What are some unique extracurricular activities?
Start your own nonprofit. Be a part of Red-cross and do volunteer work there. Teach a course on Udemy or at your local high school. Be a star athlete.
Identify the activities that have your involvement. Emphasize the skillsets that you learned. Explain to the interviewer how your extracurricular activities will help you flourish at work and contribute to the success of the organisation. Present the answers with a real-life incident to impress the employer.
Dance, cycling, climbing, swimming, martial arts, fencing, and hiking are just a few of the less common sports out there for you to get involved in beyond what your school offers.
Also known as extra-academic activities, extracurricular activities include sports, student government, community service, employment, arts, hobbies, and educational clubs. Extracurricular activities all complement an academic curriculum.
Academic Teams and Clubs
The best extracurriculars for college grades include clubs or teams you have been part of in high school. These academic groups have provided you with a way to deepen your understanding of a certain subject or pursue an interest, such as chess clubs or science Olympiads.
It is important to note that most accepted students to elite colleges fill in 8-10 activities on the Common Application. The exception is typically a student who has stellar achievement in at least one activity. Students should work to make sure their extracurricular list is diverse.
Don't run to different club sessions all day. Focus your energy on two or three connected activities and lead those groups the best way you can. Don't drop out of many activities: Admissions officers at top schools want students who demonstrate a high level of commitment towards meaningful activities.
How Many Extracurriculars Should You Do? Strong applications tend to have between 8 and 10 extracurricular activities. This sounds like a lot, but many activities are seasonal, so it's possible to fit, for example, three to four sports into one year.
How Many “Normal” Activities Should Students Have? The Goldilocks “just right” number of activities is 5 or 6. This is a good amount because it's achievable for most students without being overwhelming.
It typically doesn't carry academic credit but can be related to school. For example, athletics and student clubs are considered extracurricular activities. Hobbies, interests, and volunteer work outside of school are also considered extracurricular activities.
What is the most popular after school activity?
Sports. Sports are the most common extracurricular activity for kids in the United States. 2 Swimming lessons, ice skating lessons, gymnastics, and soccer clinics are typically offered to children as early as the toddler and preschool years.
Admissions officers would far prefer to see “only” three or so activities that: a) Are aligned with your future academic/career goals. b) Demonstrate your ability to lead and get results (titles matter less than your actual duties/responsibilities).
First things first: grades matter most
While extracurricular activities are a factor in college admissions, they are definitely not the most important—academic performance is! Grades, a solid GPA, and the strength of curriculum matter most to the admission officers evaluating your student.
Tier I: Tier I activities are extremely rare. They are reserved for the very best students in the country (or world) at what they do (e.g. All-American Athlete, Olympic Gymnast, National President of DECA, National Debate Champion, etc.)
While extracurriculars land on the middle rung of the importance ladder and cannot substitute for good grades and solid test scores, several studies indicate that students who participate in extracurriculars have better attendance, achieve higher SAT scores, and have higher GPAs than students who opt out of after- ...
It will derail your education down the line if discovered (you'll get kicked out or have your degree revoked). If you're applying for a top school and the extracurricular is a spike (your most impressive activity on your application), they will almost certainly look into it.
Colleges appreciate applicants with meaningful extracurricular achievements, not just club memberships. May 2, 2022, at 5:33 p.m. As every college applicant knows, admissions offices look at extracurricular activities as one of the many factors that go into admissions decisions.
The typical college application offers eight to ten spaces for extracurricular activities. Over time, many parents, counselors, and students decided that eight to ten activities is the “right” number to strive for. For most students, eight to ten extracurricular activities is just too many.
Don't run to different club sessions all day. Focus your energy on two or three connected activities and lead those groups the best way you can. Don't drop out of many activities: Admissions officers at top schools want students who demonstrate a high level of commitment towards meaningful activities.
