by Saniya Keshwani

Activities Section

Often students will race to complete the Activities section of the Common App, not realizing that this is a very important part of the application. This section is a great opportunity to demonstrate the depth of your high school extracurricular activities.

The Activities section should highlight your interests, your talents, and the impact you’ve had in your community. This information should be different from what is in your Common App essay.

What activities can you put in this section?

This section can include arts, athletics, clubs inside and outside of school, volunteer work, employment, internships, personal commitments such as taking care of a younger sibling, and any other thing that is meaningful in your life. Anything that you are pursuing outside of class is an activity. The best activities to include are ones that you are passionate about and have been participating in regularly over a long period.

What is the purpose of the Activities list?

Your activities list is a great opportunity to show colleges how you, as a student, have dedicated your time outside of school. Aside from your essay, this is the best insight a college will have when deciding if you are a good fit for their campus. 

Most students write a pretty good activity list description and stop there. But there are a few tips to take your list from good to great. Putting your most meaningful activities first is very important. These will be the activities that most demonstrate your passion, leadership, and abilities. These most likely are also the ones that you have done for several years. 

Another tip is to use your limited space wisely. Since there are only 150 characters to describe each activity, make sure to get right to the point. Give a highlight of the most significant things you’ve done and hold yourself to a high standard. Make your description less generic and more specific. Include how you made an impact, what you learned throughout the process, or how this activity affected you.

Honors Section

Where is this section on the Common App?

The Honors section is located in the Education tab on the Common App. Unlike the Activities section, there is not enough space to describe each Honor; you are limited to 100 characters. 

What belongs in the Honors section?

The Common App classifies honors as school, local, state, and national awards. Some examples of awards that you could include in this section are your school’s chapter of the National Honor Society, honor roll or principal’s list, a character award, etc. You could also put extracurricular awards from competitions held at local and international levels.

What if I haven’t won any awards?

It is okay!! Some schools might not offer academic awards, or your activities might not be competitive. However, don’t sell yourself short! An honor doesn’t have to be “official.” Did you win the “Most Dedicated” award at the band banquet? Maybe a teacher nominated you for a school committee because you are a leader, or your employer named you Employee of the Month. Think carefully about your time in high school, and ask your parents if they remember any honors or awards that you might have forgotten.

There is only space for five awards in this section. For students with more than 5 significant honors, it might be necessary to combine awards, or to use the Additional Information section.

Now it’s time to get started! Open a Google doc and start drafting these two sections. If you need help, contact CAP! We can help you showcase your best self!

There are over 4,500 colleges and universities in the US, and most schools accept most students (the national average is around 65%). But which of the 4,500 schools is right for you, and how do you narrow down that list? Your high school counselor can help, and we LOVE to help with college lists at College Admission Pros. But if your high school counselor is too busy and you can’t afford a private counselor, this post will show you how to develop your own list, for free. There are two parts to this process: 

Part 1: How do I figure out what I’m looking for? 

Steven Antonoff literally wrote the book on this process. In his book College Match, he has an 80-question “Self-Survey for the College Bound.” Amazingly, you don’t have to buy the book to use this resource! He gives it away on his website! 

You can find the Self-Survey for the College Bound at schoolbuff.com. 

What are some other ways to get to know your interests and preferences? 

I’m a big fan of YouScience, which Hoover students can use FOR FREE (just ask your counselor if you don’t know how to access it). It’s all-encompassing, and therefore overwhelming at times, but it gives great insight into your interests and your aptitudes. 

Once you’ve spent some time thinking about your interests and preferences, it’s time to start thinking about… 

Part 2: Where do I start finding schools? 

I love Steven Antonoff’s book The College Finder, and once again, he makes this information available for free online. (He really is amazing.) Go to collegeexpress.com, and type in anything from “Colleges that Offer A Lot of Financial Aid Opportunities” to “Top Ten Activist Schools” and you’ll get results. Search for your interests. Search for factors that are important to you. Make lists.

(Another thing I love is that Steven doesn’t rank schools. Rankings are misleading and often lead students down the wrong path. You’re not looking for the #1 school on a list – you’re looking for the #1 school for YOU!)

What do I do next? 

Notice which colleges are coming up repeatedly. 

Example: maybe you’ve never heard of Gonzago, but you see it on the lists for “Best Journalism Programs in the West” and “Colleges with Best Merit Scholarships” (and you want to major in Journalism somewhere in the west). Put it on your list. Which list? One you create, that looks something like the one below. List a bunch, maybe 20 or more. You’ll whittle it down. How? Through research!