2021-07-12 20:42:34
Admissions With Umid: Extracurricular Activities • What are extracurricular activities and why are they important?
Extracurricular activities are anything outside of academics: your involvement in a school club, the pursuit of a hobby, part-time job, or internship. Just as your GPA, test scores, interviews, and essays, your extracurricular activities play a crucial role in holistic admissions. Statistically, there are over 15000 applicants who score 1500+ on their SATs and have almost perfect GPAs. Given the extremely tough competition in university admissions, it would be very hard for the admissions committee to evaluate candidates based solely on their academics. At the same time, almost every American university has a vibrant campus life. Therefore, admitting students who would participate and lead the student organizations is vital to sustaining the social life on campus.
• Which extracurricular activities should I choose?
If you pursue an extracurricular activity just to boost your portfolio or CV, you have the wrong strategy. An extracurricular activity should reflect your genuine commitment to a club or project - something that you enjoy doing. In my case, for example, Freshman Academy was the top extracurricular commitment that I mentioned in the activities section of my Common App. I could spend hours every day on the project and take great pleasure from the work that I have done. You can, however, search for international programs, like Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS), or competitions on the Internet. There is no specific website that I can recommend to find them, but Google is your best friend in this search. Spend an hour a day researching potential programs and do not be afraid of the deadlines that might be close. I had only six days to submit my application to YYGS, but the effort was more than worth it.
• My extracurriculars are very diverse and do not quite connect with my intended major. Should I be worried?
It is more than fine to engage in several different activities, even if they are from completely opposite areas. If you feel like you want to major in Biology, but you enjoy spending your free time in the Debate Club, do mention it in your Common App! It really doesn’t matter if your extracurricular commitments represent a narrow or wide focus. The point is to enjoy the activity, be it a part of your intended major or a hobby outside of it. In the end, do not try to pursue all the extracurricular activities in the world. It is better if you devote your time only to those that mean most to you.
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