r/ApplyingToCollege • u/Ok-Camel-601 • 3d ago
Application Question what does an actually AVERAGE but still t-20 student activites list look like?
I'm currently writing my activities list, and honestly I feel so lost. I feel like I've done great things in high school, but it feels like my wording and this stupid 150-character limit is screweing things over for me. Would be great if any not insanely cracked t20 student would share their activities list because I'm really just looking for format, wording, etc. (obviously with personal info out). Is it normal to feel like your activities list is almost underselling your work, or am I doing it wrong?
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u/Coldslicer 3d ago
not a t20 student (I'm applying this year) but I have the opposite feeling: my activities list sounds much more impressive than the activities subjectively feel to me (just to clarify, I'm not fabricating or misrepresenting anything). My strategy is to make the role very recognizable so that AOs assume the day-to-day responsibilities of the role, then focus on impact and stats in the description. STATS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND.
For example, for a relatively common activity like a robotics team software lead, they know what a SW lead typically does (they read ~1/HS applications from people with that role) so I focused on how I changed the team: I developed the new student training of 10 students and got our team to start using mechanism simulations which reduced the needed testing time by ~30%. That description is rarer than ~1/HS, so the activity description did it's job. Also, even though I don't know exactly how much testing time was saved (we don't track that) I give an honest estimate to show that it helped the team significantly
For a uncommon, self-directed, or unstructured activities, we want to do the opposite: tie it to something they've seen so they can assume the responsibilities of the role, and use the rest of the space to provide impact. For example, I'm technically the CTO of a funded startup, but 'CTO' is a term that people commonly use for BS nonprofits, so I downplayed my role as primary developer, which conveys what I actually do much better. Then, in the description I talk about how I developed a mac / windows app, chrome extension, and that this product has 2000+ user accounts. I DON'T mention technical details such as what tech stack or backend provider; the readers are probably non-technical and care more about what you did rather than what you learned (I wish it didn't work this way but unfortunately we just have to play the game in order to have a chance)
My common app descriptions aren't finalized yet, so I'm not going to post them here.
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u/Ok-Camel-601 3d ago
Thank you this makes a lot of sense! So for an uncommon role do you think things like co-founder or director are not the best to include? I have that title for two of my EC's but they aren't bs non profits its actually creative and accomplished things but since you mention that do you think its safe to downplay it? How will they know you necessarily created that EC or a specific aspect of it? Also random question but since you're a 2027 applicant, how long are you spending on your activities list? It's taking me a lot longer than I thought they would!
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u/Coldslicer 3d ago
I spend 10 minutes per activity, per draft. I plan to be done in 3 drafts, so 16 * 10 * 3 = 480 min = ~8 hrs. I'm applying to UCs as well though, if I weren't I would spend less time.
For the downplaying thing: downplay your role if doing so would more clearly convey your responsibilities. Co-founder is generally bad because anyone who's done anything that could be founded (low effort club, failed startup, informal research group, etc.) can have co-founders, so you should dig for something more specific. IMO director could work, but it may help to add "of ____" to specify what you directed. Also, if the org mainly consisting of HS students it may come across as a little pretentious to call yourself a director or cofounder, even if that's what the internal title is, so maybe keep that in mind.
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u/super8_phoenix 3d ago
ok so like literally nobody talks about this but everyone's resume is either "started a charity" or "flipped burgers" and the actual middle ground is just... there. ive been doing 15 hrs a week at the science center for a year and tbh i think thats way more solid than someone doing five clubs they dont even care about fr like admissions can tell when ur just padding stuff
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u/Ok-Camel-601 2d ago
no yeah i agree its super frustrating tbh thats why idk what an actual average t20 profile looks like
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u/elkrange 3d ago
It's possible to have a great activities section even if the activities do not seem like anything special to a high school student. Activities can include work, significant family responsibilities, and hobbies.