A competitive application shows that the applicant has taken the most challenging curriculum available to him or her, and that student has achieved high grades on top of that. In other words, they have both a high GPA and many AP, IB, or Honors classes. For the Ivy League, a high GPA is, on average, a weighted 4.0.
Is 5 extracurriculars good?
The Goldilocks “just right” number of activities is 5 or 6. This is a good amount because it's achievable for most students without being overwhelming.
References
- https://collegerealitycheck.com/easiest-and-hardest-ivy-colleges/
- https://gpacalculator.io/gpa-scale/f/
- https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/how-many-extracurricular-activities-do-i-need-for-college/
- https://www.theceo.in/blogs/who-has-the-highest-iq-alive-smartest-person-in-the-world
- https://psychcentral.com/quizzes/mental-age-test
- https://goingivy.com/colleges/how-to-get-into-harvard/
- https://collegegazette.com/is-mit-ivy-league-ranking-acceptance-rate-and-more/
- https://www.eonline.com/news/1053847/57-mostly-awe-inspiring-facts-about-tom-cruise
- https://gpacalculator.io/gpa-scale/1.0/
- https://gpacalculator.io/gpa-scale/3.5/
- https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings
- https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/what-a-good-college-gpa-is-and-why-it-matters
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/08/18/who-has-highest-iq-ever/10110517002/
- https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/hardest-colleges-to-get-into/
- https://www.sociosite.net/famous-person-iq/ben-affleck
- https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/can-i-get-into-yale-with-a-c-in-my-junior-transcript/2050199
- https://blog.collegevine.com/easiest-ivy-league-schools-to-get-into/
- https://www.nyu.edu/students/student-information-and-resources/registration-records-and-graduation/transcripts-certifications-grades/grades.html
- https://admission.usc.edu/learn/prepare-for-usc/
- https://www.businessinsider.com/musk-einstein-tesla-rockefeller-combined-says-former-spacex-executive-2022-10
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Visalini
- https://paw.princeton.edu/article/princeton-will-be-free-families-earning-under-100000
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-lowest-GPA-ever-recorded
- https://alexaanswers.amazon.com/question/3PDfIvLT5wL8jPRO2X0ZIU
- https://heytutor.com/resources/blog/how-to-calculate-gpa/
- https://bemoacademicconsulting.com/blog/easiest-ivy-league-school
- https://www.crimsoneducation.org/us/blog/admissions-news/what-is-a-good-gpa/
- https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Into-Harvard-University
- https://www.yourlocalsecurity.com/blog/the-safest-colleges-campuses-in-america/
- https://www.albert.io/blog/what-is-a-gpa-scale-the-4-0-scale/
- https://www.rd.com/list/highest-iq-in-the-world/
- http://www.assessmentpsychology.com/301geniuses-2.htm
- https://blog.prepscholar.com/high-school-classes-to-get-into-the-ivy-league
- https://www.graduationsource.com/blog/celebrity-geniuses-list/
- https://www.quadeducationgroup.com/blog/ivy-league-gpa-requirements-everything-you-need-to-know
- https://scholarships360.org/college-admissions/public-ivy-league-schools/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Manson
- https://blog.prepscholar.com/is-stanford-ivy-league-duke-mit
- https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/bs-vs-ba-degrees/
- https://ingeniusprep.com/blog/high-school-gpa/
- https://blog.collegevine.com/cheapest-and-most-expensive-ivy-league-schools/
- https://www.crimsoneducation.org/us/blog/campus-life-more/benefits-of-Ivy-League/
- https://careerkarma.com/blog/how-to-get-into-ivy-league-schools/
- https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/admissions/undergraduate/requirements/
- https://www.coursera.org/articles/is-a-bachelors-degree-worth-it
- https://blog.collegevine.com/ba-vs-bs-degree/
- https://blog.collegevine.com/what-does-it-really-take-to-get-into-harvard/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_vos_Savant
- https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/gpa/3.9-GPA-is-this-good-for-colleges
