The extracurricular section of your application showcases who you are beyond your grades, what you care about and how you contribute to society. It’s a barometer of your personality, and it plays a crucial role in the selection process of prominent Ivy League colleges.

Students who end up getting rejected often didn’t have a strategy to begin with. They end up joining random clubs and taking part in activities that don’t appeal to them. 

Admissions officers who are trained to see inconsistencies recognise these attempts as insincere. Hence, students who want to gain admission to their dream colleges need an effective, step-by-step process to present their extracurricular activities convincingly to the admissions committee. 

Why Do Extracurriculars Matter in Study Abroad?

Extracurriculars fulfil a specific purpose in your admissions process. While your grades indicate that you can handle academics, your extracurricular activities demonstrate that your interests extend beyond academics and that you are a person with values, hobbies, and interests. For a top college, a student with a vibrant profile is a valuable addition to the campus. Here are some reasons why extracurricular activities are essential to study abroad:

• They show your resilience.
• They show that you can adapt to changes.
• They are a crucial admission factor in colleges that have the “holistic review” process.
• They are proof of your cultural interests.
• They open up scholarship opportunities.
• They are a sign that you can make a meaningful contribution to the campus community.
• They showcase your leadership potential.
• They signal your ability to network and forge connections. 

In short, your extracurricular activities demonstrate to colleges that you are a competent candidate who can excel beyond academics and enrich the campus community. 

Best Extracurricular Activities for College Applications

Colleges don’t treat all extracurricular activities alike. Some are invariably more impressive than the others, especially if they showcase your leadership, depth, commitment, initiative, impact and intellectual curiosity. They essentially want to know who you are beyond your academics. Here are some of the best extracurriculars for college admissions.

Leadership Roles

Were you the President of the Debate Club in school? Did you lead your school football team? Were you the Editor-in-Chief of your high school magazine? These are all brag-worthy roles that should be featured in your extracurricular activities as leadership experience. Admissions officers value functional leadership where you were leading the charge instead of just holding a fancy title. An ideal leadership position involves overseeing operations, setting the vision, managing the budget, handling logistics, or managing communication. 

Show the measurable outcomes of your leadership and highlight how you motivated and supported your team. Also make it a point to showcase how you handled challenges as a leader.

Academic Competitions and Clubs

Extracurricular activities such as participating in Math, Science, or Computing Olympiads; Model United Nations; science fairs; coding competitions; economic, business, or finance competitions; and writing or quiz competitions fare very well with the admissions committee. 

Stress on how deeply you engaged, rather than just showing how you participated. Mention your awards, ranks and progression in the club. Connect the skills you gained to academic curiosity or problem-solving.

Read Also: 10 College Essay Writing Tips for Undergraduate Application

Sports

Irrespective of what sports you played, if you have served as captain, it signals to the admissions committee, especially of top Ivy League colleges, that you value commitment, discipline and teamwork. It doesn’t matter how many games you played on won, but you have been in leadership or mentorship roles, it matters a lot to the admissions committee.

When sharing your story, include instances of personal growth, resilience, effective time management, and mindset shifts. If you have faced any injuries or setbacks in your sports career, leverage the story to reflect well on you. 

Community Services or Volunteering

Showcase your experience volunteering for a special cause or committing to community services. Highlight how you volunteered to solve a specific problem. “I picked up trash” is very vague. Instead, show how you “Organised a monthly river clean up” in your community.

Demonstrate your consistency with the cause and highlight the time you’ve spent working towards it to show your commitment. Always showcase long-term engagement and not a one-off stint. Emphasise how it impacted others and avoid bragging, humblebragging or vanity. 

Focus on what you learnt from it and how it improved who you are as a person instead of talking about how the community was saved because of your efforts. 

Read Also: SOP for MS: Winning Samples & Easy Format Guide 2025

Creative Arts

Showcase how you were part of creative projects such as photography, comics, animation, exhibitions, painting, motion graphics, theatre, stand-up comedy, public performances, concerts, recitals, journalism, book publishing, spoken poetry, blogs or even YouTube.

Focus on your consistent effort in these fields instead of a one-off experience. Maintain a portfolio of your work, go public with your art, teach others, talk about your creative process, and, as always, highlight the impact. 

Internships and Work Experience

Interships and work experience for a college student are impressive because they signify that an organisation was ready to pay you for your skills. It shows you have employable skills and financial maturity. So if you have an internship or work experience, list it among your extracurricular activities. 

