accepted.
What Makes an Extracurricular Activity Great?
While colleges like to see a student with extracurriculars, not all extracurriculars are considered equal. There are specific qualities that colleges look for in extracurriculars that will make them more impressive and boost the applicant's resume. Having one amazing extracurricular on your college application is more impressive than a list of activities you had little interest in or impact on. One great extracurricular can give your college application a significant boost.
However, getting an amazing extracurricular is not as simple as choosing a particular sport or club you think colleges will find impressive. When applying to college, what activity you do is not nearly as important as why you are doing it or the effort you put into it. There are three qualities admissions look for in particular when they review extracurriculars:
Leadership experience includes any time that you have been responsible for leading a project or guiding, motivating, or instructing others. Colleges want to admit students who have a history of leadership experience because they are hoping those students will continue to be leaders and have a significant impact on the world in the future.
You don't have to be team captain or club president in order to get leadership experience. You can show your leadership skills by helping to organize an event, mentoring younger members, or developing a fundraiser.
Are you participating in that activity because you truly want to or just because you want to include it on your college application? For colleges, there is a huge difference between the two. Admissions officers want to see you doing activities you are interested in and passionate about, not just as a way to impress others. Passion is a critical contributor to success, and colleges see genuine passion as an indicator that you are more likely to succeed than someone who's just going through the motions.
Great extracurriculars show what your passion is. This can be accomplished by having multiple similar extracurriculars (such as being part of multiple science clubs), or showing a deep commitment to a particular extracurricular, often by pursuing it for many years and spending a significant amount of time on it.
Colleges measure impact by looking at how you influenced the activity you participated in and how it influenced you. The strongest extracurricular examples clearly show that you have changed and improved as a result of participating and that you also had a lasting impact on the activity as well.
Colleges want to admit people who will have a positive and lasting impact on their school, so they look for students who already have a history of this in their extracurriculars. Having an impact on an extracurricular can include recruiting new members, expanding a club's focus, or developing a way for the club to reach more people. Colleges also want to see that your extracurriculars made you a better person. Are you more responsible? A better team player? More confident?
Example 2: Scott the Volunteer Leader
I have been a member of my high school's volunteer club since my freshman year. During my first year, I enjoyed tutoring elementary students and painting houses with the club, but I thought students should have more options for volunteering. As a sophomore, I spoke to club leaders and proposed five new locations where students could volunteer including a hospital, animal shelter, and homeless shelter. After getting my suggestions approved, I contacted the organizations and arranged for them to form volunteer partnerships with the school. This included developing activities volunteers could do, getting the organizations approved by the school, and arranging volunteer times and transportation. Other students in the volunteer club were excited about having a bigger impact, so I continued to look for new opportunities for volunteers. I am currently president of the volunteer club and in charge of developing new volunteer activities. Under my direction, the volunteer club has grown from 30 to over 100 members and quadrupled the number of places where students can volunteer. I'm proud that our club is continuing to grow and help more people each year.
This extracurricular clearly shows that Scott is a leader who knows how to take initiative and get things done. Scott clearly describes the work he did to expand and improve the volunteer club, from proposing ideas to club leaders to working with organizations to establish volunteer programs.
Like Elizabeth, he gives concrete numbers to show his impact on the volunteer club and how he contributed to its growth . The fact that he worked to expand the volunteer club and provide more volunteer opportunities for other club members also shows that he cares about volunteering and believes it can have a positive impact on both volunteers and the people they help.
Scott's extracurricular is great because he took initiative and worked to improve it, even before he had a leadership position. You can do the same thing with any of your extracurriculars. Is there a club you enjoy but think could be better? Perhaps you are part of an art club but wish members had more opportunities to showcase their work.
You could contact a local library or cafe and organize a display of artists' work for the community to enjoy. Perhaps you're on an academic bowl team and wish there were more competitions. You could contact other schools and set up an invitational tournament to help teams get more practice competing. The main point is to take initiative and lead a project that will improve your extracurricular, no matter what that activity is.
Want to get help on every aspect of your college application?
Example 3: Jessica the Scientist
When I was 15 years old, I decided to get a part-time job to help pay for college and have some spending money. Because I was already part of my school's Science Olympiad team and plan on majoring in microbiology, I applied to be a lab technician at a local science lab. My work primarily consisted of preparing chemicals and cleaning equipment, but after speaking to my supervisor about my interest in microbiology, I was able to begin conducting some simple experiments for the lab. This past summer I became a full-time intern at the lab and took on additional responsibilities. I asked to work with a team doing a microbiology project that studies self-assembly properties of polypeptides. During my internship, I ran different chemical tests and analyzed data results for potential use in cancer research, and I have continued that work into the school year.
From the above paragraph, it's clear that Jessica's passion is science. She is a member of science clubs, she plans on majoring in biology, and she applied for a job in a science lab. Jessica took a not-too-exciting job, where she mostly cleaned lab equipment, and was able to grow it into an internship where she contributes to cancer research. That's a pretty impressive accomplishment for a high school student. She took initiative to increase the responsibility of her part-time job and turn it into something that has a meaningful impact and gives her useful experience for her future.
Jessica's part-time job didn't start off all that impressive; she worked to increase her responsibilities and impact. You can do the same with any job or activity you have. Think of ways to expand your role, or ask your boss or club leader if they have any ideas. For example, if you're a lifeguard, you could start a program that teaches kids basic first-aid safety at the pool.
