Do extracurriculars have to be at school to be listed on college applications

<p>I don't really participate much in extracurriculars at my high school. However, I do participate in a church basketball league that meets 3 times a week for 2 hours each. I also took karate class. All these activities are not affiliated or related to my school in any way.
Could I list those as my extracurriculars or do they have to be in high school to count?</p>

<p>i know some colleges sometimes do call the high school to verify extracurriculars done in high school, but what if you participate in karate class or church basketball if those count as extracurriculars. How would they verify I have done it?</p>

<p>they don’t verify them, they take your word. And yes, include all ECs not related to school, these are important.</p>

<p>Absolutely list them. One of my kids listed all of these non-school related activities as ECs:</p>

<ul>
<li>Entomology hobby</li>
<li>Bluebird trail maintenance</li>
<li>4H membership and fair entries</li>
<li>2 different summer programs that had nothing to do with her school</li>
<li>Volunteering at an organization in our community (food bank)</li>
<li>Club fencing (again, no school affiliation)</li>
</ul>

<p>Colleges do not normally attempt any verification (okay, if you said you won some huge award, they might check).</p>