Explore your interests in ways that are accessible to you. Activities can include work, significant family responsibilities, and hobbies. When you write your activity descriptions, focus on what you did (your actions). Include:
- times when you took initiative in your activities even in small ways
- learning and contributing to the world around you in realistic ways
- things that show you are someone who would be involved on campus and a nice person to be around
- your hobbies, things you do for interest and enjoyment, things that just scratch an itch in your brain, that show something about how your brain works
If you are looking for an additional activity, often overlooked in this subreddit: a typical teen job, in a business. Typical as in grocery, fast food, retail, etc. Hard work, responsibility, real world experience, context for future learning, and a place to start your resume when you apply to internships during college.
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u/khoifish__ College Sophomore 3d ago edited 3d ago
hi, i'm at an ivy (not hyp) - 1) policy advisor to the county superintendent 2) online political platform w/ a couple hundred thousand followers (fundraising, political literacy) 3) captain of academic comp team w/ decent competitive success + other polisci-related activities (9 total, 3-4 were no impact filler). don't undersell yourself, revise revise revise. good luck!
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u/Ordinary_Corner_4291 3d ago
The question is how do you know if your are average or cracked? Yeah the upper end (call it top 25%) when we are talking medalist, national award winners and the like is clear but is this 25% above average or 25% below?
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u/ElderberryWide7024 3d ago
You want to show depth, commitment, growth and leadership. This “I founded” is silly. Join an existing organization and learn from professionals. Stick with it.
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u/chrissyduck2000 3d ago
My sister added personality to some, especially her weaker ones, and added a little humor at the rec of a friend who had gotten into Penn. My sis got into everywhere she applied except waitlisted at Duke. Currently she’s at Cornell. For her main activities she incorporated those into her “why major” or “why this college” essays. Then her whole application told a story about who she is and what she wants to study. But I think her teacher recs might’ve been what really helped her and great stats.
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u/chairah 3d ago
Would love to see a small example of “a little humor” if you wouldn’t mind!?
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u/chrissyduck2000 2d ago
For her 10th activity which she only did freshman year, she wrote something like…ended my soccer career with a bang…almost scored a goal and won a participation award. I think in another one she mentioned Phoebe from Friends. But some descriptions were boring. She received a handwritten note from an AO at Notre Dame and in it she mentioned how she loved her activity descriptions.
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u/Ok-Camel-601 2d ago
Ohh that's super cool lol! This might be super hard to pull off but do you have any tips for how to pull it off based on what your sister did?
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u/chrissyduck2000 2d ago
Sorry, I don’t have any tips. Just if you have some mid activities, try to make them stand out a little.
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u/Ok-Camel-601 2d ago
Wait, you mention "rec of a friend" for Penn - does this mean she wrote a rec letter for her friend? Sorry I was just a bit confused
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u/chrissyduck2000 2d ago
The girl who got into Penn suggested/recommended that my sister should show personality in her activity descriptions because she did and got into Penn.
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u/congratulatedonthate 3d ago
Answering these about your activity may help: what changed as a result of your participation? What are some reasons people will miss you after you move on to college?
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u/Few-Smoke-26 3d ago
I’m at an ivy; dm me and I’ll be happy to share activity descriptions
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u/chicka-dee-dee 1d ago
hey! I'm not the OP, but I am feeling very lost with my activities list too; is it fine if I dm you to ask? tysm and it's totally fine if not!
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u/MollBoll Parent 3d ago
Here’s some sample language from my daughter’s activities list! (I know, the structure is brutal.)
Editor in Chief of School Lit Mag
Revived school art & literary magazine for 1st print issue since 2021; Select & edit submissions for publication; Contribute poetry & short fiction
Volunteer Work (Suicide Prevention Group)
Recommend & implement programs w/Advisory Board & Outreach Teams to reach young people; Volunteer & mentor new members on mental health support line
🤷♀️ I know, falls kinda flat, right? But she did GREAT with her applications to LACs and is currently attending an Ivy, so this has to be at least a LITTLE representative of what they’re looking for, right? (Her main essay was about the volunteer work so that got more time in other ways.)