I have a friend who worked at a grocery store in high school and planned on being a dietitian. She created a monthly group where kids whose parents were grocery shopping could stop by a part of the grocery store, have some snacks, and learn about which healthy foods they should eat. That's a great way to take a typical high school job and turn it into an extracurricular that shows motivation, hard-work, and leadership skills.
Example 4: James the Soccer Player
When I started high school I thought it would be a good idea to join a sports team since my family had just moved to the area. One of my classmates suggested I try out for the soccer team. I made the junior varsity team and stayed on it for two years until I joined the varsity team as a junior. I love playing soccer and the feeling I get knowing I'm a member of a team. Being part of the soccer team helped me make friends and feel like I was part of the school's community. Because my soccer team helped me so much, as a junior I proposed a mentoring program where experienced team members helped freshman players adjust to high school. The mentors would make sure the freshman weren't feeling overwhelmed, had people to talk to, and found activities and classes they liked. The program was a great success, with many members commenting on how much they enjoyed it. This year, I helped three other sports teams implement the program. Doing this has helped me become more confident and better at public speaking. My high school dean has also asked that I speak to other teams in the hopes that, eventually, each of my school's sports teams will have a similar mentoring program.
Unlike Elizabeth, the highly-skilled ballerina, James is not one of the top high school soccer players in the country. While making varsity team does show he's talented at playing soccer, there are thousands of high school varsity players across the country, and unless you are playing at a national level, simply being a varsity athlete is not enough to make an extracurricular outstanding. What makes James' extracurricular exceptional is not his soccer skills but the mentoring program he started for athletes.
James took his experience of being the new kid and used it to help others avoid feeling lonely and isolated in high school. He decided to create a program that helps new students and bonds the team together. This shows leadership, as well as consideration for others. Colleges want students foster a positive atmosphere by working well as part of a team and being the kind of person other students want to be around. James' commitment to his mentoring program makes him seem like that kind of person. He also states how working on the mentoring program made him a more confident person . Similar to previous examples, James took initiative to start a new project, and he continues to lead and expand it.
James' extracurricular shows that you don't have to be the best at a certain activity to have it be a strong extracurricular. James wasn't team captain and didn't make the varsity team until he was a junior, but he still had a significant impact on improving the soccer team and helping out other students at his school.
If you aren't the top athlete or best science student at your school, you can have a strong impact in another way. A great way to do this is to foster relationships among your classmates. If your school has several science clubs that don't often interact with each other, you can suggest hosting a science event together that can include cool science demonstrations for kids and help the science clubs become more connected. You can also start a mentoring program similar to the one James created.
How to Create Your Own Great Extracurriculars
In none of the above examples was a student handed an amazing internship or club membership; they each had to put in time and effort to create exceptional extracurriculars. It will likely be the same for you. By following the steps below, you can develop great extracurriculars that will show the passion, impact, and leadership abilities that colleges love to see. If you have already chosen your extracurriculars and simply want to strengthen then, you can begin at step #4, although you may still find reading the previous steps useful.
#1: List Your Interests
Colleges want to see you participate in extracurriculars that you are passionate about, not ones you are only doing to impress others. Doing an extracurricular you are interested in will also make it more enjoyable (which is really the point of an extracurricular) and will likely also make you more willing to pursue leadership opportunities and increase your impact.
Make a list of all your interests. This can include your favorite classes, hobbies you enjoy, sports you've wanted to try, or what you plan on studying in college, basically anything you think you would enjoy spending more time doing.
#2: Research Extracurriculars
Once you have your list of interests, find extracurriculars that relate to them. Look at clubs and sports your school offers, local jobs and internships for teens, and volunteer opportunities, and make a list of extracurricular activities you might be interested in. If you need ideas, we have a complete list of extracurriculars that includes hundreds of different options.
If you need more help, ask your guidance counselor, classmates, or local community members. You can also try doing an internet search for "your interest" + "your hometown" to find nearby activities you can get involved with. If your school doesn't offer an extracurricular you're interested in, you can start a club yourself, which is a great way to show initiative and leadership.
#3: Choose and Narrow Your Extracurriculars
If you are able to, choose several extracurriculars that you think you will enjoy. After participating in them for a few weeks or months, you can narrow them down to one or a few that you feel particularly passionate about and want to devote more time to. Colleges are more interested in depth than breadth, so having a few extracurriculars that you put a lot of time into and have a significant impact on is more impressive than a laundry list of clubs and sports you don't really care about.
Narrow down your interests in order to choose the best extracurriculars
#4: Increase Your Impact
Now that you've chosen your extracurriculars, it's time to strengthen them to help your college application stand out. First, look for ways to increase your impact. Like the examples mentioned above, this can include recruiting more members, creating new events, expanding the club's focus, and more. Try to leave your extracurricular better than it was when you joined it.
#5: Gain Leadership Skills
After you have started to have a larger impact, work to become a leader in your extracurricular. This doesn't always mean being club president or team captain. You can gain leadership skills by mentoring other members, leading a project, or developing a new activity.
Once you've started applying these five rules, you'll be well on your way to developing a great extracurricular to include on your college applications.
What's Next?
Want to learn more about community service? We have a guide that explains what community service is and how it can benefit you.
Are you thinking about doing an extracurricular or volunteer work in a foreign country? Read our guide on volunteer abroad programs and learn if they're really the best option for you.
Not sure if you want to go to school in a big city or small town? Read our guide to learn if you should go to a rural, urban, or suburban school.
Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:
Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.
Student and Parent Forum
Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com , allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers.
