Break It Down: Extracurriculars
Welcome back to the “Break It Down” series, where each week we will be delving into a specific portion of the Barnard application process. From the main essay to deciding which round to apply through, our admissions staff is here to walk you through the overwhelming, but hopefully exciting, process of applying to Barnard College. Today we are focusing on extracurriculars.
Falling somewhere between a resume and a timesheet, the extracurricular activities section of the college application is your opportunity to showcase your involvement, skills, and passions to the admissions committee, allowing us to envision how you would be engaged on our campus. As you begin to piece together your application this summer, I offer the following tips to help you tackle the extracurricular activities section:
Choose wisely but genuinely: Common App allows you to list up to 10 activities on your application which could mean a lot of room or very little room depending on the student (if the former, check out tip #4). When selecting activities to list, think of how much time and effort you have dedicated to each activity and the impact behind it. While hobbies are important and speak to personality, it might not be the best move to use your 10th slot for recreational knitting over your student council position. The admissions reader only has these 10 slots to understand who you are outside of the classroom so show us a healthy range of activities.
Clear and concise descriptions: You have 150 characters (not words!) to describe each of your activities so short and sweet works best. Don’t feel pressured to list every task you had for every position you held in a school club or organization – boil it down to the essential pieces of your involvement so the admissions reader gets the gist quickly. We’re not expecting complete sentences like in the essay; descriptions are most effective when they are succinct and action-centered, meaning pull out those verbs!
Let’s see an example:
Activity: Black Student Union – Role/Position: President
Description 1: “I am the President of BSU at my school this year and was VP for my junior year and secretary for my sophomore year. As secretary, I was in charge of t”
Description 2: “Served on the e-board since 10th grade. Plan & lead weekly meetings, organize school-wide events, advocate for student needs with administration.”
See the difference? 150 characters are very little space – keep it cute and keep it classy.
“But Tiffany, I did so much more than that!!”
I hear you! It is unfair to have to condense hours and hours of hard work into around 20 words. My workaround? Recommendation letters. Your school counselor’s recommendation letter, or inviting your club advisor as an additional recommender, is a great space for your significant extracurricular achievements to sing even louder.
Leadership is not defined by a title: Okay, now read that subheader again because it’s important! We are not looking for every student to be the president of every club in the history of everything. We want to know how you contributed to your club or organization through the role you had. Harking back to tip #1, think of the time and effort you put into each activity. You may be “just a member” of a certain club but maybe you were the top fundraiser for the club’s charity event or collected the most signatures for your organization’s petition. Do not undervalue yourself and the ways you have pushed the needle forward as “just a member.”
Family responsibilities and work matter: If you’re staring at the 10 slots in the activities section like “I literally do nothing”, take a step back and really think about where your hours outside of school are spent. Are you a caregiver for younger siblings or elders? Do you work 20 hours a week to support your family? Are you a serious figure skater who trains 4 hours a day? These are all significant activities, too! Just because it’s not a school club or organization does not mean it’s not worth listing in your application. We are not comparing your pursuits to your peers, and you shouldn’t either.
And that’s all, folks! I hope you found some new tools here to sharpen your application and if you need us, feel free to contact admissions@barnard.edu. Remember, the application process is personal – stay in tune with yourself and you can’t go wrong.