One of the first things we ask seniors to do as they begin working on their college applications is to list every extracurricular activity they’ve done. Yet every year, we have at least one student who comes in after submitting an application and says, “I totally forgot to add that to my app!”

To help reduce the likelihood of that happening to you, here is a list of recommendations and tips that can help you keep track of your activities, remember an experience connected to that extracurricular activity, and make your college application process go as smoothly as possible.

Stay Organized

We recommend structuring any Google Doc or spreadsheet by each semester (fall, spring, and summer).

Another way to organize your document effectively is by using clear categories/tabs such as research, Menlo clubs, Menlo sports, service, work experience, etc., so that when you are ready for your application, you can easily find the relevant information. Organizing your activities this way can also help you see how long you’ve been involved in a certain activity. You can see how invested you’ve been, whether there was an interruption in your involvement, and when you got back to it. Colleges want to see sustained involvement in extracurricular activities. They prefer student applicants who are consistently involved in 2-3 activities, rather than having 6-9 activities for a semester or one-off events. Sustained involvement also helps you build community, earn leadership opportunities, and be part of something bigger than yourself. Timestamping your activities can also make for a more effective college essay: “The spring semester of my Junior year” is a great sentence starter to help college admissions representatives understand the context for each experience. Keep Track Highlight your involvement in 2-3 sentences (participation, leadership roles, or key memories). That way, you can track your growth or highlight a meaningful experience.

Write down the who, the what, the where, and the WHY.

Include a key lesson/takeaway from the experience. You can write down one word that summarizes the experience or a short 150-character count description of the key lesson.

This will help you in the long run when you are ready to work with your counselor on your college application.

Be Strategic

Organize your activities in a way that makes the most sense for you and the school to which you’re applying. We’ve seen many extracurricular activity lists across a range of experiences—musical theater, Menlo athletics and club sports, research, volunteering, and so much more.

Different college applications have different requirements and expectations for your activities list. Knowing this ahead of time can help you best prepare for this critical piece of your application.

• The University of California (UC application) has 20 spots available and allows for you to use 350 characters to write down insight and context to your involvement.
• The UC also leans into the extracurricular activities list for your admissions evaluation since they do not look at letters of recommendation.
• The Common Application has only 10 spots available and allows for 150 characters for you write down insight and context to your involvement.

We’re excited to work with you on your college application journey and to support you in every way we can. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us, and we can offer any additional tips on how to best organize your activities and experiences. Whether you’re navigating this process for the first time or have been through it with an older sibling, we believe that timely information and guidance can help make the experience far less daunting. We look forward to connecting with you soon.