Ask a Question Below
Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!
Improve With Our Famous Guides
- For All Students
The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points
How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer
Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:
Score 800 on SAT Math
Score 800 on SAT Reading
Score 800 on SAT Writing
Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:
Score 600 on SAT Math
Score 600 on SAT Reading
Score 600 on SAT Writing
Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests
What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?
15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay
The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points
How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer
Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:
36 on ACT English
36 on ACT Math
36 on ACT Reading
36 on ACT Science
Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:
24 on ACT English
24 on ACT Math
24 on ACT Reading
24 on ACT Science
What ACT target score should you be aiming for?
ACT Vocabulary You Must Know
ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score
How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League
How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA
How to Write an Amazing College Essay
What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?
Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide
Should you retake your SAT or ACT?
When should you take the SAT or ACT?
Stay Informed
Get the latest articles and test prep tips!
Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?
Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:
GRE Online Prep Blog
GMAT Online Prep Blog
TOEFL Online Prep Blog
Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”
- Skip to main content
- Skip to secondary menu
- Skip to primary sidebar
- Skip to footer
A Plus Topper
Improve your Grades
Extracurricular Activities Essay | Essay on Extracurricular Activities for Students and Children in English
January 19, 2021 by Prasanna
Extracurricular Activities Essay: Educational philosophy refers to the importance of teaching students to be life long learners. There is much more to education and experience than classrooms, textbooks, and success.
Extracurricular activities provide opportunities to students to express and explore themselves in areas depending upon their interests, skills and talents.
You can also find more Essay Writing articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.
Long and Short Essays on Extracurricular Activities for Students and Kids in English
We provide the students with essay samples on a long Extracurricular Activities Essay of 500 words and a short essay of 150 words on the same topic for reference.
Long Essay on Extracurricular Activities 500 Words in English
Long Essay on Extracurricular Activities is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.
Extracurricular activities teach students to work as a “unit” and be team players. It is a non–academic activity and serves as a part of development modules which can make the students think from a somewhat simpler point of view of themselves and the world around them.
Extracurricular activities are a kind of learning method that includes observation, practise and experience. Students can perform better in both the internal and external skills such as self-acceptance, self-esteem, sexual orientation, career goals and others. In the article of Curriculum planning, sustained development and reforms by the country’s educational purposes as manifested.
These activities are ongoing effort towards further developing the potential of individuals a holistic and integrated manner to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonious based on a firm belief in truth and discipline. These activities help to improve the academic scores as well as social life.
Extracurricular activities produce knowledgeable and competent beings, who possess high moral standards and the ones who are responsible and capable of achieving a great extent of personal well- being, as well as being able to contribute to the progress of the family, the society and the nation at large.
Mostly when we talk about extracurricular, what directly strikes our minds are related to the different periods allotted for activities like hockey, swimming, equestrian club, culinary club and many more. But, we have to realize that these activities are not only related to any schools, clubs or uniform bodies but also Representative Council and Committee of Students and so on is categorized as extracurricular.
There are mainly three types of extracurricular, first being the society. Society has categorized as a club or an organization for students who have specific interest in a societal matter like public talk. Second is uniform bodies, as mentioned above, is an organization that involved the same uniform that they wear as their identity. Last is sports and games, and this is the most common as well as popular one which involved students to spend time for fun as can maintain good health.
Students like to join many extracurricular activities, while some other students do not. Thus, their level of involvement and interest in the extracurricular activities limited to the desired and willingness of themselves. One of the benefits of joining these extracurricular activities is getting a chance of being a leader, to develop, management skills, time management, ability to handle stress, talk delegation, decision making, carrying out meetings and many more.
Disadvantages of extracurricular activities are the failure in time management, which inversely effect on academic and creates an imbalance. Being, an active student is excellent rather than passive. Not every student that join the activities or programmes can manage their student’s life. Proper time management can help students in scheduling their study time, involvement in extracurricular and other tasks. Moreover, the most important thing is students should be alert about the trend of their schedule and proper use of it. Extracurricular activities, when merged with academics, will help students learn effectively.
Short Essay on Extracurricular Activities 150 Words in English
Short Essay on Extracurricular Activities is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Students who take part in extra curriculum activities improve their academic scores and social life. It also helps to reduce many peer pressure related problems and enrich the lives of students, their families and our communities. Extracurricular activities also help to shape a person’s movement within him or herself, in the community and their performance in schools. Schools are all over the world should highly encourage students to be in some activity.
Extracurricular activities help to improve student’s academics though they can also harm how grades turn out. There is a requirement for a boost for most of the students so that they can participate in activities. These activities help to develop the work ethic, and it enriches the personality of the students. It caters the student’s voluntary involvement that is being present at the external realm of the academic curriculum for all-round development.
10 Lines on Extracurricular Activities in English
- Extracurricular activities help students to pursue interests outside the standardized education.
- These activities encourage students to expose themselves to the students of their age permissively.
- These activities involve the student in various activities and help to develop a work ethic.
- Extracurricular activities enrich the student’s personality as it includes voluntary involvement.
- An extracurricular activity helps a student with responsibility and time management.
- These activities help to improve the academic scores as well as social life.
- Extracurricular activities are entirely instrumental in building self–esteem and leadership quality.
- These activities give the students the scope and the spirit of healthy competition.
- Extracurricular activities help to exhibit a person’s potential in the area of interest, skill or talent.
- Extracurricular activities, when merged with academics, will help students learn effectively.
