Why do extracurricular activities matter? - Filling out those pesky Extracurricular Charts!

Before you even open a college application, start creating a list of everything you’ve done since 8th grade. Technically, the summer after 8th grade because that’s when you become a high school student. Mark the things that have been the most important to you. After you highlight your activities, you should categorize them into the following activities: Extracurricular, Academic, Leadership, Community Service, Paid Work, and Hobby. When you’re ready to start filling out college applications, it’s important to keep the following in mind. Both the Common Application and the Universal Application only have space for up to 10 extracurricular activities total. Unique or college-specific applications can have space for anywhere between 0 and 20 activities. The best way to start listing your activities is first, in order of importance, and second, in chronological order. All the activities that you list should complement your essays and emphasize what you’ve done, not describe the organization in general. You want to highlight your leadership role as much as possible, yet be concise and powerful in your language.