High school extracurricular activities
Colleges are flexible when evaluating student involvement in extracurricular activities
Quantity
Some students are under the impression that outside of their school work, they should participate in as many activities as possible. A common reason for this is that students believe that colleges are looking for students who participate in as many activities as possible.
Our research hasn't turned up any evidence that supports this, and we've come across many indications that colleges don't look specifically for students who participate in as many activities as possible. Here are some representative examples:
- Stanford University admissions department says: Students often assume our primary concern is the number of activities in which one participates. In fact, an exceptional depth of experience in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six clubs.
- MIT's admissions department says says: Choose your activities because they really delight, intrigue and challenge you, not because you think they'll look impressive on your application. Go out of your way to find projects, activities and experiences that stimulate your creativity and leadership, that connect you with peers and adults who bring out your best, that please you so much you don't mind the work involved. Some students find room for many activities; others prefer to concentrate on just a few. Either way, the test for any extracurricular should be whether it makes you happy - whether it feels right for you.
- The founder of adMISSION POSSIBLE wrote: When it comes to extracurricular involvements, it doesn't really matter what the content is. Anything from doing a major DNA research project to volunteering at a school that serves low income students to excelling at fly-fishing is legitimate fodder for college application grids. No matter the activity, colleges look for quality of involvement rather than quantity of activities. In other words, it is better to be consistently involved in one, two, or three activities and/or sports over a number of years, than superficially involved in eight, 10 or 12 for shorter periods of time. Simply said, activity laundry lists do not impress.
Because colleges don't appear to favor applicants who are involved in a large number of extracurricular activities, or specific extracurricular activities, you should take advantage of the opportunity to choose extracurricular activities that are best for your personal growth. If you're thinking about becoming a scientist, consider interning in a science lab. If you love music, consider focusing your extracurriculars around music. If you're an aspiring programmer, consider participating in online communities centered around programming, such as Stack Overflow.