FAQ’s on Extracurricular Activities Essay
Question 1. What is an extracurricular activity?
Answer: Extracurricular activities provide opportunities to students to express and explore themselves in areas depending upon their interests, skills and talents
Question 2. State the importance of extracurricular activities?
Answer: Extracurricular activities enriches the student’s personality as it includes voluntary involvement. These activities help to improve the academic scores as well as social life.
Question 3. Mention how extracurricular activities are helpful?
Answer: Extracurricular activities give the students the scope and the spirit of healthy competition. These activities, when merged with academics, will help students learn effectively.
Question 4. What are the pros and cons of extracurricular activity?
Answer: Extracurricular activities help to improve student’s academics though they can also harm how grades turn out. It enriches the personality of the students.
- RS Aggarwal Solutions
- RS Aggarwal Solutions Class 10
- RS Aggarwal Solutions Class 9
- RS Aggarwal Solutions Class 8
- RS Aggarwal Solutions Class 7
- RS Aggarwal Solutions Class 6
- Picture Dictionary
- English Speech
- ICSE Solutions
- Selina ICSE Solutions
- ML Aggarwal Solutions
- HSSLive Plus One
- HSSLive Plus Two
- Kerala SSLC
- Distance Education
80+ Real Examples for Writing Your Extracurricular Activity List
I happen to think the activities list is one of the most underutilized spaces on the college application.
I think your activities list can make the difference in your application.
Want proof? Compare these two:
Created art pieces and organized school club
Founder, Art Honors Society
Organized and ran meetings, set up field trips, brainstormed and created group art activities, wrote and sent newsletter to members.
First description: Who cares?
Second description: Whaaaaaaat?! Rockstar.
Want to know how to write an amazing activity?
Cool. But I’ll keep it short so we can get to the examples.
How to write an amazing activity in your activities list:
State role and organization name in top box.
Emphasize tangible, measurable impact.
Use active verbs!
To save space, use lists and cut extra words. No need for complete sentences.
Aim for variety.
Avoid extreme language.
Wanna know more about these tips?
Click here for 10 tips on how to up-level your list of activities . Click here for tips on deciding which extracurricular activities to write about.
Below are a ton of extracurricular activities examples to give you an idea of what a great activities list description looks like.
Extracurricular Activity Examples
Member (9th/10th) Treasurer (11th/12th) National Honors Society, Ridgefield High School Chapter We are amongst the highest academically achieving students at our school, who collectively and consistently participate in community service projects.
Student, Class TA Robotics Fundamentals, Online Course at Carnegie Mellon University Learned the fundamentals of computer programming, robot assembly, and worked as a team in competitions.
Intern (Summer 2019) Center for Advanced Head & Neck Surgery, Paid Summer Internship Learned how to operate screening & diagnostic technologies under Dr. Anderson; assisted in patient care & diagnosis in Otolaryngology & Oncology.
Leader/Concertmaster (10th-12th) AMAC Youth Chamber Ensemble (AYCE), audition-based community choir Lead ensemble in rehearsal and performance, coordinate rehearsal times, aid younger members in learning music, present free community concerts yearly.
Volunteer (June 2012 - August 2012) Boys & Girls Club, youth tutoring/mentorship afterschool program Served as mentor for K-8 grade kids. Helped prepare lunch, entertain, and tutor students in math and science 25 hrs/wk, 4 wks/yr.
Number 3 Singles Starter (August 30th, 2013 - November 11th, 2015) Varsity Girls Tennis, Little Creek High School Practiced and conditioned daily, led daily stretches, competed in district and regional matches against other schools (13 hrs/wk, 11 wks/yr).
Number 1 Doubles Starter (9th-12th), Captain (11th-12th) JV/V Beverly Hills High School Tennis Team Three year League Champions; planned and hosted team banquet; led team warmups and meetings; Coach's Award Recipient (11th); Team Spirit Award (12th).
Local Violin Tutor (Summer 2018) Independent, self-started business Provided foundational instruction on music and basics of classical violin, demonstrated proper technique, developed strong interpersonal/musical skills.
Part-time EMT (11th - 12th) Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, 1 of 5 EMTs selected for job out of 100 Responded to emergency calls, performed BLS protocols, interacted with patients/families, assisted paramedics, organized ambulance rigs (24 hr/week).
Volunteer (9th-12th) American Red Cross, Baskins High School Club Assisted supervisors, filed paperwork, made phone calls to donors, prepared facilities for training programs by helping with class planning.
Treasurer (11th-12th), elected by majority vote Medical Science Academy Student Government Two year Top Class Performer & Best Medical Presentation Awardee, led club meetings, & presented annual budget breakdown to panels of parents and faculty.
Staff Member (11th) Music Makes Miracles, community youth theater Staged and performed in four benefit concerts throughout the school year, coordinated club events and fundraisers, raised money for American Red Cross.
Producer/Host (11th-12th) School-sponsored television program Worked camera, sound board, and teleprompter every morning with my peers to produce daily broadcast. Co-hosted and scripted news segment every Tues/Thurs.
Student (10th) Brown University Intensive Summer Program, Leadership and Global Health Class Reinforced background knowledge on issues of social justice; investigated biopsychosocial determinants of the Global Burden of Disease (35 hrs/wk, 2 wks/yr).
Volunteer (June, 2012-June, 2013) Children’s Institute Inc., non-profit dedicated to children with special needs Organized parties for kids, set up crafts, led activities, baked cookies, supervised children aged 6-12, and cleaned facility (5 hrs/wk, 5 wks/yr).
