If I am applying to an ivy league school, should I list all of my extracurriculars and awards? I have many good leadership positions and national awards, but I feel like I am just going to come off as a resume builder. What do you guys suggest?
@ioniz1908 Are you an International student ?
Typically, the college app is done via Common App, where you can list activities meaningful to you, have leadership etc. There is also another section for Honors and Awards.
Almost all colleges use Common App or Coalition App, and this is how you apply to any college in the US (not just Ivy league)
The selective colleges have additional supplements (essays) that gets added to Common App when you select a school from the list.
I am not an international. I am from the state of Missouri
WHat kind of national awards?
@NCKris @CaliMex To be honest, I have only done extracurriculars that really had a positive impact on the world. Here are all of my extracurriculars and awards only until the start of my junior year. I haven’t written up my junior year stuff because I am too busy study for my stupid AP tests. I am looking to apply to All the ivies, most particularly Harvard. I have a 36 act AND 1540 sat.
Extracurriculars:(Again, I have only listed the ones until 11th grade)
9th Grade:
-President and Founder of the Red Cross Club
-20 Hours of Primary Care Physician Shadowing
-Special Olympics Volunteer
-School’s Legacy Award
-National Speech and Debate Club Member
-School’s Outstanding Citizenship Award
-School’s High Honor Roll List
-Key Club Member
10th Grade:
-President and Founder of Red Cross Club
-WUSTL Mini Med School 1
-Varsity Tennis
-Leader and creator of a fundraiser which raised $100,000 for kids with cancer(Tied with my Red Cross Club). I did this because one of the teachers that I really liked died from cancer.
-Project Feed Downtown was a charity that I launched which fed the homeless in the city of St.Louis
-Raised $1000 for suicide prevention
-Raised$5000 for Teen substance abuse prevention
-Raised $500 for Tuberculosis prevention
-Raised $200 for Measle Research
-Raised enough money to plant 10,000 trees, nationally. (I know I raised a lot of money through all of my fundraisers. I t was partly due to the fact that I know a lot of philanthropists)
-School’s Outstanding Citizenship Award
-School’s High Honor Roll List
-Muslim Youth of St.Louis Boys Camp Volunteer
-Key Club Member
-National Speech And Debate Club Member
-20 Hours of Surgical Shadowing
-20 Hours of Lab Technician Shadowing
-20 Hours of Primary Care Physician Shadowing
-Science Olympiad Medalist
-Math and Science Scholar Bowl(Captain)
-Leader and Creator of Diverse Cultures Association for our school
-Mentor/Counselor for kids struggling with Racism, LGBTQ, and suicidal issues.
Awards
-AAN Neuroscience Award
-International BioGenius Award
-American Lifesaver Award
-International BioGenius Finalist Award
-National Scholar Bowl
-MIT THINK Scholars
-1st Place State Lincoln Douglas Award
-State Champ For Tennis
Pick the ones that are meaningful and combine where necessary. I think the Common App provides 10 spaces. If not, this still sounds about right.
20 hours doing something wouldn’t make the cut. Being a “member” of something wouldn’t make the cut. Include it if you have a leadership role.
Combine fundraising to “raised $X (combined amount) for (list of causes)”.
Founding an organization - include what it has accomplished. It’s easy for someone to say they “founded” something by putting a name to something with two friends. Make it “Founded Xxx organization, which raised $xxx and conducted Y number of ABC events”
My D example - “Leveraged 10 years TKD training to found an organization providing self defense training for girls, conducting seminars at 8 area schools and clubs, raising $1,000 to fight domestic violence”.
Schools are looking for the impact that students make, not, as you correctly point out, resume building.
@RichInPitt Thank you for your reply, I didn’t even know there was a maximum space on the common app. Is there a section solely for awards? Or would that count into the extracurricular category too?
It might be difficult for colleges to understand exactly how your shadowing various healthcare providers, playing tennis, being part of the debate team or competing in various trivia bowls have a “positive impact on the world.” Talk about your accomplishments but also remember to be appropriately humble. Colleges want high achievers but also want them to be people others want to work with, study with and live with.
@RichInPitt @milee30 The common app has 10 spots for the extracurriculars. This is how I am planning my list to be like
1.) Leadership With Clubs And What They Have Done To Contribute To Society
2.)Volunteer And Shadowing
3.)Lab Work and Research
4.)Sports and What I have accomplished in them.
5.) Major Awards
6.) Piano and Indian Dance Team
7.)
8.)
9.)
10.)
I am not sure what else to put in the last four remaining spots. Do you guys have any suggestions? Also, I have got some tennis awards. Should I mention it in my tennis category or my awards category? Should I just make the Major Awards Category “Major Science Awards”?
You don’t need to fill every spot. Only list the things that will show the colleges what you are trying to show them - sometimes less is more, especially if it might look like you are padding the list.
Awards that are national or higher level in any area are probably helpful; awards that aren’t significant especially in areas that aren’t a key part of your app won’t add to your app and don’t need to be listed. For example, unless you’re a recruited athlete, a local tennis award doesn’t add anything to your app doesn’t need to be listed.
Along the lines of being humble, think about the impression you’re creating. Volunteering is something that is done to benefit others. Does your shadowing really benefit others or is it done to benefit you?
@milee30 I included the shadowing in there so I can display my interest in medicine. I think it would definitely blend in well with all the other medical experiences I have been doing such as volunteering as a transporter in a hospital and raising money for cancer treatment
You’re over-thinking this. And under-thinking it.
What are you listing in January, so early? Why? Too early.
The activities section isn’t where you tell them you save the world. And not by shadowing. Nor by fundraising when you know a lot of rich folks. That won’t get you in.
Before applying to a tippy top, stop. Try to learn what matters to them.
Right now, the impression you’re creating is not strategic. Figure out what will be most relevant to the adcoms.
You have 10 months. Use them wisely. Think hard about where you truly roll up your sleeves and work directly with the needy. Try to understand what represents “stretch” to these colleges. And “match.” This isn’t like being the busiest kid in your hs.
Sorry, but why are you jumping the gun?
how important is leadership?
@moonlitpoems Leadership is extremely important. Prestigious colleges want to see that you are capable of being a world leader, and leadership is one of the best ways to demonstrate that
BUT, leadership is not the same for everyone. My D had some great extracurriculars that took up a significant amount of time. She did not have time, and didn’t bother with applying for random leadership positions, in order to pad her application. It was funny how many kids started random clubs her senior year. It was obvious what they were doing.
I agree with the above posters that schools don’t want to just see you were involved a little with a million different activities. They want to see what was most important to you. What did you spend your time doing?
Not only are you only allowed 10 spots for activities on the common app but you are limited in how many words you can use. AND, they will ask how much time you devoted to each activity.