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Stand out. Get in.
Most students list their activities without about as much care and passion as they would list the British Monarchs. Edward VIII, George VI, Elizabeth II. What is there to say, really? Just move on to the “real” parts of the application, right?
Wrong!
Did you know that Edward VIII abdicated his throne after less than a year to marry an American divorcée? That George VI had a terrible stutter … in the age of the radio? Maybe you’ve heard of the Queen’s feud with Princess Diana?
There’s a reason filmmakers are raking in the profits from dramatizing the human stories behind those boring-sounding names. Similarly, if you bring your list to life with a little extra detail and attention, your application will get a huge boost.
As college essay coaches, we’ve seen that the fact that most students spend so little time on their Activities List can be an opportunity for you to shine:
Let’s get into it. (By the way, if you also want guidance with the UC PIQs, we’ve got that covered, too.)
Just like you don’t care about the chronological order in which the Monarchs of Britain reigned, the UC admissions officers don’t really care what you did in your free time. Is it soccer and drama for this applicant? Trumpet and chess club for this other one? Who cares!
However, do you feel different about those royal Brits once Netlfix invests millions on lavish sets and casts someone like Claire Foy to tell the story? Yes, you do. (Well, probably - we don’t really know your taste, but we can at least say you care more.)
Similarly, the UC readers are going to perk up when they see that you invested some time on concrete, vivid details and produced a list that says interesting things about you.
Did you use the activity as a chance to leave a mark? Did you make an impact? Does the activity show you’ve got an interesting personality - one that might take you to interesting places? Does it show you’ll be successful in college and beyond?
The way to spend on these metaphorical “lavish sets” for your activities is to emphasize the following 4 attributes in the activities you list:
By the way, the 5 traits are critical to every piece of your application. To see which of the traits best describe you, login to our dashboard for a free account and take our quiz.
The UC application gives you 350 characters for describing each activity — quite a bit more than the Common App. Still, it can be a challenge to pack each one with examples of engagement, leadership, impact, and the 5 traits.
But look at what a difference it makes when you add those elements into your description.
Example 1 — typical applicant, taking the word “list” too literally:
Speech
Recorded radio speech declaring nation at war.
While that sounds like an excited speech, the description makes it sound like anyone could have delivered. Let’s see if we can do better, Colin Firth.
Example 1 — savvy applicant, writing to show their impact:
Speech
Despite stutter, recorded radio speech declaring nation at war. Worked with speech expert on exercises and recording environment to overcome impediment. Thousands of citizens came to applaud live after broadcast. Leading papers praised delivery. Nation rallied and entered WWII.
This second description (using 278 of 350 characters) focuses on the impact of the speech (the people who came to applaud, the papers’ praise, the effect on WWII). It also talks about the enormous effort (Drive) that went into the speech.
It tells the UC admissions officer a story of a person who would be an asset on campus. It doesn’t assume that it’s impressive to make a speech saying your nation is at war. Because that alone isn’t impressive — rather, the impact of that speech and the impact of the speaker’s will to be able to make that speech are the impressive parts.
Example 2 — typical applicant, taking the word “list” too literally:
Speech
Gave speech rallying troops at Tilbury.
No surprise that Cate Blanchet can improve on this.
Example #2 — savvy applicant, writing to show their impact:
Speech
Laid groundwork for speech’s message by riding among soldiers at Tilbury without bodyguards. Delivered speech on horseback to thunderous appreciation. Wrote speech myself. Speech went down as one of best in history, a turning point in Britain’s ascendancy as a major European power.
Again, the first description is just filler. The second one tells us why this speech mattered and the Drive that went into it. Queen Elizabeth didn’t just see “give speech to rally troops” on her schedule. She wrote the speech. She decided on some cool theatrics (no bodyguards, horseback) and executed on them. She went above and beyond (Drive). She took Initiative. How cool would it be to have her on campus?
We understand that you probably haven’t given a speech declaring war or rallying troops.
But what these examples show is that it isn’t the impressiveness of the activity that matters. When King George VI gave a speech declaring Britain to be at war, that in and of itself doesn’t really impress us — even though it’s a big deal!