Orchestra 1 Treasurer (10th-11th), Concertmaster (12th) Orchestra Council, musical leadership group at Prince High School Assisted orchestra directors, planned orchestra events, worked during concerts and tours by loading/unloading trucks, setting up, cleaning.
Peer Advisor (11th-12th) Erving High School Student Ambassador Program, selective application-based leadership team Organized and led orientation; served as a year round leader, mentor, tutor, and friend to freshmen; helped with class scheduling.
Student Coach (9th - 12th) Middle School MathCounts Team Taught strategies, selected competitors, hosted weekly practice sessions and lectures. Led team to 2nd place victory at State Mathematics competition (11th).
Chief Facilitator (11th) Reimagining Leadership Conference, annual convention on youth leadership strategies Developed lesson plans, lobbied businesses for sponsorships, held marketing sessions, established partnerships to run leadership camp (65 hrs/wk, 4 wks/yr).
Protein Modeling Team Leader (10th) Science Olympiad, Burke High School Club Supervised building of protein molecule model, taught peers to use 3D molecular program Jmol; placed in top ten in 2017 regional competition.
Leader (11th) Books on Global Health Equity and Social Justice, advocacy-focused peer discussion group Researched global health equity/social justice , assigned weekly readings for group discussion, brainstormed questions to generate input from members.
Webmaster and Secretary LEO Club, organization devoted to promoting good government and citizenship Managed club website; organized club activities with club officers; brainstormed events to increase membership and strengthen LIONS Club International.
Junior World Affairs Council President (9th-12th) Academy of Global Studies, 4 year research program combining a published thesis and capstone project Researched impact of education on child marriage for girls in India, synthesized data, published and presented findings to peers and program professors.
President (9th-12th) National Art Honor Society, only one student inducted from each eligible high school per year Ran public workshops and art critiques, displayed work in five gallery shows, participated in art community service, and coordinated field trips.
Teen Volunteer (Summer 2019) Centreville Medical Center Interacted with patients; assisted nursing staff in providing clinical care; designed, produced, and delivered holiday greeting cards to patients.
ANOTHER GREAT READ: HOW TO WRITE YOUR COMMON APP college ACTIVITIES LIST
Co-Founder and Tutor (10th-12th) Taurus Peer Tutoring Program, self-started business Launched program through which students can request coaching in math/science, instructed concepts in chemistry and precalculus (1 hr/wk; 30 wks/yr).
Concertmaster (11th-12th) Jordan High School Symphony Orchestra Lead violins in rehearsals and concerts, tuned/warmed up orchestra, assisted the directors in orchestra functions; Outstanding Musicianship Award (12th).
Founder/Leader (10th - 12th) Engaged Art Afterschool Program, self-started event for youth to learn about and make art Organized art-related activities for elementary school aged students every day, researched teaching pedagogy, provided positive feedback to encourage kids.
President (10th-12th) Robotics Club, Bryson High School Recruited club members, organized seminars for freshmen, and coordinated team preparation for various competitions. State Champions (11th).
Competitor (9th) British English Olympics Preparation, opt-in afterschool training offered for Raleigh HS students 8 months intensive preparation on English language proficiency and presentation skills for British English Olympics. Won 6th place out of 50 schools.
Tutor - (10th) Creekside Elementary Afterschool Tutoring Program Personally asked to tutor six special education 5th grade students at an elementary school, who did not pass the STAAR test (2 hrs/day for 3 wks).
Head of Media Team (10th) MUN Club, Meadows School Recruited and assigned team members as photographers, writers, editors, and marketing advisers. Developed, designed, and maintained club website.
Editor/Cover Artist - (10th - 12th) Visions Literary Arts Magazine, Granite Bay High School Lead team in creating an annual 80-page publication and drew cover art for each edition. Organized, workshopped, and critiqued submissions.
Counselor In Training (Summer 2018) Educational Prep Programs, leadership training program for aspiring counselors Learned leadership and group dynamic skills, focusing on responsibility, maturity, and accountability, with a final project of cleaning the camp.
Volunteer (July 2015 - October 2015) Museum of Life and Science Sold souvenirs in museum gift shop, took inventory, managed sales/financial accounts, and completed all administrative tasks 14 hrs/wk, 16 wks/yr).
Academic/Personal Mentor (9th-12th) Henderson Youth Center, community resources for underprivileged youth in Henderson County Responsible for helping 11-12 year olds on school work and planning activities, all while enhancing their self-esteem, social skills, and respect for others.
Manager (12th) Falling Whistles, local indie rock band Attended benefit concerts and other fundraising events, helped organize fundraisers, scheduled gigs, and organized sponsors.
Graffiti Removal Team Leader (11th) Towson County Youth Commission, youth-led faction of the Towson government dedicated to civil service Lead a group of classmates in coordination with the city to remove graffiti, in an effort to reduce crime based on the broken window theory.
Manager/Administrator (Summer 2019) ViolinMan Resource, secondhand store for renting used musical instruments Approved and updated online information database on classical music instruments for use by music enthusiasts. Cleaned and distributed instruments for use.
Starting Center Midfielder (9th - 12th) United Club Soccer Premier level team, practice every weekday, traveled out of state for tournaments, competed against nationally ranked teams, State Cup Finalist 2017.
Intern (Summer 2018, 2019) Faircloth & Supply, feminist fashion blog Wrote blog posts about women and education, photographed for website, used InDesign to help with graphic design, assisted with social media accounts.
