So, the Common App invites students to list activities, and beyond asking the name + leadership position, it says:
“Please describe this activity, including what you accomplished and any recognition you received, etc.”
Sounds good, right? Yes, except the limit is 150 characters.
That’s essentially enough for me to just list out the awards I got (I didn’t have room for these, for example, in the honors section) or write something super brief about how Science Olympiad is a “competition of over 30 events branching across numerous scientific disciplines, of which I have competed in over X.”
I would much rather a college look at my Curriculum Vitae, in which I list my awards separately so that I have room to describe what I meaningfully did (Led team members in preparing for competitions encompassing multiple science and engineering disciplines. Composed study sheets, presentations, and notes regarding 25 disciplines, passed out to each competitor… etc.) rather than how many plaques have my name on them and what the hell SciOly is in the first place.
So: Could I say ‘no’ to the activities section and then upload my CV in the place where most or all of my colleges (optionally) request it? Or would colleges read the CV anyway, even if you’ve filled out activities and honors and such?
If I should write it out in the common app, what should I focus on?