It’s only when we learn what he put into the speech that we start to care. It’s only when we learn how the speech affected ordinary citizens that we see it as meaningful.
Similarly, no matter what you’ve done, you must explain what went into it and why it mattered.
Maybe you’re not as great a writer as Queen Elizabeth. (The First, we mean. No idea if the current queen can bang out Shakespear-rivaling poems or not.)
Luckily, you don’t need to be a great writer to write a great activity list. All you need are these 5 tips.
Tip 1 — No full sentences: short phrases only.
For example, this is no good:
I learned to respect my people’s emotions and the culture’s changed mores and, possibly saving the institution of the monarchy, I lowered the flag after Princess Diana’s death, even though it made no sense, protocol-wise.
This is much better, Helen Mirren:
Broke centuries-old flag-flying protocol in deference to country’s mourning. Act possibly saved institution of monarchy. Gained new-found respect for the culture’s changed mores. Popularity rose by 5% following post-Diana low.
While the UC is fairly generous with their 350 characters per slot, still, short phrases allow you to fit in way more interesting, 5 traits-showing facts about your achievements.
Tip 2 — Start phrases with strong verbs.
Should you start your phrases with short, strong verbs? Yes: Start ‘em strong.
Great. What is a “strong” verb?
A strong verb, like a strong activity description, is specific. It’s not “Ruled over Britain.” It’s a smaller (but far more mighty) verb than “ruled.” Such as:
Unless you’ve been up to some very exciting doings in your high school years, these verbs might be more helpful to you:
These are just some ideas. The point is to try to be as specific as possible so that you’re really painting a picture of the impact you had in your activities.
Tip 3 — Focus on problems solved, skills gained, and impact
The most common Activity List mistake we see is writing a description that anyone would make. Such as:
Reporter, School newspaper
Wrote articles. Conducted research and interviews. Edited content.
Hmm … Nice job, robot. That sounds really boring.
Everything we’ve talked about so far has been about bringing your list to life with greater specificity. One way to do that is to think about problems solved, skills gained, and impact:
Reporter, School newspaper
Developed expertise on School Board and management interactions. To research likelihood of in-person school re-opening, interviewed all School Board members, attended all meetings. Wrote 7 articles on fight to re-open classrooms, 5 of which were “most-clicked.”
In this example, the student discusses:
No matter what you did, talking about it specifically almost invariably makes it sound more concrete, more unique, and more impressive. (By the way, we all needed a break from royal examples. You’re welcome.)
Tip 4 — Use numbers as much as possible; also quotes + awards
As we said above, determine the impact you had by thinking about how the activity would have been different without you there. What did you do that others couldn’t do (or couldn’t do as well)?
Once you’ve done that exercise, take it even further by trying to translate that impact as much as possible into numbers. If numbers don’t work, try for other concrete, objective measures, including quotes by authorities and awards received.
For example:
Won Battle of Agincourt
Led Battle that defeated larger French forces in 1415. Battle marked an important turning point in the Hundred Years’ War.
Honestly, that one’s pretty impressive, Timothée Chalamet. However, we can do even better.
Won Battle of Agincourt
With advisors, helped develop strategy for defeating French forces, which outnumbered us 5:1. Led troops to battle, did my own hand-to-hand fighting. Victory ended 10 years of conflict and created peace for 7 more years. Shakespeare dramatized incident in famous play Henry V.
In this case, we get some good numbers on how badly overwhelmed the British forces were. (I think they were technically “English” at that time, but this isn’t a history blog, so someone else can fact check. I also invented the numbers; please don’t cite them in your AP European History paper.)
From the specific years cited, we get a sense of the magnitude of the victory. Finally, we have an outside authority (Shakespeare) showing that they’re impressed, since they wrote a play about these events.
All of it makes the achievement that much more impressive. Henry V would have definitely been admitted to the UC schools.
Some more realistic ideas for you might include:
Tip 5 — Get someone who’s not you to review your list
Not the most groundbreaking advice, but an outside perspective can help. Get someone who knows about your work to help you see if you’ve oversold something or left an important piece of it out. Get anyone to read it over and see if you are clear or if it’s hard to follow.
Ask your readers to tell you where they get confused and what questions they have.