Theater Volunteer (11th-12th) Non-Profit American Cinematheque, community blackbox theater Collected tickets, mounted posters, distributed flyers, answered phone calls, assisted with organizing film forum panels, photographed events.
Hired Quartet (11th-12th) Symphony Orchestra III, well-known touring orchestra in Virginia State Perform for professional gigs, from mayor’s banquet to Boy Scout ceremonies; often hired to play at community centers, local churches, and hotels.
Co-Head Coach (9th - 12th) AYSO Girls Soccer, recreational soccer league for girls aged 6-12 Organized drills, modeled proper soccer technique for practices, prepared line-up, coached team, sent emails to parents to coordinate drop offs and pickups.
Student (Summer 2020) Harvard University Summer School, synchronous online class on Public Speaking Obtained confident & powerful public speaking techniques, explored professional speeches, mastered improvised speech, & incorporated theatrical skills.
Medical Volunteer (9th-12th) Trips to Thailand, NGO that coordinates trips to Thailand for infrastructure/healthcare development Networking with local health workers and ngo officials; assisted pharmacists delivering medicine to mountain tribes (18 trips, 108 hrs/wk, 2 wks/yr).
Drummer (9th-12th) Raspberry Jam, audition-based jazz band at Elton High Schoo l Played drums at community meetings, performed at three school concerts per year, selected songs to perform, adapted sheet music for percussion section.
Co-Founder/Manager (10th-12th) Choice Performance Club Coordinated monthly performances at community venues, opportunity for performers in theater, music, poetry, etc. to serve others through talent.
Staff Member (11th-12th) Yearbook, Crestview High School Traveled to photograph sporting events, worked with Photoshop and InDesign, mentored new staff members, and helped run a summer editing workshop.
Graphics Editor and Editorial Writer (9th - 11th) East Side High School Newspaper Designed graphics (backgrounds, typesets, layouts, digital drawings); wrote and proofread peer articles; updated print newspaper to digital format.
Team Member (10th), Captain (11th-12th) Science Bowl Team, Westing Charter School Directed practices, assigned each member roles, supervised preparation for competition, coordinated transportation to competitions (2 hrs/wk, 28 wks/yr).
Co-President (12th) Foreign Film Club, Bayside High School Selected several international films, facilitated discussions, updated members about local film events, watched The Motorcycle Diaries , Mustang , etc.
Student (Summer 2018) Turley Program for Gifted Artists, intensive summer program for 100 selected HS artists in the Bay Area Sketched drawings of still life sets/real life models, developed ability to creative ideate and engage with unconventional materials in critical workshops.
Volunteer (10th-11th) Alzheimer’s Family Services Center Taught watercolor classes to Alzheimer’s patients; encouraged greater patient participation & creative expression to mitigate the effects of dementia.
President (10th - 12th) National Latin Honors Society Organized weekly class meetings, sent official announcements, led first council in school history to host non-profit fundraisers (2 hrs/wk, 30 wks/yr).
Public Forum Debater (9th-12th) Speech and Debate Team, Broadview High School Researched monthly topics on political and social issues, organized evidence, developed ability to speak extemporaneously, coached younger debaters.
Volunteer (Summer 2018) CACH Medical Center Aided Renal, Labor, and Delivery departments by monitoring front desk and organizing six years worth of backlogged medical records (8 hrs/wk, 20 wks/yr).
Sprinter/Hurdler (9th-12th), Captain (12th) Cross Country/Track Team, Golden Oak High School Top-3 Soph/Frosh runner, led boy’s sprinting team in meets and races, aided coaches in organizing daily workouts, emotionally supported team members.
Coxswain (9th - 10th) Varsity Crew Team, Summerfield High School Executed drills in boat and indoor training, discussed strategies and plans with coaches, assessed strengths and weaknesses of individual rowers.
Student (Summer 2019) Georgetown U’s Medical Institute, intensive summer program for high schoolers interested in medicine Studied medical techniques (took vital signs, drew blood, analyzed human cadavers) to prepare for clinical medicine career. Treated patient simulator.
Lead Decorator (12th) La Familia Club, school club devoted to increasing cultural awareness about the Latinx community Organized community cultural events about Latinx cooking and holidays, coordinated creation of traditional Mexican art mural installation on campus.
Mentor (9th-10th) Girl Scouts Troop 43250 Mentored 10 young girls in arts and crafts; spearheaded troop exhibit representing Italy at cultural community fair; brainstormed troop activities.
Student (10th) Brown University’s Online Pilot Course: Making an Impact Selected participant in Brown University’s Leadership Institute, analyzed social change model of leadership development and applied lessons to GCLI.
Flute First Chair (11th-12th) Concert Band, Oakwood High School 500+ hrs. over 4 yrs. 8 tournaments, 22 concerts. Received Div.1 at 2016 Solo and Ensemble Contest. Attended band trips to Dallas/Austin/Orlando.
Starting Point Guard (10th - 12th) Varsity Girl’s Basketball Team, Foothill Academy 500+ hrs. over 4 yrs. Conference title. Learned the value of strategy, teamwork, and positivity. Led warmups. Trained everyday afterschool.
Volunteer (9th) Doha Beach Clean Project Participated in beach cleanups and environmental education for locals and expats, spread the word about organization events in school and local community.
Chief Volunteer (10th-11th) Tutor of Peers in Education, cross-cultural tutoring program between American and Korean students Developed study plans for tests, taught fundamental math skills to 3 underprivileged students in Siheung, established interpersonal connections with tutees.
Team Member (9th-12th), Captain (11th-12th) JV and Varsity Tennis Team, River Fork Academy Number 1 Singles, Number 2 Doubles. Attended the University of Notre Dame and Pepperdine University tennis camps to improve accuracy and strength of shot.
Intern (Summer 2017) Holston Medical Center - Neurology Department Recruited students for study on relation between cerebral microbleeds and head contact sports, used data to expand Center’s ability to provide effective care.
Delegate (9th-12th), Captain (12th) Model United Nations, Dulaney High School Debated world issues with peers in various conferences; Selected and traveled to UC Berkeley and London to compete in a conference. (See Add’l info.)
Founder (11th-12th) Global Connective Leadership Institute, an international nonprofit organization with 501c3 status Distributed international social justice resources to the local community. See additional info and short extracurricular essay for details. www.gcli.net
Board Member (10th-12th) Parish Services Board, in charge of arts funding for partner Title I school First trimester leader for the community service board. Led the chapel talks and schoolwide fundraising events, chose each trimester beneficiary.
Representative (10th-12th), Commissioner of Media (11th-12th) Sophomore Class Council, Brady High School Brainstormed ideas for school events, coordinated weekly grade-level meetings and activities. Produced, and edited all short films for school events.
Math Tutor (Summer 2020) Self-started tutoring business Dedicated one-on-one tutoring for arithmetic/geometric sequences and series, trigonometry identities analysis, and factorial/exponential combinations.
Volunteer (10th-12th) Boys and Girls Club, Pearson County Local Chapter Tutored students and facilitated games once a week, established and taught a summer tennis clinic for a group of ten year old students.
Founder & President (10th-11th) SAT Skill Building Club, Shady Hill Charter School Organized weekly meetings and lessons, coached students on techniques for the three parts of the test, raised money for resource costs and upcoming lessons.
Co-founder and Vice President (10th-12th) Feed2Food, outreach organization providing food/shelter for homeless people in Kansas City Helped alleviate homelessness and develop relationships by collecting toiletries and handing them out to the homeless in Midtown, Westport, and Armour Hills.
President (August 30th 2015 - June 9th, 2016) National Art Honors Society Organized and ran meetings, set up field trips, brainstormed and created group art activities, wrote and sent newsletter to members (5 hrs/wk, 20 wks/yr).
Delegate (10th-12th), Director of Technology (12th) Model United Nations Supervised conference technology access, managed MUN website to optimize navigation. Improved public speaking and research skills serving as a delegate.
Academic Interviewer (11th-12th) Student Ambassador Club, Hillside High School Personally talked to undecided students about their plans for the future both academically and non-academically, provided guidance and moral support.
Secretary (11th) Teen Educational Foundation, youth group focused on increasing access to critical educational resources Fundraised for our community/surrounding communities, organized City Council/Board of Education forums, and donated grants to High School clubs.
Volunteer (Summer 2015, 2016) Special Olympics World Games, annual sports event for children with special needs Ran the information booth, gave parking directions, escorted athletes to venues, organized shuttles, helped athletes navigate the activity booths.
Junior Volunteer (Summer 2019) Meredith Hospital Led 2 hours of music therapy tri-monthly for patients, visitors, staff; assisted with paperwork, patient needs, cleaning, and orienting hospital visitors.
another great read: 160+ college interview questions from top universities
Intern (Summer 2016, 2017, 2018) Crouch Engineering Corporation Assembled semiconductors by applying thin film coating, used metal evaporator machine, and diced semiconductor wafers (8 hrs/wk, 32 wks/yr).
Member (9th-12th) Rotary Club of Calcutta Set up and maintained a school for 80 children in a slum area. Provided primary education, cleaned clothes, prepared a midday meal, and taught English.
Intern (September 2013 - June 2016) Steward Mental Hospital Used art as therapy for those with Bipolar depression/schizophrenia, set up patient art shows, taught art lessons, organized field trips for patients.
Freelance Artist (Summer 2016, 2017) Self-started business Staged and framed personal artwork to be sold, displayed art at Carrack Gallery, consulted buyers, donated all proceeds (~$800) to school art program.
Volunteer (Summer 2015, 2016) Revlon Breast Cancer Marathon Coordinated pre-registration and raffle off, distributed cups of water, encouraged runners, checked-in participants, and monitored runner health.
Team Member (11th-12th) Varsity Cross Country, Bright High School Ran 20 miles a week for practice, organized middle school cross country meets, qualified to go to state, 2nd place at annual Bull City XC Run.
Tutor (10th) Spanish Honors Society, Lincoln High School Tutored students in Spanish, promoted interest in Hispanic studies, updated tutees about cultural events in the surrounding Philadelphia community.
Executive Officer (10th-12th) Association of Latin American Students, affinity group for student of Latin American descent at Woodland HS Organized meetings and trips to conferences/colleges, advertised cultural events, planned fundraisers, delegated responsibilities between members.
Co-President/Co-Founder (11th-12th) Cookies for Cancer, fundraising organization for families who can’t afford chemotherapy Orchestrated & publicized bi-weekly bake sales, led club members, maintained accounting, raised $2000 for the Children's Cancer Research Fund.
Volunteer (Summer 2019) Migrants’ Rights Advocacy Center, org campaigning against exploitation of worker rights in Qatar Translated and spread information regarding rights in Nepalese and provided health aid, organized fund drive to financially support workers’ families.
