Extracurricular accomplishments are tough to judge, because they vary widely by school, by region, and by state.
There are well-known organizations and competitions - for instance, Debate and National Honor Society.
For everything else, it comes down to a qualitative judgment. That's why you need to do everything you can to be the best, regardless of what activity you're involved with.
Having worked in the Admissions Office of a Top 20 college (as well as being a former Ivy Leaguer), I've developed a clear perspective on exactly what you need to accomplish in your extracurriculars to stand out.
Here's what you must focus on:
1) Leadership positions that are SCHOOLWIDE - like student government and class government. It's impressive because you stand out across the entire school. Princeton will be impressed.
2) Involvement in the ECs where your high school is strong. Most College Admissions Committees know what each school is good at (for instance, Academic Decathlon) - participating in your high school's best areas will help your admissions chances at Yale
3) Anything that leads to national or international recognition - given the competition these days, it's the best way to stand apart from the pack for the Ivy Leagues
As I share in Hopeless To Harvard, half of your success is what you accomplish in high school. The other half is how well you present it in the college admissions application.
Describing the results and effect of your leadership and extracurricular activities. Don't just talk about the steps you took and the process - talk about why it was important to you and what the positive impact for your school was
Follow the above steps, and you'll be opening an admissions packet from Harvard in less than a year!
There are well-known organizations and competitions - for instance, Debate and National Honor Society.
For everything else, it comes down to a qualitative judgment. That's why you need to do everything you can to be the best, regardless of what activity you're involved with.
Having worked in the Admissions Office of a Top 20 college (as well as being a former Ivy Leaguer), I've developed a clear perspective on exactly what you need to accomplish in your extracurriculars to stand out.
Here's what you must focus on:
1) Leadership positions that are SCHOOLWIDE - like student government and class government. It's impressive because you stand out across the entire school. Princeton will be impressed.
2) Involvement in the ECs where your high school is strong. Most College Admissions Committees know what each school is good at (for instance, Academic Decathlon) - participating in your high school's best areas will help your admissions chances at Yale
3) Anything that leads to national or international recognition - given the competition these days, it's the best way to stand apart from the pack for the Ivy Leagues
As I share in Hopeless To Harvard, half of your success is what you accomplish in high school. The other half is how well you present it in the college admissions application.
Describing the results and effect of your leadership and extracurricular activities. Don't just talk about the steps you took and the process - talk about why it was important to you and what the positive impact for your school was
Follow the above steps, and you'll be opening an admissions packet from Harvard in less than a year!
About the Author:
I was a former Admissions Officer for a top 20 school. Before that, I got into Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton. I wrote Hopeless To Harvard to share my secrets on how you can do it too. Click here to read my insider's account to Ivy League admissions. Discover how to get into Harvard now!
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