Extracurricular Ideas to Boost Your College Application

Summary:

Whether sports, clubs, or online enrichment programs; pick extracurricular activities that match your interests. Here are nine of the best activities for college-bound high school students.

Key Points:

1. Academic clubs
2. Athletics
3. Online college prep courses
4. Community service
5. Arts / Creativity
6. Jobs
7. Political engagement
8. Travel
9. Technology

Clubs, athletics, internships, community volunteering, and college prep courses online. These are just some of the extracurricular activities that can make a real difference when it comes to college admissions. As noted in U.S. News & World Report, a star student who has not contributed to their community in a meaningful way, or participated in other extracurricular activities, can cause concern; what does this student do beyond schoolwork? On the other hand, meaningful extracurricular activities can work in favor of those who may not beat out other competitors academically.

How to pick the right extracurriculars for you

Keep in mind, it’s not the number of extracurriculars you do, but the variety. Most college admission counselors expect about 4 to 5 extracurricular activities throughout high school. So, when choosing, remember to:

• Focus on what you enjoy.
• Look into projects you may have a passion for, such as a sport or volunteering.
• Recognize your strengths; what you’re good at.
• Less is more; being good at a sport and doing a summer job consistently is enough.
• Get a feel for your dream career; extracurricular courses are a great start.
• Look for leadership opportunities; this goes a long way with admissions counselors.
• Try out college prep courses to explore a subject you may want to major in one day.

What do admissions counselors look for? According to Forbes Advisor, if you attend a high school with a ton of clubs and teams, it can be overwhelming. Keep in mind, college admissions counselors look for variety, whether creative, athletic, academic, job, or volunteer related. 

There are a host of options available to you. Just make sure to get started early in high school so that you’re not piling on activities in your senior year.

But what are the best types of extracurricular activities? There are nine.

Nine best extracurricular activities

Here are the 9 categories of extracurriculars for high school students:

1. Academic Clubs: This can include highly respected organizations like the National Honor Society, Italian Language Club, and Mu Alpha Theta (a math honor society).
2. Athletics: Colleges don’t necessarily look for star players; rather they are looking for students embracing teamwork. Even sports that rely on individual output (such as swimming or distance running) require teamwork.
3. Online college prep courses: Available anytime, anywhere, online courses offered by renowned universities demonstrate a passion for learning beyond high school requirements. 
4. Community Service: Donating their time and talents to improve their community helps students showcase their humanity. Students can also choose to work with groups like Habitat for Humanity or Amnesty International, to name a few.
5. Arts / Creativity: Options are broad and can include drama club, choir, or being part of the school’s marching band. Or, if you’re of Mexican descent, how about celebrating your heritage by joining a mariachi group? Or, for those with a passion for writing, what about founding a slam poetry club?.
6. Jobs: Many kids today have to work to help the family. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, that number is 55 percent. Fortunately, work experience counts as an extracurricular activity. 
7. Political engagement: This can be anything from making phone calls to support a politician or helping a city commission raise funds. If you have writing skills, you can help with campaign speeches, or manage a social media account.
8. Travel: Participating in a good student exchange program improves your resume. Or, traveling abroad paired with a charity demonstrates that you are committed to either helping others or the environment, for instance.
9. Technology: STEM is becoming one of the hottest subjects. A tech-focused club is a great way to demonstrate your innovative thinking and your growing experience in STEM.

Simply pick three or four clubs, a job, or other activities to broaden your resume. You’ll find that admission counselors are highly receptive, especially when your activities have social meaning.

As the list mentioned, incorporating college prep courses into your extracurricular acumen is highly beneficial. Whether centering on medicine, business, or design, the options are endless. Let’s take a look at a few. 

Try online college prep courses

Online college prep courses are another great addition to extracurricular activities. Let’s highlight a couple of Prelum partner schools with online courses designed for motivated high school students like you.

Another sought-after skill is leadership. Prelum partner school Georgetown University offers a course on the subject entitled Becoming a Leader: Motivate, Inspire, and Persuade. After completing the course, you’ll be able to:

• Identify leadership styles (including your own) and explain the circumstances where each fits.
• Develop skills you can build and apply to lead people, teams, and organizations.
• Analyze leadership tools, their benefits and where they fall short in different situations.
• Gain insights from a range of proven leaders across several industries.

Do you have a passion for design? Are you a gamer? Prelum partner school University of Rochester has a much-loved online course in video game design called Intro to Video Game Design. With this dynamic course under your belt, you’ll be able to:

• Study the emergence of gaming from Atari to mobile gaming.
• Design a digital game of your own.
• Learn game design theory.
• Understand the storytelling techniques in adventure, puzzle, Sci-Fi, and other popular genres.
• Explore potential college majors and future careers of this burgeoning discipline.

Extracurricular options for high school students run the gamut. Enrich your college application by successfully managing just a few activities that speak to your personality and beliefs.