Secretary (10th-12th) Working Towards The Future, national career advising and academic resource hub for high school students Organized meeting discussions, informed students of financial aid opportunities, and recorded minutes for cabinet meetings (3 hrs/wk, 40 wks/yr).
Member (11th - 12th) The Giving Society, charity organization Raised funds for new advocacy org each semester. Causes include: homelessness (Urban Ministries), climate change (Sunrise), animal cruelty (ASPCA).
Vice President (10th - 12th) Key Club, international service organization for high students Led both officer and club meetings, arranged club events with community venues, planned fundraising yoga nights, encouraged activity of members.
Intern (10th - 12th) Ovarian Cancer Lab Published journals, conducted independent projects, facilitated cell maintenance, attended lab meetings, collaborated with fellows and graduate students.
School Tour Guide (9th - 12th) Northview Academy Student Ambassador Club, application based position Toured prospective families and visitors around campus and presented information about course offerings, facilities, student life, etc.
Vice President (12th) Pajama Mama Club, Cypress Charter School Sewed pajamas each semester using recycled materials, donated the handmade pajamas to over 50 children of Alexandria’s House, a non-profit organization.
Want help writing an amazing college essay? CLAIM YOUR FREE TRIAL OF my step-by-step video course HERE
VIDEO LESSONS
Watch the lessons on your own or via the live option.
- Get Started
- Request Information
- Degrees & Certificates
- Paying for College
- Community Education
Scholarship Application Essay Example
Below are some common scholarship essay questions. You can use these as a great starting point for a personal statement. Some of these essay questions are used in the Maricopa Scholarship Database.
- What life experiences have shaped who you are today and what challenges have you overcome in achieving your education (i.e. financial, personal, medical, etc.)?
- Explain why you need financial assistance.
- Describe your academic and career goals and your plans to achieve them and discuss any of your extracurricular/volunteer activities (both on and off campus) that you may perform.
- Describe an event in which you took a leadership role and what you learned about yourself.
This is a sample essay to help guide you when you are writing essays for scholarships. Keep in mind that all scholarship applications are different, so you may have to design your essay to meet those specific requirements.
Paragraph I (State an overview of what you are going to talk about in the essay. If the essay is about you, give a brief description of your experiences, goals, aspirations, family background, etc. Touch on why you want the scholarship.)
For as long as I could remember, I have wanted to be a veterinarian. I have been responsible for the care and feeding of pets ever since I was in the second grade. In high school, I participated in the 4-H club as well as the Junior Humane society. To reach my goals, I realize that I must pursue an eight year college education which will begin with the Fall 2010 semester. I am very excited about my future and feel that with the opportunity your scholarship will provide, I can help many animals.
Paragraph II & III (Go into more detail on one of the topics listed in paragraph I. For example, elaborate on your previous experiences, family and financial situation, volunteer work, employment, academic career, future goals, college plans, etc.)
My love for animals has been encouraged by my family and friends. I have had the opportunity to volunteer with the local animal shelter and provide basic care to the stray animals. With the help of my biology teacher, I was able to start a 4-H club on campus. Many of the other students on campus developed an interest in the animals and now our club has 100 members. My family also has many animals for which I provide care, including basic needs as well as first aid. I find that I enjoy that aspect of pet ownership best. Unfortunately, my family cannot afford to pay for my entire education, so I hope to use my skills and love of animals to help me pay for college.
Paragraph IV (Conclude your essay with a wrap-up of why you should be considered for the scholarship; how do your goals match those of the organization, etc.) Your organization stands for what I believe in. Like your organization, I hope to help animals for the rest of my life. To reach my goals, I need as much help as possible. I already have the moral support of my family and friends, but that is not quite enough to make my dream come true. I hope that your organization can help me reach this dream by awarding me your scholarship.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
The purpose of the extracurricular activities essay is for admissions officers to better understand how your extracurricular activities have shaped and motivated you. This essay shouldn’t restate the activities you’ve already shared in your resume, but should elaborate on their impact and significance to you as a person.
For the sake of argument, let’s say there are four types of extracurricular activities: Passion Projects (something you love and would do for free even if it didn’t help your chances of getting into college) Rockstar Achievements (those in which you’ve won something or held a leadership position) One Hit Wonders (things you did once)
Step 1: Write Down Your Activities On a piece of paper, write down a list of your activities. These can be almost anything that you have done in high school, from sports, to organized clubs, to outside hobbies and interests, to work or community service. For each activity, make sure you write down:
Writing about your extracurricular activities for college can help show the admissions committee who you are, what’s important to you, and what makes you a unique applicant. Focus on the narrative Use the extracurricular activities essay to tell a storyabout your experience.
The 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).
An extracurricular is any activity you participate in outside of class. It can be associated with your school, such as a sports team or club, or completely separate. They also include any jobs or internships you have had, as well as volunteer work you have performed.
Extracurricular activities are a kind of learning method that includes observation, practise and experience. Students can perform better in both the internal and external skills such as self-acceptance, self-esteem, sexual orientation, career goals and others.
How to write an amazing activity in your activities list: State role and organization name in top box. Emphasize tangible, measurable impact. Use active verbs! To save space, use lists and cut extra words. No need for complete sentences. Aim for variety. Avoid extreme language. Wanna know more about these tips?
Describe an event in which you took a leadership role and what you learned about yourself. This is a sample essay to help guide you when you are writing essays for scholarships. Keep in mind that all scholarship applications are different, so you may have to design your essay to meet those specific requirements. Paragraph I.