- https://www.mastersportal.com/articles/3115/what-are-the-tuition-costs-of-ivy-league-universities.html
- https://www.mydegreeguide.com/hardest-college-majors/
- https://mitadmissions.org/apply/transfer/before-applying/
- https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/celebrities/album/2022/05/21/6288c98722601df9378b45f4_4.html
- https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/apply/what-we-look
- https://www.collegevine.com/questions/28517/will-one-c-mess-up-my-cumulative-gpa
- https://gpacalculator.net/gpa-scale/
- https://www.turito.com/blog/score-guide/how-to-get-a-5-0-gpa
- https://blog.collegevine.com/your-complete-list-of-extracurricular-activities/
- https://gpacalculator.net/gpa-scale/2-0-gpa/
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/plan-for-college/college-basics/how-to-convert-gpa-4.0-scale
- https://memoryos.com/article/who-has-the-highest-iq
- https://www.businessinsider.com/the-ivy-league-schools-ranked-2013-9
- https://www.powerfulprep.com/how-to-get-into-the-ivy-league/
- https://www.collegevine.com/questions/15756/can-i-get-into-an-ivy-league-school-with-a-c
- https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-11-07/is-elon-musk-a-genius-or-an-idiot
- https://www.northeastern.edu/bachelors-completion/news/how-hard-are-bachelors-degrees/
- https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/about/history
- https://www.businessinsider.com/the-40-smartest-people-of-all-time-2015-2
- https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/college-acceptance-rates/
- https://www.ivycoach.com/the-ivy-coach-blog/college-admissions/revocation-offers-of-admission/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-considered-a-high-iq
- https://twitter.com/gidi_traffic/status/1422208081048621059
- https://parade.com/1056238/marynliles/highest-iq-in-the-world/
- https://www.diverseeducation.com/students/article/15293069/florida-teen-accepted-to-all-eight-ivy-league-universities
- https://gpacalculator.net/gpa/
- https://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/college-resource-center/difference-between-ba-and-bs/
- https://greekreporter.com/2022/09/13/top-10-countries-highest-iq/
- https://www.usp.ac.fj/handbookandcalendar2022/university-requirement-and-regulations/academic-progress-regulations/
- https://extension.harvard.edu/registration-admissions/course-registration/enrollment-policies/
- https://prepinsta.com/interview-preparation/virtual-interview/why-is-extracurricular-activities-clubs-society-important/
- https://post.edu/blog/the-best-extracurricular-activities-to-include-on-your-college-application/
- https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-genius-iq-score-2795585
- https://www.collegevine.com/questions/1926/3-6-gpa-to-at-least-a-4-0-is-it-possible
- https://umuc.secure.force.com/articles/FAQ/Academic-Honors-Cum-Laude-1358457977686/?l=en_US&fs=RelatedArticle
- https://www.quadeducationgroup.com/blog/how-to-get-into-ivy-league-schools
- https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/colleges/Yale-admission-requirements
- https://practicenotes.org/vol9_no2/basic.htm
- https://www.powerfulprep.com/weighted-unweighted-gpa-and-ivy-league/
- https://www.top10onlinecolleges.org/faq/average-gpa-students-accepted-college/
- https://admissionsight.com/how-to-get-into-harvard-with-average-grades/
- https://www.iqtest-certification.com/en-us/famous-people-iq
- https://www.cappex.com/colleges/GPA/2-5
- https://www.sociosite.net/famous-person-iq/kim-kardashian
- https://www.collegevine.com/c/harvard/10428/what-does-your-gpa-have-to-be-to-get-into-harvard
- https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2016/10/10/easiest-mba-schools-highest-acceptance-rate/
- https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/princeton-now-free-for-students-from-families-making-under-100k/
- https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-gpa-scale
- https://admissions.yale.edu/what-yale-looks-for
- https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/celebrities/album/2022/05/21/6288c98722601df9378b45f4_16.html
