Many high school football programs have been cut recently amid concerns about player safety, among other factors.
Safety is one component families may consider as their high schoolers decide what extracurricular activities they will participate in this year. Decreased football programs may also mean students are looking for new activities. For teens planning to apply to college, the activities they join could hold weight during the admissions process.
“We are not looking at just the student’s academic record, although that’s obviously important,” says Drew Riley, associate dean of admission for Colgate University in New York. Generally, Riley says he’s looking for students who will contribute to university life beyond the classroom.
For students who are on the acceptance bubble, their extracurricular involvement could be the element that lands them a spot, he says.
[Learn when to choose extracurriculars for college applications.]
Still, whether extracurriculars and leadership will make a difference depends on the colleges that students apply to, says Ross Grippi, director of admission for Ohio Wesleyan University. But he notes that after-school activities can make a huge difference for students applying for scholarships.
Prospective college students may have many activities to choose from, so they and their families should consider the following questions before selecting extracurriculars.
1. Is the student interested in the activity? Students should look for activities they are passionate about and can participate in fully, Grippi says. These activities don’t need to be tied to a particular academic interest either.
Riley usually isn’t looking for any particular activities when he reviews applications. Rather, he wants to see that students are engaged in something.
Students shouldn’t limit themselves to only one activity, Grippi says. There should be some depth and breadth to the activities resume. Longevity is important too, he says.
But while students should aim for some diversity in their involvement, they likely won’t get bonus points for presenting a laundry list of activities, Riley notes, although some students have eclectic interests in many things.
When compiling applications, students should focus on the activities that will help them stand out, Grippi advises.
Students who can’t participate in school-sponsored activities because of cost aren’t at a disadvantage, Grippi says. If teens are working part time and that takes away from their ability to be involved in these activities, they should be sure to highlight that in their applications, he says.
2. Does the activity help the community? Sometimes admissions officers at Riley’s residential college want to see that applicants are motivated not just by improving themselves — but their communities too — through activities.
Students don’t necessarily have to participate in a service trip abroad to show this, Riley says. It could be something small that shows students attempted to make a positive impact on the world. For instance, he’s recently seen many students involved in maker clubs who use 3-D printing to create objects that could help people in the real world.
Anna Coyne, college admission coordinator at Ben Davis High School in Indiana, agrees that service is important for college applications — and for life. But students don’t need a formal leadership role to serve their communities. “Leadership isn’t a title,” she says.
[Discover career-focused volunteer opportunities in high school.]
3. What is the student’s motivation for the activity? Admissions officers read hundreds — if not thousands — of applications a year and can tell if students aren’t being authentic and are just participating in activities because they think it will build their resume for college, says Riley.
Students should have an authentic interest in the activities they join, he says.
“I had a student this year who was a world-ranked Pokémon trading card player,” he says. While that sparked a laugh with the admission s committee, it also demonstrated that the student was very passionate and dedicated to the activity — traits that admissions officers are looking for, he says.
Coyne encourages teens to try something new. That could also help students meet new people and develop an authentic sense of self, she says.
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Keep College in Mind When Choosing High School Activities originally appeared on usnews.com
