3 Types Of Extracurricular Activities You Need For College

If you’re starting to think about college, chances are you’ve been told about the importance of extracurricular activities.

Honestly, it’s true. As the Princeton Review puts it, admissions counselors look at your extracurricular activities to determine the type of person you are. Someone who doesn’t participate in anything will likely raise some questions for the admissions office. While your high test scores and transcript can say a lot academically, they don’t really tell the counselors anything about you as a person. And at the end of the day, good grades aren’t the only important factor in admissions.

However, that doesn’t mean you should sign up for every club, committee, and team that you come across. In fact, signing up for too many activities may actually be worse than signing up for none at all! By involving yourself in too many things, the admissions counselors may see you as someone who doesn’t truly commit fully to anything. So here’s a little tip that may be news to you:

Choose only two or three extracurriculars in high school.

When I say “two or three” I really mean only two or three – no more. The purpose to joining extracurricular programs in high school isn’t just to impress college admissions officers! Taking on more than three programs will not only overwhelm your schedule as a student but it will also look sketchy to the admissions office.

Honestly, what kid truly wants to do multiple sports, student council, marching band, theater, yearbook, and student publications? If you’re doing all of those things and honestly love them equally, great! I am not here to condemn you for juggling a busy schedule.

But if you only stuck with band because your mom thought you should, played tennis because it was the only sport whose season didn’t conflict with the annual musical rehearsal schedule, or took yearbook because it would look impressive on your college application… well, I hate to break it to you, but you’re wasting your time and energy on the wrong things.

I was always the girl who wanted to be involved in everything.

Speaking from experience, this was (and still is!) my biggest flaw. In high school, I found myself trying to do the newspaper, stage plays, musicals (stage management and pit orchestra), concert orchestra, chamber choir, tutoring, animal rights club, and softball all while balancing a part time job and AP classes. Believe me when I say that this is the quickest route to burnout. And nobody wants that at 17 years old! Here’s a good starting point for choosing which three types of extracurricular activities to participate in, as inspired by Prep Scholar.

Activity #1: Academic or Career Driven

An academic extracurricular activity is one that should relate to your potential career path or what you plan to study in college. For example, I was an English major, so opting for newspaper or tutoring would work well for me. Other examples for this may be engineering/robotics teams, Mathletes or Quiz Bowl teams, even art clubs. Find something that will help you build a foundation for what you plan to study in college.

Activity #2: Community Service or Volunteer

A community service activity is fairly self explanatory. Essentially it is a cause you support and volunteer for. Going from my last example, tutoring would work as community service and academic. (Bonus tip: Reduce three activities down to two if you deal with a packed schedule already.) Some other service activities could be volunteering at the local animal shelter, fundraising for charities, or being actively involved in service activities at a church.

Activity #3: Personality or Special Interest

The third activity to involve yourself in is something that shows the admissions officer your special interests. For instance, I loved music and working behind the scenes on stage. This could’ve also been my academic activity, had I studied theater or drama. Aside from music, this category would also encompass sports, yearbook, art clubs, tech clubs. Pretty much anything else that you consider part of what makes you, you.