- https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16297-intelligent-soldiers-most-likely-to-die-in-battle/
- https://www.bestcollegereviews.org/history-ivy-league/
- https://www.c2educate.com/truth-about-high-school-extracurricular-activities/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/average-iq
- https://www.crimsoneducation.org/us/blog/campus-life-more/ivy-league-chances/
- https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/why-harvard/affordability
- https://gpacalculator.net/gpa-scale/3-5-gpa/
- https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/what-is-ivy-league/
- https://gpacalculator.net/gpa-scale/3-0-gpa/
- https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid/how-aid-works
- https://twistedsifter.com/2022/08/meet-the-woman-with-the-highest-iq-ever-recorded/
- https://accessscholarships.com/blog/10-extracurricular-activities/
- https://www.sociosite.net/famous-person-iq/mark-zuckerberg
- https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/colleges/UCLA-admission-requirements
- https://www.verywellfamily.com/types-of-extracurricular-activities-2601430
- https://gpacalculator.io/gpa-scale/b/
- https://www.bps.org.uk/volume-22/edition-12/looking-back-creative-genius-classical-music
- https://prepwellacademy.com/blog/how-to-audit-your-child-s-extracurriculars/
- https://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/63858/top-20-iqs-of-vegetables
- https://caac.ucla.edu/policies/grading-repeats/
- https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/colleges/Cornell-admission-requirements
- https://www.thehealthyjournal.com/faq/can-you-get-into-harvard-with-3-bs
- https://www.crimsoneducation.org/us/blog/admissions-news/harvard-acceptance-rate/
- https://soflotutors.com/blog/whats-the-highest-gpa-possible-and-how-to-get-it/
- https://www.mastersportal.com/articles/2288/5-facts-you-should-know-about-the-us-grading-system.html
- https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/can-college-revoke-acceptance/
- https://finaid.yale.edu/costs-affordability/affordability
- http://www.thedp.com/article/2019/03/fomo-partying-college-social-media-james-morrison-upenn-philadelphia
- https://www.collegeraptor.com/find-colleges/articles/college-comparisons/hardest-school-to-get-into-in-the-world/
- https://admissions.yale.edu/affordability-details
- https://www.quadeducationgroup.com/blog/little-ivies-what-you-need-to-know
- https://www.businessinsider.com/the-smartest-ivy-league-schools-2015-10
- https://www.sciencealert.com/does-iq-decline-as-we-age-one-type-of-intelligence-peaks-in-your-twenties
- https://elearningindustry.com/online-iq-tests-all-you-need-to-know
- https://soflotutors.com/blog/average-gpa-ivy-league/
- https://blog.collegevine.com/can-i-get-into-a-top-college-with-a-c-on-my-transcript/
- https://www.crimsoneducation.org/us/blog/extracurriculars/extracurricular-activities-list/
- https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-into-yale
- http://www.gradetracker.com/academy/4-0-gpa-scale-calculator
- https://www.collegeconsensus.com/rankings/best-tuition-free-colleges/
- https://www.sociosite.net/famous-person-iq/kanye-west
- https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/hardest-colleges-to-get-into/
- https://gpacalculator.io/gpa-scale/3.0/
- https://www.quadeducationgroup.com/blog/ivy-league-acceptance-rates-vs-other-schools
- https://www.educationcorner.com/college-rankings.html
- https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2021-10-15/harvard-yale-football-memorable-moments-all-time-history
- https://www.sparkadmissions.com/blog/yale-acceptance-rate-admissions-requirements-complete-guide/
- https://gpacalculator.io/faq/what-is-the-highest-gpa/
- https://www.thehealthyjournal.com/faq/what-is-jay-zs-iq
- https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-into-uc-berkeley
- https://www.edflight.com/post/15-unique-extracurricular-activities-to-secure-your-admission-in-top-university-in-usa
- https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/colleges/NYU-admission-requirements
- https://scholarships360.org/college-admissions/do-colleges-look-at-freshman-year/