Finally, reading over activity lists is part of what most college essay coaches do (and the lists contribute to your “personal score” just as much as any PIQ or essay). So consider hiring one if it feels right.
Often, your activity won’t need a lot of explanation. Band, Model UN, Debate Club, Sports Teams … admissions officers know what those entail.
However, for activities and clubs that are specific to your school (or to you), provide the context so that they can understand what it was. Say something about:
In addition, you might spend more time spelling out your responsibilities than you otherwise would.
To go back to an example from above, let’s say admissions officers don’t know much about teenagers with battle experience. So Henry V might have to spell things out.
Not “Led battle of Agincourt,” because UC doesn’t really know what that means. Instead, “With advisors, helped develop strategy for defeating French forces. Did my own hand-to-hand fighting.” Wow. UC probably didn’t know that Henry V wasn’t just some figurehead like Kings and Queens are today, but actually made the whole battle happen and was in it. Because he spelled it out, now they know.
Similarly, what’s on your list that UC probably doesn’t see every day? Make sure you spell out what you do (or did) in that capacity.
If there’s one big insight we have into the college application-writing process, it’s that brainstorming is key. We actually have a set of free brainstorming tools (through the dashboard) that comprehensively walk you through your strengths (the 5 traits!) and your high school experiences, and help you make sense of how to fit all of it into your applications.
Whether or not you use our dashboard, begin the Activities List process by brainstorming everything you’ve done in high school. Go year by year. Ask your mom, dad, and friends for help remembering. (Yes, it’s easy to forget things you did last semester, not to mention 3 years ago.)
And think broadly — UC is interested in activities formal and informal. In fact, sometimes informal activities best show off your potential to succeed.
Think broadly about what an activity can be
The UC Activities List is an examination of how you spend your time outside of classes. The UC applications asks you to split these into:
This is great because it helps you to think widely about where you’ve been spending your time. As essay coaches, we’ve often found that students tend to leave valuable experiences off.
Here are some examples of the types of activities you should include if you have them:
This section is great. If you don’t need it, that’s fine, leave it blank. But if you do, it can really help you out. Here’s the prompt:
If there's anything else you want us to know about you, now's your chance. But remember, you should use this space only if you want to describe anything that you have not had the opportunity to include elsewhere in the application. This shouldn't be an essay, but rather a place to explain unusual personal or family circumstances, or anything that may be unclear in other parts of the application.
Let’s look at 2 common scenarios.
Scenario 1 — your activity list doesn’t have much on it
Use this space to explain why that might be. For example, you might have a super-long commute to school, or one exceedingly demanding activity (you practice piano for hours daily at a concert level), or intense family responsibilities, or have a major health issue that requires strict medical regimens or numerous surgeries.
All of these issues are complex, unique, and sometimes emotionally fraught. So use the Comment Section’s 550 words to describe them straightforwardly. There’s no reason to make excuses, rather, use this space to shed light on an unusual aspect of your experience.
Scenario 2 — you want to say more about one of your activities
As we said above, activities are amazing for showing off the 5 Traits. While 350 characters is generous, sometimes you have even more to say that can shine a light on those traits of yours. Or perhaps there’s some important context that you need to add.
The main thing if you use this space is to treat it as “borrowed time.” Don’t wax poetic. Add in some bullets. Use those short phrases. Say more, but say it succinctly. Let your experience shine, not the language.
→ This is also a good place to use this “Other Academic History” space. If the activity you’d like to expand on is academic in nature, consider using those 550 extra characters. The prompt says:
This is a place for you to share details specific to your academic history that will help give admissions officers more context about your academic life. Think of it as an “Additional Comments” section, but just for your academic history.
The space here is very tight, but you can maximize it using all the tips above (short, pithy phrases, numbers wherever possible).
This should all be intuitive by now. As you sort through all the activities you’ve brainstormed that you might include in your list, use these 3 filters to determine where they go (and even if you should include them at all).
They are:
These are great guidelines to help guide you as you decide what will really impress admissions officers vs. what will come off as boring “listing for listing’s sake.”
Related Posts
The above articles and a step-by-step guide to the college essay writing process can be found in our Help Center.