Additionally, make it a point to highlight the projects you helped with or the data you analysed. Collect any letters of recommendation, experience certificates or awards you have won during your time interning or working. 

Research Projects

Research projects include any structured, inquiry-based work you have done using scientific methods. Even if they are not published or peer reviewed, if you have something to show for your spirit of inquiry, make it a point to include it among your extracurriculars.  For a project to qualify as research, it should extend beyond your curriculum. 

Dos and Don’ts for Extracurricular Activities

Do Pursue Genuine Interest

Choose activities that you genuinely enjoy. That way, you look authentic to the admissions committee and don’t have to fake interests. Admissions officers can spot résumé-padding easily, and it will mean the end of your study abroad journey.

Don’t Join Many Clubs

An earnest student who is genuinely interested in a hobby or a cause will not commit to multiple things. They will instead focus on what they love and give all of their time and energy to it.

Do Make Your Impact Measurable

Use numbers to prove your scale and impact. Quantify how much money you raised, how many lives you impacted, how many kids you tutored and how many animals you rescued. For example, “I raised Rs 5,00,000 during the flood relief and helped 124 families find their financial footing.” Focus on what changed due to your efforts.

Don’t Exaggerate

Exaggeration is a form of lying. If you have listed 5 activities that take 20 hours of your time each week, the admissions officers will know that it’s impossible. That’s a surefire way of getting rejected. Show your integrity. It will take you far.

Do Connect Activity to Your Goals

Your extracurricular activities should align with your values and have a significant impact on your narrative. If you want to create a more inclusive world, your extracurricular activities should also include volunteering, advocating for the underprivileged, and working with nonprofits and other grassroots organisations. 

Don’t Downplay Family Responsibility

Don’t downplay time spent taking care of the elderly, working to support the family, self-learning or caregiving. These show your leadership qualities and ability to rise to challenges. This also shows your maturity and management skills.

Do Use Active Voice

This rule has implications beyond grammar. “I led the group” sounds more impactful than “The group was led by me.” For maximum impact, don’t downplay your achievements by using passive voice. 

Don’t Brag or Humblebrag

Bragging can’t put people off, but humblebragging can be worse because it underestimates the admissions committee’s intelligence and the ability to see through what’s insincere. Be honest about your challenges. Avoid statements like, “Honestly is my biggest weakness.” It can be thought of as downright annoying.

Do Follow 2-Year Rule

Mention activities that you committed to for a period of two years or more. One year looks like you have only dabbled in the activity. Two years mean you are committed to the cause. Anything above that shows you have passion. 

Don’t Undell Yourself

While it’s important to not brag, it’s equally important to not undersell yourself. Don’t downplay your achievements if you have made an impact. Make it front and centre of your application. 

FAQs

What are the 5 types of extracurricular activities?

The five types of extracurricular activities for college admissions include leadership activities, academic clubs, community service, athletics and sports, and creative arts. These activities are highly sought after by admissions officers who seek candidates with real-world interests, passions, and hobbies beyond academicas. 

What can I put for extracurriculars?

Some of the best extracurriculars that you can put in your college application include leadership experiences, internships or paid work experiences, academic Olympiads, varsity sports, creative arts, community service, research projects, entrepreneurship, tech projects, and founding a club or organisation. 

Can I list hobbies as extracurriculars?

Yes. You can list your hobbies as extracurriculars as long as they have substance. To choose a hobby, you need to demonstrate consistency in practice, skill development, real-world impact, and initiative. Some of these hobbies include writing a novel or any work of fiction, photography project, playing a musical instrument, or fitness training. Don’t name hobbies where you haven’t exhibited depth, progress or impact.

Are 4 extracurriculars enough?

Yes, four extracurricular activities are more than enough if they demonstrate sufficient depth, commitment, and impact. They should demonstrate your long-term involvement, leadership, initiative, clear implications, and a compelling story. 

What extracurriculars do colleges value the most?

Colleges value extracurriculars like leadership roles, entrepreneurial projects, community service, sports and athletics, academic clubs, artistic and creative endeavours, tech and scientific innovations, and passion projects. 

What are the 5 D’s of college essays?

The 5 Ds of college essays are Death, Divorce, Disease, Drugs and Dating. These topics are divisive and can often evoke strong reactions from whoever is reading the essays. Students are therefore advised to steer clear of these topics whenever they write their college essays. 

What is the #1 hardest college to get into?

Harvard University is widely believed to be the toughest college to get into, but this ranking does change every year. Other hyperselective colleges who are very particular about whom they admit include Stanford University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Oxford.