- https://www.ncu.edu/blog/7-things-you-should-know-when-transferring-university-credits
- https://experthub.prepscholar.com/t/how-do-colleges-verify-extracurriculars/7450
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7709590/
- https://www.britannica.com/science/IQ
- https://harpersbazaar.com.au/celebrities-with-high-iq/
- https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/public-ivy-schools-and-little-ivies/
- https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-into-cornell
- https://news.mit.edu/2015/brain-peaks-at-different-ages-0306
- https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/combinedplan
- https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/10-best-bachelor-of-science-degrees/
- https://gpacalculator.io/gpa-scale/2.0/
- https://www.thehealthyjournal.com/faq/does-harvard-take-bs
- https://alexaanswers.amazon.com/question/4ZvDx3IH9iIDIOQyOaat6C
- https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-many-extracurricular-activities-for-college
- https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/03/harvard-to-expand-financial-aid-starting-with-class-of-26/
- https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/colleges/Harvard-admission-requirements
- https://www.collegeconfidential.com/articles/will-c-mean-rescinded-acceptance/
- https://www.asvabprogram.com/media-center-article/56
- https://huntingtonhelps.com/resources/college-bound-blog/how-do-colleges-look-at-extracurricular-activities
- https://www.bestcolleges.com/features/colleges-with-highest-acceptance-rate/
- https://www.crimsoneducation.org/us/blog/campus-life-more/how-to-get-into-ucla/
- https://www.sociosite.net/famous-person-iq/steve-jobs
- https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/education/difference-between-bachelors-and-masters
- https://www.sociosite.net/famous-person-iq/elon-musk
- https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-admissions-playbook/articles/how-colleges-weigh-high-school-extracurriculars
- https://admission.stanford.edu/apply/overview/index.html
- https://signeteducation.com/resources/c-students-admissions/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ivies
- https://www.advance-africa.com/Kenya-Universities-and-Colleges-Central-Placement-Service.html
- https://www.sociosite.net/iq-scores/142
- https://www.albert.io/blog/how-many-ap-classes-should-i-take/
- https://www.greatvaluecolleges.net/lists/5-of-the-easiest-online-bachelors-degrees/
- https://ingeniusprep.com/blog/how-to-make-your-extracurriculars-stand-out/
- https://www.youngwonks.com/blog/What-Do-Ivy-League-Schools-Look-For-In-Their-Students
- https://www.collegeadvisor.com/resources/b-students-tips-for-applying-to-college/
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/registrar/harvard-chan-school-grading-system/
- https://www.collegevine.com/questions/30770/i-got-2-c-s-in-2-my-freshman-year-at-high-school-can-i-still-get-into-an-ivy-league-more-specifically-harvard
- https://undergradeasier.com/whycsaregreatincollege/
- https://www.utoledo.edu/dl/pdf/Gpa%202.0%20and%20UP.pdf
- https://registrar.unc.edu/academic-services/grades/explanation-of-grading-system/
- https://internationalcollegecounselors.com/6-tips-for-the-common-app-activities-list/
- https://gpacalculator.net/gpa-scale/3-9-gpa/
- https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/average-iq-by-country
- https://www.crimsoneducation.org/us/blog/campus-life-more/easiest-and-hardest-ivy-league-schools/
- https://college.harvard.edu/resources/faq
- https://admissions.usf.edu/blog/do-extracurriculars-matter-in-the-college-admissions-process
- https://plexuss.com/f2/can-i-get-into-an-ivy-league-with-a-37-gpa
- https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/thought-provoking/think-einstein-was-smart-here-are-8-people-higher-iqs
- https://blog.prepscholar.com/top-party-colleges-ranking
- https://www.ivycoach.com/college-and-university/harvard-college-admissions/
- https://www.collegevine.com/questions/26693/can-i-get-into-an-ivy-stanford-with-one-b-even-thought-gpa-is-3-96
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient