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Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples

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Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples – Introduction 

As you work through your college applications, you may come across a version of the extracurricular activities essay. Many college application requirements include an extracurricular supplemental essay. So, don’t be surprised if you need to write an extracurricular supplemental essay for schools on your list. As you brainstorm and draft, it can be helpful to read some extracurricular activities essay examples. 

In this guide, we’ve included several extracurricular activities essay examples to show you the ropes. By the end, you’ll see how to successfully complete the extracurricular activities essay. Take a look at these examples before you start your college applications. 

The extracurricular activities essay is exactly what it sounds like. You will use the extracurricular supplemental essay to write about the importance of one of your extracurricular activities. Later, we’ll look at several elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples. 

In our extracurricular activities essay examples, we’ll look at prompts from the following schools: 

  • Stanford University  
  • Rice University  
  • Bryn Mawr College  
  • Northwestern University  
  • Vanderbilt University  

University of Florida

  • Princeton University  

We’ll talk about what you can learn from each of our extracurricular activities essay examples. We will also explain how they contribute to each student’s application narrative. Before we jump into our extracurricular activities essay examples, let’s explore what counts as an extracurricular activity. 

What is an extracurricular activity? 

An extracurricular activity, or after-school activity , is something that you participate in outside of your regular classes. Extracurricular activities are important because they give you a chance to explore your interests outside the classroom. In fact, recent research suggests that being involved in extracurricular activities can even help a student’s engagement in school. 

When you submit college applications, you’ll include a list of the extracurricular activities you have participated in during high school. Being involved in multiple extracurricular activities can bolster your candidate profile and make you stand out in the admissions process. 

Extracurricular activities matter

If you plan to send college applications to top-tier schools, you’ll want to boost your participation in extracurricular activities early in your high school career. Colleges want to see that you have passions in and out of the classroom.

In other words, extracurricular activities can show admissions officers what you care about. Extracurricular activities can also help you learn more about what you enjoy, which can translate into potential extracurricular activities for college.

What are some examples of extracurricular activities? 

Extracurricular activities can be clubs, organizations, sports, jobs, or anything in between. As you’ll see in our elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples, extracurriculars will vary from student to student. There are four main categories of extracurricular activities: 

School-sponsored activities

  • Community activities 

Independent activities

Work experiences.

Each category has its own strengths and benefits you’ll want to show in your essay. Our extracurricular activities essay examples highlight activities from each category. As such, you’ll be able to see an activity similar to yours represented. 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these categories before we dig into our extracurricular activity essay examples.

Extracurricular Activity Categories 

School-sponsored extracurricular activities include clubs, organizations or programs that are hosted by your school. These might be sports teams, special interest clubs like technical theatre, or arts programs like band and orchestra. 

Community activities

Another popular type of extracurricular activity is community activities. Community activities include volunteer work and community service. 

Getting involved in your local community is a great way to show the admissions committee how you give back. 

These kinds of activities can also be a great topic for your extracurricular activities essay. They can include hobbies, learning new skills, or taking online courses in your favorite subject. 

Independent activities help showcase your passions and interests. These types of extracurricular activities would be perfect to explore in an extracurricular supplemental essay, especially since they fit less neatly into the activities list on the Common App. 

Many high school students have work experiences they can highlight in their college applications. Work experiences could include part-time jobs, internships, or shadowing opportunities. 

Talking about your work experiences in your extracurricular supplemental essay can be a great way to show off your time management and professional skills to admissions officers. 

Depth over breadth

However, you don’t have to participate in dozens of extracurricular activities to stand out in the college application process. It’s more important to develop depth than breadth in your extracurriculars to showcase your commitment and dedication.

In other words, it’s much more impressive for you to have a handful of extracurricular activities on your resume that you are deeply committed to than a long list of clubs and organizations that you don’t care about. 

The best extracurricular activities for you will be the ones that match your interests and goals. Don’t just join every club at your school to fill out your resume. Instead, seek out extracurricular activities where you can explore your interests, learn new things, and grow over time. 

Writing about Extracurricular Activities for College

Now that we’ve explored some extracurricular activity options that will be perfect for your extracurricular activities essay, let’s discuss how to write about your extracurricular activities on your college applications. 

Most schools use a holistic process to review college applications. This means that they will evaluate you based on your entire candidate profile . This includes test scores , GPA , essays , and extracurricular activities.

Because more students are applying to colleges than ever before, you’ll want to do everything you can to stand out in your college applications. Writing about your extracurricular activities for college can help show the admissions committee who you are, what’s important to you, and what makes you a unique applicant. 

Extracurricular Activities Essays Examples

Focus on the narrative

Use the extracurricular activities essay to tell a story about your experience. You can describe what it felt like, what it looked like, or how it helped you learn more about your own interests and goals.

When you are writing about your extracurricular activities for college, you’ll want to provide specific details about the type, length, and responsibilities of your involvements. If you’re unsure where to start, try making a list of all the extracurricular activities you have participated in since freshman year. Write down the role you had in this activity, how much time you spent doing it, and what you learned because of this involvement. 

For more tips on how to write about extracurricular activities for college, check out this article . In it, you’ll find 39 essay tips from admissions experts on how to write a great college essay, including how to write about extracurricular activities for college. 

What are some examples of extracurricular activities essay prompts? 

Before we review our extracurricular activities essay examples (along with the reasons why these are college essays that worked), let’s look at the extracurricular activities essay prompts from Stanford, Rice, Bryn Mawr, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, UF, and Princeton. 

Although the general idea is the same, each college will have a slightly different version of the extracurricular activities essay prompt. You’ll see the differences in our extracurricular activities essay examples below. 

Stanford University

Extracurricular Activities Essays Examples

If you plan to apply to Stanford University, you should know that one of the Stanford supplemental essay prompts is as follows: 

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. 

This extracurricular activities essay prompt is intentionally broad. You’ll need to select just one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences to describe in this Stanford supplemental essay. 

This Stanford supplemental essay prompt is your opportunity to showcase one of your many involvements. It also gives you a chance to elaborate on why it is important to you. If possible, select an extracurricular activity or work experience that you have not already discussed at length anywhere else in your Stanford application.

Rice University

This essay prompt on extracurriculars from Rice University is fairly straight forward. You can see the exact wording below: 

Extracurricular Activities Essays Examples

The extracurricular activities essay prompt or Rice is the same as the one for the Stanford application. Like we mentioned above, you’ll want to highlight an activity that is not mentioned elsewhere in your application. 

There are three Bryn Mawr supplemental essays that are required for admission. The first of the Bryn Mawr supplemental essays is about your extracurricular activities: 

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below.

Extracurricular Activities Essays Examples

This prompt is the same as the ones for the Stanford application and Rice application. Our suggestions for those essays also apply for the first prompt of the Bryn Mawr supplemental essays. 

Northwestern

Here is the Northwestern essay prompt: 

extracurricular activities essays examples

Vanderbilt  

If you are applying to Vanderbilt, you should know that the Vanderbilt application requires that you answer this extracurricular activities essay prompt: 

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.

extracurricular activities essays examples

Both the Northwestern essay prompt and the Vanderbilt application prompt are the same as the ones for Stanford, Rice, and Bryn Mawr.

The UF application includes the following extracurricular activities essay prompt as part of the required University of Florida essays: 

During high school, what is the most enriching long-term or ongoing activity in which you have participated outside of the classroom? Tell us about it – Why is it enriching to you? What have you gained or learned by participating in it? How do you plan to continue this type of activity in the future?

extracurricular activities essays examples

Unlike the prompts for the Stanford, Rice, Bryn Mawr, Vanderbilt, and Northwestern applications, this extracurricular activities essay prompt asks you to answer direct questions about your experience. 

You’ll want to choose an activity that is the most significant, long-term activity that you have participated in during high school. Then, you’ll want to explain why it was enriching, what you learned in this activity, and how you plan to continue with this type of activity in college and beyond. 

You’ll see how to answer these questions in our extracurricular activities essay examples. 

The Princeton extracurricular activities essay prompt is as follows: 

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences that was particularly meaningful to you.

extracurricular activities essays examples

This prompt is similar to the ones above, but it does make an important distinction. You’ll want to choose an activity that was meaningful to you, which means you will need to spend part of your essay describing why you found this experience particularly impactful. We’ll take a look at how to do this in our extracurricular activities essay examples. 

Which schools require an extracurricular activities essay? 

In addition to the extracurricular activities essay prompts we highlighted above, many colleges include an extracurricular activities essay as part of their college application requirements. 

Each of these schools’ college applications require you to write an extracurricular activities essay: 

  • Georgetown University
  • University of California schools
  • Howard University 
  • Amherst College
  • Purdue University

Even though we won’t look at extracurricular activities essay examples for these colleges, the extracurricular activities essay examples we do highlight can help give you inspiration as you work on your college applications. 

Now, it’s time to examine some extracurricular activities essay examples. Our elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples include Stanford essays examples, Rice supplemental essays examples, Bryn Mawr supplemental essays, Northwestern essay examples, Vanderbilt essay examples, UF supplemental essay examples, and Princeton essay examples. 

Following each of the extracurricular activities essay examples, we’ll provide an analysis on why these are college essays that worked. 

First, let’s kick off our extracurricular activities essay examples with the Stanford essays examples. 

Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples: Stanford University

Here’s the first of our elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples: 

Stanford Essay Examples

In February of 2016 my neighbor texted me and asked me to tutor her third grader in math. My first thought was “Third grade math?! This will be easy.” I was wrong. The girl I tutored is dyslexic and had ADHD, so working with her challenged me in a new way. I had to devise ways of teaching where she could understand it but also remain focused for long enough to accomplish it. I had to practice my patience in a way I never have before, and I have become a better person because of it. By the end of our work together, she was excited to play the math games I made up and she was so proud every time she understood a question or a concept. I am so thankful for that opportunity.

Why this essay worked

This sample of the Stanford essays examples works for several reasons. First, the author describes how the activity challenged them to come up with new ideas as a math tutor. This shows the admissions officer how thoughtful and creative this person can be in different situations. 

In this essay (one of our Stanford essays examples), the author shows how they developed key skills, like patience, through this extracurricular activity. Highlighting new skills that you have learned through your extracurricular activities is a way to stand out from the crowd.

Showcasing personal growth, like the author did above, also shows the admissions team you are willing to change and better yourself when faced with challenges. 

How To Write The Rice Supplemental Essays

Now, let’s turn to Rice supplemental essays examples. Below, you’ll see another version of the elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples. 

Rice Supplemental Essay Examples

With an interest in business, it is hard to pass up the chance to become a part of the business club at my school. This competition-based club allows members to learn detailed ways to start and manage a business. Although my curiosity urged me to participate, the thought of writing 30 pages with a fast-approaching deadline seemed daunting. Prior to this program, I had very little knowledge on the basic principles of business management, however, through research and a bit of persistence, I learned countless fundamentals of business. Although I was awarded a medal and recognized as a State Finalist in the International Business Plan category, the most valuable thing I earned was the drive of an entrepreneur which taught me that even the most difficult of tasks can be accomplished if they are done with continued determination. 

Getting straight to the point

This is one of our Rice supplemental essays examples. In it, the author mentions their academic interest right away. This helps the reader understand the forthcoming connection between the extracurricular activity and this person’s interests. 

If you’re working with a tight word limit, like the one in the Rice supplemental essays examples, you’ll want to be concise with your details. The Rice supplemental essays examples only give you so many words to work with, so you have to make the most of them. In this essay, the author summarizes the purpose of their extracurricular activity quickly. This provides the reader with more context about their involvement without taking up too much space. 

This is an example of college essays that worked because the author shows what they learned as a result of their involvement in this activity. This highlights the author’s potential success in a college setting. 

How To Write The Bryn Mawr Supplemental Essays 

Like the two extracurricular activities essay examples above, the Bryn Mawr supplemental essay is another version of the elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples. 

Bryn Mawr Essay Example

After watching my grandfather suffer from heart ailments, it was particularly meaningful to have the opportunity to conduct echocardiography research with a pediatric cardiologist. During my summer internship at a Health and Science University, I designed and built heart models to mimic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) disease and investigate strain comparisons in a 2D and 3D model. 

Continuously designing and analyzing my own experiments has not only taught me the value of diligence, patience and replication in the laboratory setting, but it has also instilled in me the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that will enable me to tackle difficult, and sometimes unknown, problems with sound reasoning and confidence as I serve the underrepresented to eliminate health disparities. 

This response is one of the college essays that worked for several reasons. The author of this essay explains the personal significance of this extracurricular activity. This gives the reader more information about who this person is and why this activity is meaningful to them. 

Additionally, the author uses their response to explain what they did during their internship as well as the values and skills they learned from this activity. They even go the extra mile to describe how they will use these values and skills to reach their goals in the future. 

Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples: Northwestern University

The following essay is another of our elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples. 

Northwestern Essay Example

After having been a Girl Scout for over 10 years, I can confirm that the most common questions I get asked are, “When are you selling the cookies,” or “Can I get [insert favorite cookie here]”. However, Girl Scouts means so much more to me than simply selling cookies for a few months.

Being a part of Girl Scouts has entailed, as the Girl Scout Law indicates, “being a sister to every Girl Scout”. When I first joined the organization as a Brownie, I didn’t think I would interact with the older girls at all. However, I soon began to admire my older Girl Scout sisters and looked up to them the more time I spent with them. As an Ambassador now, I try to show the same level of leadership by mentoring and working with younger girls, building a strong relationship with them and helping them on their journey to the higher ranks (as well as through life).

As a Girl Scout, I have also learned to enthusiastically help my community. Whether it be through providing assistance at food pantries, cleaning up litter, donating to the homeless, or singing carols in retirement homes, Girls Scouts has taught me the importance of helping others in need around me and improving the state of the world.

So, yes, being a Girl Scout does mean selling cookies. But, more importantly, Girl Scouts has meant growing into a confident young woman, being a mentor, and providing service to better the world.

Focus on depth of involvement

This sample comes from one of our Northwestern essay examples. In it, the author mentions the length of their involvement in the Girl Scouts and their progression from a junior member to a senior member. 

Like we mentioned earlier, it’s important to have extracurricular activities on your list that show depth, especially in your Northwestern application. In other words, the longer you participate in an activity, the more significant it is to your college applications. 

This is another example of college essays that worked because the author can describe how they eventually moved into a leadership role and what that new role entails. If you are a leader in your organization, be sure to mention it on your Northwestern application and in your essay. 

Finally, the author concludes with a description of who they are and what this activity has taught them. We saw similar versions of this conclusion in the extracurricular activities essay examples above, which goes to show that these are college essays that worked.  

Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples: Vanderbilt University

Next, let’s look at Vanderbilt essay examples. This essay is one of the longer samples of our extracurricular activities essay examples. Please note that the name of the program described has been removed for anonymity.

Vanderbilt Essay Examples

I silently sat in the passenger seat of my mother’s car with a churning feeling in my stomach. My legs bounced wildly, and my body was tense. My anxiety came from the fact I would be starting my first day at a pre-college program to which I was recently accepted.

When my mother dropped me off at the building where my first class would be held, I nervously walked in, surprised to be greeted by the smiling faces of my peers. Looking around, I saw faces of all shades. This amazed me, having been surrounded by people who looked like me for most of my life. As I engaged in conversation with students already present, I increasingly became more comfortable.

Though class began with typical icebreakers, we quickly transitioned into math topics, beginning with algebra and progressing into trigonometry and summations. When the professor concluded the lecture, I was shocked to find that the class had passed by so quickly. Similar sentiments arose after completing my critical thinking class in the afternoon. When my mother picked me up after that class, I enthusiastically spilled my experiences from the day.

The following six weeks of that summer (and ensuing summers) comprised of me being introduced to new perspectives. Being surrounded by peers that were different in lifestyle and socioeconomic status made me more open-minded to unfamiliar concepts and interpretations.

The brother and sisterhood I formed with my peers made me way less dependent on my twin sister and increased my confidence in my beliefs and individuality.

Additionally, being taught by university professors in rigorous subject matter instilled in me a newfound passion in exploring challenging topics. This program has assisted in developing me into a more well-rounded, cultured individual not only through exposure to a research program at the university hospital, but through enrichment activities during the school year (watching plays, attending politic and STEM-based talks, and experiencing cultural shows). Though I was initially apprehensive in applying to this program, I now look back at the program as life-altering and am thankful for the experience. Three years ago, I was just a “twin” who did well in school, however today I am an individual with my own unique views, eager to learn the endless knowledge the world has to offer me.

Unlike the extracurricular activities essay examples above, this essay puts you right in the middle of the story. This can be an effective way to grab your reader’s attention as they review your Vanderbilt application. 

Additionally, this is a great example of college essays that worked because the author describes self-growth because of their involvement. In this sample from our Vanderbilt essay examples, the writer explains the new skills they learned and details the type of experiences they had while in this extracurricular activity. 

Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples: University of Florida

Now, let’s look at UF supplemental essay examples. This essay is a little different from our previous extracurricular activities essay examples. 

This is a slightly elevated take on the elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples prompt. It asks you to do more than just explain your involvement in an extracurricular activity.

UF Supplemental Essay Examples

“Thaka-dhimi thaka- janu! Strike your foot higher! Sit more! Discipline yourself!”

To most, these phrases and commands would have sounded like gibberish. But to me, it meant beauty and grace. It meant dedication and determination. It invoked a sense of community and contentment. It meant Bharatantyam.

From the ripe age of 5 years old, I’ve had the opportunity to learn an Indian Classical Dance form, Bharatanatyam, from my mother. I took this opportunity seriously in tenth grade. Once I chose to commit fully to Bharatantyam, it was life changing. 

Bharatantyam has transformed me for the good as a person. Countless hours spent in practice disciplined me. Preparing mentally for a more sophisticated piece or dance item allowed me to expand my brain’s depth. From a physical standpoint, one can see that Bharatantyam is a beautiful dance that harmonizes your brain and body. 

Viewing Bharatanatyam from a scientific standpoint is what made it so much more enriching. Watching a video from my mother’s guru, I began to understand the neurological benefits of both dancing and watching Bharatantyam. Viewing that clip gave me a revolutionary idea: treating neurological diseases for senior citizens through Bharatanatyam.

I began to perform at senior assisted living facilities around my city. Many of the seniors I performed for weren’t able to even stay awake for it. While at times discouraging, small moments of joy kept me going. Every smile I received from my audience and every conversation I had with the seniors were the reasons why I kept dancing.

Now, I plan to expand this activity more at UF. Creating a non-profit in which dancers have paid performances and donate that money to neurological research institutes is how I believe I should start. With UF’s resources, I easily see this idea becoming reality.

Extracurricular activities essay prompt

With this extracurricular activities essay examples prompt, you must answer all three parts of the University of Florida essays question to complete your UF application. 

Like the extracurricular activities essay examples for Vanderbilt, this sample from our UF supplemental essay examples puts you right in the middle of the story. It starts off with a quote, grabbing the reader’s attention. This sample of the University of Florida essays also shows you the length of involvement this author had in the activity while highlighting aspects of their unique culture. 

This is one of our college essays that worked because this response details the author’s experience, growth, and future goals. On top of that, this sample from our UF supplemental essay examples further strengthens the writer’s UF application by connecting their experience to how they hope to continue this activity at UF.

Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples: Princeton University

This sample from the Princeton essay examples is the last of our college essays that worked.

Princeton Essay Examples

Serving as a Student Government leader at my college has taught me the power of student voice and collaborative leadership. During my Junior year, I began attending Senate Meetings and was elected as a Senator a few months later. I began proposing solutions to problems my college faces, from lack of STEM programming to low voter turnout rates to poor multicultural outreach programs. I created student committees to tackle these problems, the most recent being a committee working to bring a series of local STEM professionals for our artist-in-residence series. I was appointed as a student voice to faculty committees, such as the Diversity and Equity Committee. I use this position to bring student concerns I hear from SG directly to the college board to catalyze changes in our college, such as the introduction of STEM cohort groups or providing resources for students of color.

The last of our extracurricular activities essay examples mentions the activity right away. It also mentions what the activity taught the author. Like the extracurricular activities essay examples above, this response adds specific details. Moreover, the author describes the impact of their leadership role.

In addition to describing the experience itself, this essay highlights how the author implemented solutions to the problems they recognized within their community, another key skill that will be important in college. 

How To Write A Great Extracurricular Activities Essay

extracurricular activities essays examples

In our extracurricular activities essay examples, you saw different ways to write a great extracurricular activities essay. Now let’s talk about how you can use these extracurricular activities essay examples to help you write your own.

When you write your own extracurricular activities essay, be sure to refer to the extracurricular activities essay examples above. Each of the extracurricular activities essay examples highlights a different aspect of each applicant’s candidate profile—from backgrounds to passions to academic interests and goals.

Read every prompt carefully

Remember, some colleges might have different ways of approaching the extracurricular activities essay, which will be evident in the essay prompt. Like some of the extracurricular activities essay examples above, you might be working with a shorter or longer word limit. You also may have specific questions you need to address when elaborating on your extracurriculars.

There’s no specific formula on how to write a great extracurricular activities essay. However, here are a few tips to help you write a strong response that will stand out from the crowd. 

Additional Tips for Writing Extracurricular Activities Essays

Choosing which activities to write about and how to present them is key to writing a successful extracurricular activities essay. Reading some elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples can help you learn how to structure your own essays. You’ll likely need to write about your extracurriculars to complete your college application requirements. So, use this as a chance to show the admissions committee what matters to you. 

In this guide, we’ve reviewed extracurricular activities essay examples from some of the top colleges in the nation. We hope this helps you as you write your own extracurricular activities essay. 

Three tips to help you write your extracurricular activities essays: 

1. demonstrate your passion . .

Like we saw in the extracurricular activities essay examples, this is your opportunity to show what’s important to you. Use your essays to demonstrate your passion. 

2. Show your dedication. 

Many of our extracurricular activities essay examples discussed how long the author was involved in the activity. Show your dedication to your hobby, club, or organization through your essay responses. 

3. Match your extracurricular activities essay examples to a school’s mission or values. 

There are plenty of applicants who can fill out all the college application requirements. However, to truly stand out, you’ll want to show the admissions office why you are a great fit for their university. Match your extracurricular activities essay examples to a college’s mission or values to prove that you are committed to attending that university. 

Other CollegeAdvisor Resources on Extracurricular Activities 

If you need help figuring out how to get involved, watch our webinar for tips on how to join new extracurricular activities in high school. For more ideas on which extracurricular activities might be right for you, check out our article on 38 high school extracurricular ideas for college applicants. 

38 High School Extracurricular Ideas for College Applicants

Wondering how to showcase your extracurricular activities in your college applications? Check out our guide for more information on how to approach extracurricular activities in the college admissions process. 

How to Showcase Extracurricular Activities In Your College Applications

Finally, check out our panel for additional tips on how to craft your activity and extracurriculars list for college. 

Crafting Your Activity and Extracurriculars List

Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples – Final Thoughts 

We hope that our guide on extracurricular activities essay examples (and college essays that worked) help you prepare your own extracurricular activities essay. If an extracurricular activities essay is part of your college application requirements, be sure to refer back to our extracurricular activities essay examples for guidance.

As you likely noticed from our extracurricular activities essay examples, college essays that worked tend to highlight students’ passion. This is even more true when it comes to extracurriculars. Don’t feel daunted by the extracurricular supplemental essay requirement. Instead, use it as a chance to highlight how you engage deeply with the world around you. 

Not all prompts are the same

Remember, the prompt to your extracurricular activities essay might look different than the ones we highlighted in our extracurricular activities essay examples above. Even if your prompt is different from our ‘elaborate on an extracurricular activity essay examples’, you can still use them to brainstorm ideas for your own extracurricular activities essay. 

Do you need help with other college application requirements? CollegeAdvisor.com can help. Register today to get one-on-one support as you begin your college application process.

Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples

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How to write a strong extracurricular activity essay.

A female student writing a strong extracurricular essay

Written by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Written: 2/12/24

Landing a seat in your dream university requires more than just showcasing your academic abilities; it's about highlighting your life beyond the books, your sources of inspiration, and the experiences that have played a crucial role in shaping your individuality.

A great way to show off your many sides is by skillfully writing an essay about your extracurricular activities. This piece of writing offers a unique opportunity for admissions officers to peek into your world outside of academics by highlighting your passions, unwavering commitment, leadership prowess, and personal evolution. 

This comprehensive guide will delve into the intricate yet rewarding process of crafting an engaging and compelling extracurricular activity essay. It helps you figure out which activities are best for you to focus on. It also gives you a bunch of interesting questions to get your creativity going.

We’ll also provide you with a curated list of extracurricular activity essay examples, Acting like a guide and a good example for you to follow as you write.

By being thoughtful, real, and creative, your essay about your outside-of-school activities could be the special thing that helps you get into the college you really want.

Keep reading to learn how to turn your passions and experiences into an engaging narrative that truly reflects who you are.

How to Choose Which Extracurricular to Write About

Selecting the most suitable extracurricular activity to write about for your college application essay requires careful consideration and introspection. Each choice holds the potential to shape the narrative of your essay and provide valuable insights into your character, values, and personal growth. 

To ensure a comprehensive exploration of this topic, let's discuss a few factors you should consider when choosing which extracurricular to focus on:

1. Personal Significance

When contemplating which extracurriculars to highlight in your essay, take the time to reflect on the experiences that have had the most profound impact on your life. Consider the activities that have shaped your character, influenced your values, and ignited your passions. 

It could be a community service project that opened your eyes to social injustices, a musical instrument that became your creative outlet, or a sports team that taught you the value of teamwork and perseverance. 

Choose an activity that resonates with you on a deeply personal level, as this will enable you to authentically convey your emotions and the growth you have experienced.

2. Depth of Involvement

While it may be tempting to showcase a long list of extracurricular activities, it is important to prioritize quality over quantity. Admissions officers are interested in understanding how deeply you are engaged with an activity, as it demonstrates commitment, dedication, and the potential for impact. 

Evaluate the level of your involvement in each activity and focus on the one where you invested significant time and effort. This could involve leadership roles, taking on challenging responsibilities, or contributing to the activity's growth and success. 

By selecting an extracurricular where you had a meaningful and substantial involvement, you can provide a more detailed and insightful account of your experiences.

3. Leadership and Initiative

If you have taken on leadership roles or demonstrated initiative within a particular extracurricular activity, it can add an extra layer of depth to your essay. Admissions officers value applicants who display leadership qualities and the drive to initiate positive change. 

Reflect on instances where you assumed leadership responsibilities, whether it was captaining a team, organizing events, or spearheading projects. Share how you influenced others, made strategic decisions, and motivated team members to achieve common goals. 

Highlight any innovative ideas or initiatives you introduced and the impact they had on the activity and its participants.

4. Unique Experiences

Consider highlighting an extracurricular activity that stands out from the crowd. While popular activities like sports or clubs can still make for compelling essays, choosing a less common or unconventional activity can help your essay stand out and capture the reader's attention. 

Think about unique experiences you have had outside the mainstream activities, such as starting a niche interest group , participating in an underrepresented sport, or pursuing an uncommon hobby. These experiences can provide a fresh perspective and reveal different aspects of your personality and interests.

5. Alignment with Your Goals

When choosing an extracurricular activity to write about, consider its alignment with your future goals and aspirations. Admissions officers are interested in understanding your passions and how you plan to pursue them in college and beyond. 

Select an activity that showcases your dedication to a particular field of study, career path, or cause. Explain how your involvement in the activity has shaped your understanding of your chosen path and provided valuable insights into the skills, knowledge, and experiences required to succeed in that area.

Demonstrate how the activity has fueled your ambition and inspired you to make a meaningful impact in the future.

6. Overcoming Challenges

Admissions officers appreciate stories of resilience and personal growth. Consider discussing an extracurricular activity in which you encountered obstacles or adversity and how you overcame them. Reflect on the challenges you faced and the strategies you employed to navigate through them. 

This could involve overcoming physical limitations, balancing demanding commitments, or addressing conflicts within the activity. By sharing the lessons you learned from these challenges, you can showcase your determination, adaptability, and problem-solving skills.

7. Diversity of Experiences

If you have been involved in multiple extracurricular activities, consider showcasing a variety of experiences to demonstrate your versatility and well-roundedness. Admissions officers value applicants who have explored different interests and engaged in diverse pursuits. 

Discuss how each activity has contributed to your personal growth and provided you with unique perspectives and skills. Show how your various involvements have influenced and complemented each other, highlighting the valuable transferable skills and insights you have gained from navigating different domains.

8. Impact on Others

Consider the impact your participation in an extracurricular activity has had on others. Admissions officers are interested in applicants who not only excel individually but also contribute to the growth and well-being of their communities. Reflect on the ways your involvement has positively influenced others. 

This could involve mentoring teammates, organizing community service projects, or supporting fellow participants. Share specific examples of how your actions have made a difference, emphasizing the values of compassion, empathy, and leadership you have demonstrated.

By considering these factors when selecting which extracurricular activity to write about, you can choose the most compelling and meaningful topic for your essay. Remember, the goal is to provide a genuine and insightful portrayal of your experiences, passions, and personal growth. 

Through thoughtful introspection and effective storytelling, you can craft an engaging and impactful essay that leaves a lasting impression on admissions officers.

Extracurricular Activities Essay Prompts

To help you kickstart your writing process, here are ten thought-provoking prompts:

1. Can you share a story of an extracurricular activity that has brought about a significant change in your life? How did it alter your outlook and contribute to your personal development?
2. Can you delve into your experience of holding a leadership role in an extracurricular activity? How has it shaped your leadership style and impacted your personality?
3. Can you narrate how an extracurricular activity influenced your future career aspirations? Can you draw connections between your pursuit and your future goals?
4. Have you ever faced a considerable challenge or failure while participating in an extracurricular activity? Can you share your journey of overcoming this challenge and the lessons it imparted?
5. Is there an extracurricular activity that has played a crucial role in your personal growth? Can you discuss this journey of transformation and the factors that contributed to it?
6. Can you elucidate on an extracurricular activity where you demonstrated a significant level of commitment and dedication over a long period of time? How did this consistent engagement contribute to your development and learning?
7. Has there been an extracurricular activity that has allowed you to step outside of your comfort zone? Can you share your experience and how this helped you grow personally and academically?
8. Is there a unique or unusual extracurricular activity that you have participated in? How has this activity contributed to showcasing your individuality and distinguishing you from others?
 9. Have you ever started or founded an extracurricular club, event, or initiative? Can you elaborate on the motivation behind it, the process, the challenges faced, and the impact it had on you and your community.
10. Is there an extracurricular activity that has enhanced your understanding of a particular subject or field of study? Can you explain how this activity has deepened your academic interest or provided practical insights beyond the classroom?

Engaging in extracurricular activities not only enriches our lives outside the classroom but also provides us with invaluable experiences and lessons that shape our character, aspirations, and worldview. 

Whether it's leading a team, overcoming challenges, or exploring new horizons, these activities offer a unique platform to discover and showcase our true potential.

Extracurricular Activity Essay Examples

To help you grasp what an outstanding extracurricular essay looks like, let's dissect two examples and analyze why they make an impact:

1. Strings of Unity: My Dance with the Violin

A woman playing the violin

Every evening, as the sun set, the mellifluous notes of my violin would resonate through our home. I was six when I first held a violin, and it felt like an extension of my soul. Over the years, I practiced diligently, mastering complex compositions and performing at numerous recitals.
However, my most cherished moments were when I played at local nursing homes. Witnessing the joy and nostalgia my music brought to the elderly was profoundly rewarding. Inspired, I initiated "Melodies for Memories," a program where young musicians performed for seniors, bridging the generational gap through music.
The violin taught me discipline, empathy, and the power of connection. It wasn't just about playing notes; it was about touching hearts and creating moments of shared joy.

Why This Essay Was Successful

Here are a few things that made this essay successful:

  • Vivid Imagery : The essay paints a beautiful picture of the writer's relationship with the violin, making it easy for readers to visualize and connect with the narrative.
  • Community Impact : By highlighting performances at nursing homes and the "Melodies for Memories" initiative, the writer showcases their commitment to community service and the positive impact of their passion.
  • Personal Growth : The essay emphasizes the values and skills gained from playing the violin, such as discipline and empathy.
  • Concluding Thoughts : The conclusion ties back to the central theme of connection and shared joy, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

This essay effectively conveys the writer's deep connection to the instrument, showcasing personal growth, community impact, and the transformative power of music.

2. Beyond the Board: Life Lessons from Chess

A chess board

The chessboard was my battleground, a place where strategy, patience, and foresight converged. Introduced to chess at age eight, I was captivated by its intricacies and the mental agility it demanded. As I delved deeper, I realized chess was more than a game; it mirrored life's challenges and decisions.
I began teaching chess to underprivileged children in my community, hoping to equip them with critical thinking skills. Through "Checkmate Challenges," our monthly tournaments, I saw these children grow in confidence, strategy, and resilience.
Chess taught me that every move has consequences, and foresight is crucial. It reinforced the importance of patience, strategy, and learning from mistakes. Through chess, I not only honed my cognitive skills but also discovered the joy of mentoring and making a difference.

This essay was successful because it included:

  • Engaging Start : The essay begins with a powerful statement, drawing readers into the world of chess and its significance to the writer.
  • Community Involvement : The writer's initiative to teach chess to underprivileged children showcases their dedication to community upliftment and the broader impact of their passion.
  • Life Lessons : The essay effectively draws parallels between chess and life, highlighting the invaluable lessons the writer has derived from the game.
  • Concluding Reflection : The conclusion emphasizes the dual benefits of chess: personal growth and the joy of mentoring.

Both essays effectively communicate the writers' passions and the profound impact these activities have had on their personal growth and community involvement.

FAQs: Extracurricular Activities Essay

Writing about your hobbies for an essay? Here are some common questions and answers to help you out.

1. How Do You Write an Extracurricular Essay with a Word Count of 150 Words?

Crafting an extracurricular activity essay with a 150-word limit is both a test of your brevity and your ability to make a powerful impact. To start, you need to isolate a singular, significant moment or achievement from your chosen activity. 

This should be something that is both personally meaningful and serves as a representative snapshot of your broader involvement. Then, hook your reader right from the first sentence, making them intrigued to learn more about your story. 

You might paint a vivid picture, share a quick anecdote, or open with an interesting question. Afterward, give the reader a brief context or backstory about the activity to ground your story. This is where you quickly explain what the activity is and why it matters to you. 

Next, it's time to dive into the crux of your essay—your specific role and the impact it had. Highlight the challenges faced, the initiatives you took, and the results achieved. Be careful to maintain clarity and brevity, avoiding unnecessary details that could detract from your central message. 

Finally, wrap up your essay by tying your specific experience to a broader theme, value, or life lesson, which serves to highlight the significance of your involvement beyond the activity itself.

2. How Long Should an Extracurricular Essay be?

The length of an essay can fluctuate depending on specific application instructions. However, most of them hover in the range of 150-300 words. Regardless of the word limit, remember that clarity and conciseness are your guiding principles. 

Every sentence you write should serve a specific purpose, contributing meaningfully to your overarching narrative and effectively portraying a holistic picture of you as an individual. Avoid fluff or filler content, instead focusing on delivering a tightly woven narrative that showcases your passions, commitments, and personal growth.

3. Can an Extracurricular Activity Essay Focus on More Than One Activity?

While you can mention multiple activities, it is generally better to focus on one that has had the most significant impact on you. This allows you to provide a deeper, more detailed account, revealing valuable insights about your character, passions, and learnings.

Writing an exceptional extracurricular activities essay is a journey that requires introspection, authenticity, and excellent storytelling. As you embark on this journey, remember, the goal is to bring to light not just what you did, but who you are as a person, showcasing the experiences that have enriched your life. 

So, start reflecting on your experiences, unleash your creativity, and let your story resonate with the admissions officers.

4. Why Do Colleges Require Extracurricular Essays?

Colleges require extracurricular essays because they offer a more rounded view of applicants, going beyond mere academic accomplishments. Admissions officers want to understand who you are outside the classroom.

They're interested in your passions, long-term commitments, leadership experiences, and personal growth—all aspects that may not be apparent from your grades or test scores alone. 

5. How Do I Write About Extracurricular Activities in a Personal Statement?

When it comes to incorporating extracurricular activities into your personal statement, the goal is seamless integration that enhances your overall narrative. It's important to discuss the activity in a way that highlights not just what you did, but also how it contributed to your personal growth and future ambitions.

Elaborate on your involvement, detailing the specific roles you took on, the challenges you faced, and the skills you've gained. Then, explore how these experiences tie into your personal evolution and future goals.

Final Thoughts

Writing an extracurricular activity essay is more than just recounting what you did; it's about sharing a slice of your life that speaks volumes about your character, passions, and growth. It's about crafting a narrative that not only shares your experiences but also provides a window into the person you've become as a result. 

Whether you're speaking about the time you spent backstage in theater productions, the hours you dedicated to the robotics club, or the weekends you spent volunteering at a local shelter, remember that the best essays are those that are authentic and come from the heart. 

Use this opportunity to let your experiences shape your story, let your passions shine through, and let your unique voice echo in the admissions officer's mind. 

It is your experiences that make you unique, and it is this uniqueness that can make you stand out in the sea of applicants. So, embrace your individuality and let it guide your journey as you write.

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The College Extracurricular Activity Essay

Mark montgomery.

  • July 25, 2023

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How will you write your college extracurricular activity essay?

The Common Application used to ask you to “elaborate” on one of your extracurricular activities in 150 words. Now this essay is not quite as common. At least it is no long required on the Common App.

However, many other colleges do require it, either as a part of their application or as a “supplement” the Common Application .

essay for extracurricular activities

Either way, this short paragraph can be an essential component of your entire presentation as an applicant.  In just a few sentences, you must convey something personal, meaningful, and interesting about yourself.

Seems impossible, right?  “How can I sum up my experience in my favorite extracurricular activities in just a few sentences?”

Well, it’s time to tackle the impossible. These tips may help you decide which activity to focus on, and how to write a well-structured paragraph that gives the reader a deeper understanding of your motivations and your priorities.

Choose the Right Activity

Don’t necessarily pick the activity that looms largest on your resume or activity list. If you are a star tennis player and a possible recruit for a college team, that fact will be clear on your activity list. If you are the best clarinetist in the city, then your activity list should reflect that fact.  Remember, the prompt asks you to “elaborate” on the activity. It doesn’t say you have to choose the one that takes up the most time, nor does it say that it must be the one that is your primary extracurricular focus.

More specifically, it may be that the activity in which you have achieved or excelled the most is not the activity that will be the best to elaborate upon in this short essay. Consider the other activities that may help to round out your application and present another view of what motivates and interests you.

Consider which activities carry the most personal meaning to you. Look back over your resume or activities list and ask yourself, “Which of these would I miss the most if I could no longer do it?” Perhaps it’s that annual scouting trip, or the weekends skiing with your family. Or maybe it’s that concert you organize at the nursing home twice a year that brings you particular joy. Choosing the right activity is the first step as you write your extracurricular activity essay.

Your “Hidden” Activities

Consider elaborating on an activity that is not on the activities list or resume. For example, perhaps your extended family shares Sunday dinner together regularly, and this ritual has had a big influence on you and helped to shape your feelings about family. Maybe you actually enjoy mowing your lawn every week, making it look nice by paying attention to details. Perhaps you ride your bike to school every morning, and you use that time to notice details on your route and get your head together before and after your workday.

Not Necessarily Your “Best” Activities

Consider taking one of your activities and giving it greater specificity and detail. As you know, the space on the application in which to elaborate on your activities is very, very limited.  So use this short paragraph to pull out some details. For example, perhaps you mention on your activity sheet that you have done volunteer work at a hospital, and that you have several responsibilities. But perhaps there is one responsibility, in particular, that you most enjoy. That one responsibility could be the focus of your extracurricular.

To take another example, perhaps you are a guitar player, and your activity list indicates that you’re fairly good, but not great. However, there I some particular aspects of playing the guitar that you enjoy. Perhaps you don’t mind playing scales over and over in order to improve your technique.

Or maybe you go to a music store on Saturdays where a bunch of bluegrass players get together and jam, and you join in, despite the fact you aren’t the best player; or you are a huge fan of Andre Segovia and have listened to every piece he has ever recorded. These sorts of details can say a lot about the depth of your interest in an activity, even if it is not where your greatest accomplishments lie.

The Focus: “Why?”

Your activity list or resume should address the questions of “What, When, and Where?” (the “who” should be apparent:  you!). This list explains your accomplishments and the range of your commitments. But it doesn’t explain your motivations or your priorities. This short essay-ette gives you an opportunity to do some explaining.

As with your primary college essay and with the supplements, the aim here is to give the admissions officer reading your file a bit more information about yourself.  What you convey in this short paragraph is something that they won’t find in the essays, and that they won’t really know from reading your activity list. This is another opportunity for you to present another interesting and important facet of your personality. All the essays give your application depth and dimension. Don’t throw away this opportunity to tell the reader more about yourself.

Tips for Writing the College Extracurricular Activity Essay

Start with a list of reasons you participate in this activity. What do you get out of it? Why do you enjoy it? Why would you miss it if you suddenly were unable to do it anymore?

Remember that not every aspect of your participation may be enjoyable. Are there reasons you participate in this activity that actually help you accomplish something else that is, in fact, even more enjoyable? For example, weight training may not always be fun, but it can make you stronger. Practicing the flute may be enjoyable in some respects, and not so much in others—but practicing makes you a better player.

Once your list of reasons why you participate in this activity, pick the top three. Write your essay in 5 sentences. One to introduce the activity, three to explain why you do it, and 1 to spare, either as a conclusion or as an elaboration on your introduction.

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Some Prompts to Get You Going

If you are having trouble, try completing these sentence prompts to get you going.

  • When I participate in this activity, I feel ___________.
  • I originally got involved in this activity because ____________.  And now I continue this activity because ____________.
  • My favorite aspect of this activity is ____________.
  • My friends think this activity is ___________.
  • I take the most pride in this aspect of the activity: ___________.

The College Extracurricular Activity Essay – Final Notes

For most of us–adults as well as teens–our activities are good reflections of our priorities, talents, and motivations. We often demonstrate excellence through the things we do outside of school (or outside our jobs or professions).

This Common App supplemental extracurricular activity essay is a great way for you to share more about who you are as a person. If you focus on WHY you engage in these activities, you’ll be able to convey those motivations and priorities.

You have fun engaging in your extracurricular activities. Now enjoy writing about one that is especially important to you.

Need Help With Your College Extracurricular Activity Essay?

If you are having trouble putting together your college essays, including your college extracurricular essay for the Common App, then you might want to consider giving a call to the folks at Great College Advice.  We help students with every aspect of the college admissions process, and we would love to guide your toward your educational objectives.  If you’d like to learn more about what we do, contact us .  We’ll be happy to chat with you!

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How to Write the Harvard Extracurricular Activities Essay

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Elias Miller in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info. 

What’s Covered:

Purpose of the prompt, example answer, showing vs. telling.

In this post, we look at Harvard University ’s supplemental essay focusing on extracurricular activities. For more information, check out this article on how to get into Harvard . 

Harvard’s second supplemental essay prompt reads, “Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.” 

This prompt enables you to focus deeply on one of your extracurriculars to showcase your involvement. With a 150-word limit, your response will be brief, but it should say something profound about you. Choose an activity that is important to you, but avoid discussing something that you’ve already talked about in detail elsewhere in your application. Try to weave in a personal anecdote, but avoid using gimmicks or unnecessary fluff in your response.  

Let’s look at an example answer to this prompt. 

As I crashed into the final chord, I broke into a satisfied grin. I had just played the epic third movement of the “Moonlight Sonata,” a longtime dream of mine. Only four months ago, I had considered this feat impossible. The movement is long and its tempo impossibly fast. It features the most fragile and intricate melodies I had ever encountered. With the end of the school year last June, I was free to determine my own musical path: either finally learn the piece or let it defeat me for the third consecutive summer. During the following months, I spent countless hours practicing until the notes burned a permanent place in my memory, creating a soundtrack for my dreams. Despite my success, I know I haven’t mastered the piece. I am now eager to take the next step and add in layers of nuance to make my performances even more expressive. 

This response is incredibly well done. It’s well-written, not overly flowery, and free of grammatical errors, and it gets the point across. The writer leads us in with a bit of a hook, beginning their response in media res , in the heat of the action. We accompany the writer as they finish their performance of this difficult piece, then we go on a journey with the writer as they talk about their grit, determination, and perseverance to overcome struggles and learn this score. 

Another positive aspect of this response is that the writer doesn’t declare that they’re now a piano genius. Instead, the applicant’s takeaway from this experience is that they have so much more to learn. Playing all the notes of a piece is just the first step in a long journey toward musical maturity and eventual mastery.

The writer doesn’t say, “I’m very determined,” or “I’m very mature,” or “I care a lot about piano.” They don’t have to because they’ve shown these things through writing about this experience. From their journey of learning this piece, we can glean for ourselves how committed, determined, and mature the applicant is. Showing rather than telling is critical in college essay writing.

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How to write the ‘Extracurricular Activity’ essay

How to write the “extracurricular activity” college essay.

Bonus Material: Examples of real supplemental essays that worked for schools like Princeton and Yale

If you’re in the process of applying to colleges, you likely already know that many universities (especially top-tier schools like Ivies) ask you to write essays in response to supplemental prompts. 

When it comes to selective schools, these supplemental essays make a huge difference! Some schools even prioritize your supplemental essays over your Common App personal statement. 

One of the most common supplemental essay prompts asks you to expand on an extracurricular activity you’ve been involved with. This is what we call, for obvious reasons, the Extracurricular Activity essay . 

While it might seem simple, many students misunderstand what colleges want when they ask this question. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through what you need to do to write this supplemental essay in a way that gets you to stand out to elite universities. 

As universities get more and more selective, you’ll want to make sure you do everything possible to ensure your admissions application is perfect. At PrepMaven, that’s exactly what we do: for years, our expert tutors have guided students through the college application process, helping them land acceptances at schools like Princeton, Harvard, and MIT. 

Read on for our guide–backed up by years of experience–on how to approach the Extracurricular Activity essay prompt. 

Download 50+ Real Supplemental Essays for Ivy+ Schools

Jump to section: What is the “Extracurricular Activity” essay? Examples of “Extracurricular Activity” prompts What are colleges looking for in this supplemental essay? How to write the “Extracurricular Activity” essay Example of a successful extracurricular essay Analysis of a real extracurricular essay How to choose the topic for the extracurricular essay Next steps

What is the “Extracurricular” essay?

essay for extracurricular activities

This is pretty much what it sounds like: many universities will, as one of their supplemental writing prompts, ask you to expand upon an extracurricular activity you’ve been involved with. 

But while the directions are pretty clear, what top colleges actually want from you here can be harder to figure out. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about the Extracurricular essay prompt: what the prompts look like, what admission officers want, and how to structure your essay. 

In addition, we’ll break down a real sample essay and analyze how it effectively checks all the boxes for an incredibly strong Extracurricular supplemental. 

After the “Why us?” prompts (on which we have a detailed guide here ), this is one of the most common supplemental essay prompts you’ll encounter, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re ready for this one well ahead of the application deadlines. 

Below, we’ll walk you through what these prompts look like, and what you need to do to answer them effectively. 

Examples of “Extracurricular Activity” prompts

Lots of schools ask a version of this question, but each university has their own spin on it. Take a look below for some examples from the 2023-2024 application cycle: 

essay for extracurricular activities

Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (Harvard) Most students choose their intended major or area of study based on a passion or inspiration that’s developed over time – what passion or inspiration led you to choose this area of study? (300 words, Carnegie Mellon) What academic areas are you interested in exploring in college? (200 words, Emory University)

As you can see, each of these looks a bit different, but really they all want to know the same thing: what interests you, and how have you gotten involved with it?

What are colleges looking for when they ask about extracurriculars?

Simply put, they want to see whether you’re really passionate about something. Almost nothing is as impressive to college admissions officers as real, demonstrated passion for some particular interest. 

In our broader guide on the college application process , we talk about the importance of highlighting your extracurricular profile for elite colleges’ admissions committees. While that happens in your Activities List, of course, the Extracurricular essay is your biggest opportunity to show them how you’ve engaged deeply with a particular activity. 

But admissions officers don’t just want to see you’ve been involved with something .

What they want to see in your extracurricular profile are: 

  • Initiative 

These may feel like buzzwords (they are), but they really are how admissions committees evaluate your extracurricular profile. 

essay for extracurricular activities

Did you just compete in a robotics activity, or did you win a state championship? The former is nice; the latter is excellence . 

Did you start volunteering at a local homeless shelter this year, for an hour a week? That’s good, and colleges will appreciate it. But compare that to someone who’s been volunteering for years, dedicating multiple hours a week to the same task: that’s dedication . 

Leadership is more or less self-explanatory: did you participate, or did you hold specific positions, with demonstrated (positive) effects on the club/team/organization you were a part of?

Initiative can be murkier, but it basically has to do with how much effort you had to put in to pursuing your extracurricular in the first place (this often intersects with the other three categories). For example: did you join an existing club, or found your own because of your intense desire to pursue what interests you?

In a nutshell, then, the extracurricular essay prompt gives you the rare and valuable opportunity to show admissions committees one or more of these traits. As you write your essay, think about it in those terms: how can you show your excellence, dedication, leadership, and/or initiative in whatever activity you choose to write on. 

Below, we’ll run down what one of these essays needs to have to wow admissions officers. Although this guide should give you the information you need, there’s never a substitute for a real college essay expert who can help you with your essay live–we always recommend reaching out to one of our essay coaches if you want to maximize your chances of admission.

How to structure an Extracurricular supplemental essay. 

Although every essay is different, there are certain things that the Extracurricular should always do, and there’s a straightforward structure to help you do it. Below, we’ll break down each step of the structure and analyze a real example. 

Generally, though, these Extracurricular essays follow a similar structure: 

  • Start with a story
  • Give an overview
  • Show your passion
  • Reflect on how the activity has shaped you

Below, we’ll get into each of these in detail, so that you can have a more precise understanding of what’s expected of you when it comes to this supplemental essay. 

essay for extracurricular activities

This is often the advice with all college essays, and it’s no less true here: you want to start with something that grabs the reader’s attention. The best way to do that is, more often than not, by throwing the reader right into the middle of a scene or moment. 

As you most likely did in your Common App essay, try to begin with a short paragraph recounting a moment that showcases you in action. Perhaps it’s you in the lab, working on a hypothesis about plant nutrition. Or maybe you’re an artist, and have just dragged your easel and canvas into the forest to paint a landscape. Whatever you do, don’t just tell us–show us you in action. 

The story exists to hook us in, but it won’t tell us everything we need to know. Set aside a small part of the essay to give a broader background for the activity you’re describing so that admissions committees can understand more about the activity itself. 

This part of the essay won’t be the most exciting or flashy, but it will let you convey a lot of information very quickly–making it an excellent place to highlight things like your dedication or initiative when it comes to this extracurricular. 

What does the “overview” part of an extracurricular supplemental look like? We’ll actually take a look at a real sample essay later in the post, but we can describe it briefly here. 

Say you’re writing an essay about performing in musicals. 

The first section (the story ) of your essay might describe you on stage, about to belt out some showtunes. 

The second section (the overview ) might begin something like, “Since the age of 7, I’ve leaped at every chance to perform in musicals: at schools, in local productions, and even with a touring theater troupe.” In just one sentence, you can show us how long you’ve been engaged with the activity and what some of the highlights were. Then, you can continue on by describing more about what your involvement in this extracurricular entails: your role, how your involvement has changed, that kind of thing. 

A word of caution: don’t turn this into a list of your accomplishments and awards. That should already be reflected in the Activities Section of your Common App. But also, it won’t make for a very good essay, and it’ll sound like you’re bragging. Only include accomplishments if they naturally integrate with the story you’re telling. 

Not sure how to balance an overview so that it conveys the right information without becoming bloated or braggy? The best way to be sure is to work with someone who has experience wowing admissions committees themselves. That’s why we always recommend getting a bit of professional help from one of our many Ivy League essay tutors and checking out or collection of real supplemental essays from successful applicants below 

We say it in almost all of our essay guides, but it’s true: nothing makes an essay stand out to admissions committees like a believable, personal description of the passion you feel for what you do. It’s human: we love people who really love what they do.

Whatever you choose to write about, the next section of your Extracurricular essay should focus on conveying the passion you feel for this activity or the satisfaction you gain from it. As always, specific details are key!  

essay for extracurricular activities

Don’t just say “I love to ride dirt bikes.” It’s not specific, it’s not detailed, it’s not convincing: do you really believe that the person who has nothing more to say than that really loves what they do?

Connect the passion to specific details or moments that you’ve experienced while pursuing this extracurricular. Maybe it’s the specific sensation of dirt showering on you as you land the bike from a jump; maybe it’s the moment a student you tutor turns to you and says how much you’ve helped their confidence. 

Convey your passion by integrating it with the unique details that only you can recount. That’s what makes the difference between a generic, ChatGPT-style extracurricular essay and a compelling, personal one that can wow college admissions committees. 

As always, the extracurricular activity essay isn’t just about the extracurricular activity: it’s about showing how something you’re deeply involved with has affected who you are on the cusp of college. 

What does that look like? It could be a lot of things! Maybe your extracurricular activity actually shaped what you want to study, or how you live your life–if so, great. But it’s also no less important if your extracurricular activity is simply a source of peace or joy, something that takes you away from the stresses of school or other obligations. 

In any case, it’s important to show that you’re the kind of person who thinks about how the things in your life shape you. This section doesn’t have to be long–a sentence or two will do–but it should show the admissions officers what it is you’ve gained from the pursuit of this hobby, passion, or job. 

Example of a successful Extracurricular Essay

Below is an example of a really excellent response to an Extracurricular essay prompt. This sample actually comes from our guide on how to respond to the University of California’s supplemental prompts, but it’s the kind of essay that could easily be used to respond to any college’s Extracurricular supplemental essay prompt. 

essay for extracurricular activities

The stall horn blares, and the plane sways under the control of my feet. Shoulders tense, I look outside to maintain balance: even a small tap of a foot or shift of the stick could throw the plane into a downwards roll. The plane begins to shake- my cue to recover. I pitch the nose down and push the throttle full forwards. Despite high-stress situations, piloting is my dream career. Whether airliners or navy jets, I know I will be happiest in the air. I started out building model airplanes out of paper and pencils at Civil Air Patrol meetings, which first introduced me to basic aviation principles: pitch, roll, and yaw. From there, a presentation in my computer science class taught me about Joby Aviation, a local startup working on electric gyrocopters for everyday travel. Already knowing I wanted to fly, I felt inspired to work with aircraft as an engineer as well. I decided to enroll in flight lessons and subsequently took a job as a receptionist at my flight school. When flying, time passes by as fast as the air around me. As warnings blare, pilots chatter over the radio and the plane’s glass bubble gets swelteringly hot. There’s a lot to be aware of, but I’ve learned to multitask and focus amidst distractions. Similarly, being at the airport quickly thrust me into the world of aviation. I found myself fascinated not only by aerodynamics but also by fuel chemistry, avionics, and materials. Sumping fuel from the fuel tanks, I wondered, how do different fuel textures affect planes’ engines? Running my hand along the propeller, I pondered: how would the aircraft fly if this were wood? Plastic? I became fascinated by the specificity and variability of aerospace materials and eager to learn more about them. My love for aerospace is part of why I am eager to study engineering. I imagine myself designing new aircraft and optimizing the ones I fly. Whether I become a pilot or an engineer, the lessons I learn flying will be beneficial in any future paths I take.

Analysis of a real Extracurricular supplemental essay

Take another look at the above essay, and notice how it actually neatly follows the structure we’ve been talking about. 

The essay starts suddenly, and with a ton of detail: a stall horn (what’s that?), a plane swaying, a lot of tension. 

It’s important that the story is, itself, hooking and attention-grabbing. But that’s not the sole purpose of the story: the real key here is that it shows the writer in action. They’re not a passive observer or someone along for the ride. They’re making decisions and taking control of a situation, displaying both confidence and competence. 

Those elements together are the key to a successful opening for the extracurricular essay: get our attention, and show us you in action. 

Notice how the second paragraph feels totally different. It’s no longer a pulse-raising story: it’s a quick but detailed overview of how the writer got involved with and pursued this extracurricular activity over a long period of time. 

essay for extracurricular activities

What do we learn from this overview? The writer started simple, with models at Civic Air Patrol meetings; they continued pursuing this passion through a compsci course and a local internship; they took flight lessons and got practical work experience at a flight school. 

It’s all super quick, and super efficient. There’s some nice details in there (the models, the gyroscope), but the primary function of this section of the essay is just to put the story in context. Think about it as the background that explains how we got to the story in the first place. 

The next paragraph immediately begins by conveying why this activity is so meaningful to the author. We learn that time (literally) flies, that the author learns how to multitask and stay focused under pressure, and that all this leads to a fascination with the science and engineering behind flight. 

Remember when we talked about specifics being the key to conveying passion? Here’s what we meant. The author doesn’t stop at saying what fascinated them. They go way further, posing multiple hyper-specific questions that convey the author’s real, sustained engagement with this activity. 

  • Reflection/change

As you can see, this section can be super short! It really just needs to wrap up the essay by showing us how this extracurricular affects the writer. In this case, it has helped shape what the student wants to pursue, even if the student isn’t yet 100% certain about what that path will look like. 

But this essay could have worked just as well if this student wanted to be an English major. The essay would simply have ended with a different kind of reflection, one about the value or lessons that they’re able to take away from the experience of flying. 

At heart, these essays aren’t complicated. But that doesn’t mean they’re easy. Writing the perfect Extracurricular supplemental essay can be incredibly challenging: how do you balance the story, the overview, the passion, the lesson? And all within a very short word count! 

Taking the right approach can mean the difference between boring an admissions committee and stunning them, so it’s not the place to take risks. It’s why we recommend working with a one-on-one PrepMaven essay coach. Not only have our tutors been accepted to the most prestigious schools in the country, but they’ve helped countless students get their own acceptance letters. 

How to choose the topic for an Extracurricular essay

This is a crucial decision, and you don’t want to take it lightly. 

Many students simply pick the activity that they’ve excelled most in, or the one they spend the most time doing. 

That’s often the wrong choice. Not always, of course, but often!

The key consideration is what activity will add the most to your application when described in essay form, as opposed to merely being summarized in 150 characters on your Activities List. 

Sometimes, that really is the same thing as the one you’re most active in; sometimes it’s not. 

For example, let’s say you’re an absolutely amazing athlete who has won titles and awards and all sorts of stuff. Your activities list can, if you’re careful with word count, convey all of those titles, awards, etc. If you were to write a whole essay about your sport, would you really be able to add much that the admissions committee won’t already see?

essay for extracurricular activities

On the other hand, let’s say that in addition to being an all-star athlete, you’re also a tutor or mentor for a younger student. On the activities list, that won’t look impressive: so many students do peer tutoring that an admission officer’s eyes will glaze right over. But what if you actually developed a strong relationship with a student you mentored? There’s no way to convey that in 150 characters, but it might make for a nice story in 150 words. 

Wherever you can tell the best story, that’s your topic for the extracurricular supplemental. 

Before writing, you should always spend time reading through sample essays. We’ve collected over 50 supplemental essays from our tutors in response to prompts from Ivies and other elite schools. They’re totally free, and you can download them below to see what worked for past applicants. 

Though the steps here might seem simple, they can be astoundingly hard to pull off in just 250 words or less, which is usually the word count for this kind of supplemental essay. But if you can thread the needle and do everything listed above on this kind of essay, it can make a huge difference for your application. 

Most people don’t treat the supplemental essays as if they were particularly important, but they absolutely are: each college has put time and resources into coming up with these supplemental essay prompts because they want to see what you have to say. 

If you’ve read this guide carefully, then it’s time to start drafting! If you want to ensure that you’re writing the kind of essay that can get you into a top tier school, however, it often pays to get a second opinion. Our college essay experts have helped thousands of students get admitted into their dream schools, and are ready to help you do the same as soon as you’re ready. 

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How to Write about Extracurriculars in Your Personal Statement and Supplemental Essays

essay for extracurricular activities

By Kylie Kistner

Writing Coach, Former Admissions Counselor

9 minute read

essay for extracurricular activities

Whether you’ve completed a passion project you’re proud of or won a robotics award, you might be thinking about writing about extracurriculars in your college application.

Extracurriculars are an important part of the college admissions process for a reason.

Your out-of-the-classroom participation shows admissions officers what you care about, what you’re talented at, and what you’re committed to. How you choose to spend your non-academic time in high school will help them predict what you’d be involved in on their campus.

But there’s an art to writing about extracurriculars in a college application. Too much detail or too little explanation can lose admissions officers in the mix.

In this post, we’ll share our best tips—the ones that our clients have the most success with—for writing about passion projects and extracurricular activities in your personal statement and supplementals.

Let’s get started.

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Why write about extracurriculars?

You already put your extracurricular activities in your Common App activities section, so why use up precious essay space elaborating on them?

While admissions officers can see your activities list, they don’t always realize the full context or importance of every single one of your extracurriculars.

If there’s an activity or project that’s especially important to you, it can be worthwhile to elaborate. But if you’re going to use your essay space to write about an extracurricular, you need to make it count. You might choose to write about an extracurricular or project for the following four reasons.

Reason #1: To expand on the details an extracurricular

The 150 characters allotted in your Common App activities list isn’t much. You can convey the basics, but if you want to elaborate at all, you’re going to need more space.

Writing your personal statement or a supplemental about an extracurricular lets you write more in-depth about an extracurricular that’s important to you . Expanding on what you did and why it was meaningful will help admissions officers see why your activity mattered.

Reason #2: To highlight an impressive accomplishment

Let’s say you won a national competition, had a small role on a TV show, or raised a lot of money for an organization you care about. Or maybe you developed an independent research project and published it in a prestigious publication like The Concord Review or invented something and won the Regeneron Science Talent Search .

Your admissions officer wants to know about those accomplishments.

Remember that you want to give admissions officers a compelling story to tell committee about you. Your job is to make their job easier. Impressive extracurriculars can make you more memorable to admissions officers and can set you apart from the sea of other equally-qualified applicants.

Reason #3: To demonstrate magnitude, reach, and impact

Anything you write about an extracurricular, no matter where that writing appears in your application, should work to show the magnitude, reach, and impact of the activity.

Why? Because college admissions is all about outcomes. The more you can show that you’ve positively impacted yourself and the world around you, the better.

Admissions officers want to invite students to their communities who will have an impact, both before and after they graduate. Showing that you’re already impacting those around you can make it clear that you’re ready to take advantage of all the opportunities the school has to offer.

Reason #4: To weave your extracurriculars into a broader story that says something about who you are

Especially when writing about extracurriculars in your personal statement, you can use your activity as a springboard for writing about something else that’s important to you.

You’ve probably chosen your project or activity because it’s interesting and meaningful to you.

Extracurriculars can be an organic gateway to tell admissions officers about a more vulnerable part of who you are. Choosing to write about them in your personal statement or supplementals can emphasize how important they are to you, and it can help draw admissions officers’ attention to a core part of yourself .

Writing About Extracurriculars in Your Personal Statement

Refresher: what is a personal statement.

Personal statements —also called college essays or Common App essays—are the main piece of writing in your college application, and they typically range from 520 to 650 words.

They are tricky to write because you’ve probably never written (or even read!) one before. (We work on these with students every year , and trust us, they’re tough!)

So what’s the purpose of a personal statement, anyway?

Personal statements are meaningful reflections on an important part of your life. Their purpose is to give admissions officers insight into who you are. They are genuine, often vulnerable pieces of writing. And most importantly, the narrative you create with your personal statement should compel admissions officers to admit you.

It’s a lot to ask of a 650-word essay.

But writing about a passion project or extracurricular can be a fantastic way to communicate your interests, showcase your talents, and advocate for your admission.

With that in mind, let’s go over three important strategies for writing your personal statement about an extracurricular.

Convey Your Strengths (But Avoid Bragging)

All outstanding personal statements communicate a core strength to the admissions committee.

Think about it: when an essay clearly conveys a strength, it’s easier for an admissions officer to understand what the applicant would bring to the campus community.

Your strengths don’t have to be explicit, but they should color the overall theme of your essay.

In our work with students, some of the most common strengths that surface include intellectual curiosity, artistry, teamwork, wisdom, and problem-solving.

The key to writing a good personal statement is finding a balance between conveying your strengths and being authentic and vulnerable. You want your strengths to be clear, but you don’t want to come across as bragging.

Instead, the point is to show a genuine strength while still appearing real and human.

Focus on Outcomes

Personal statements about extracurriculars can go awry when they get too caught up in the details of the activity.

Remember: admissions officers don’t need to know every single second of how you spent your time. You want to hit only the key points that create a seamless story so you can spend the rest of your essay reflecting on meaning and outcomes.

Whatever your project is, consider these questions: What did you learn? How did you grow? How did you help others learn or grow? What did your project do to make the world a better place?

Emphasizing the outcomes will keep your essay focused on what matters most.

Implicitly and Explicitly Answer the “Why” Questions

The “why” questions are the questions that admissions officers are bound to have when they read your personal statement.

Once you introduce them to your passion project or extracurricular, they’ll wonder a lot of things, such as: Why did you choose this activity? Why did your activity matter to you? Why did it matter to others? And—the big question— why should it make me more compelled to admit you?

This last question is key.

Simply telling your admissions officer about your passion project or extracurricular is one thing. But the question you can’t loose sight of is how your passion project or extracurricular demonstrates that you should be admitted. You want to preemptively answer these types of questions in your statement. 

That doesn’t mean that you should come right out and say, “My passion project about educational equity means that I should be admitted.” Definitely don’t do that!

But it does mean writing about your activity in a way that draws on your strengths and outcomes so your admissions officers can envision you joining their campus community. Put another way, every essay you write should give your admission officer a clear reason to admit you to their campus.

Writing About Extracurriculars in Your Supplemental Essays

Refresher: what are supplemental essays.

Supplemental essays are additional essays some schools require applicants to write. At around 50 to 500 words, they’re typically shorter than a personal statement.

Since supplemental essays only go to one school, they’re the perfect opportunity for you to make the case that you’re a good fit for the school and its academic community. Your goal in a supplemental essay is to show values-based and academic alignment with the school in question.

Supplemental prompts often fall within a few standardized categories that ask questions like “Why are you interested in attending X?” or “How have you contributed to your community, and how will you contribute to ours?”

One of the most popular supplemental prompt types is the extracurricular activities essay . In these prompts, schools ask you to elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities. If your extracurricular relates to academics, you might also respond to an academic interest prompt.

In short, you’re allowed to write about your passion project or extracurricular in a supplemental essay whenever you feel it’s appropriate.

Make Relevant Connections to the School

Whether you’re responding to an extracurricular activity, academic interest, community, or other prompt type, strong supplemental essays often make explicit connections to the school.

Why do they do this?

Because that’s how you show that you’re a natural fit for the campus community.

It also shows admissions officers that you’ve done your research and are invested as an applicant.

Let’s say you have a passion project about Type 1 Diabetes . Through your research, you learned about Dr. Damiano’s ground-breaking Type 1 Diabetes research at Boston University. Now you have the perfect connection to work into your BU supplemental essay .

Emphasize Meaning and Impact

We’ve already gone over the importance of focusing on the outcomes of your extracurricular, but it’s worth restating.

Emphasizing the meaning and impact of your activity is especially important in supplemental essays because they’re shorter, more purpose-driven in response to a prompt, and often more straightforward than a personal statement.

Take this example essay (“Community Essay: The DIY-ers”) in response to one of MIT’s prompts. The applicant writes about a passion project, building a telescope, but doesn’t stop there. They also go on to explain the meaning of the project (how it helped them connect with their family) and the impact (how it shaped their career goals as an aspiring environmental engineer).

So as you write, be sure to draw out the meaning and impact of your activity for your admissions officers. Don’t leave the guesswork up to them.

Think About Values

The final way to take your supplemental essays to the next level is to think in terms of values.

If you’re choosing to pursue a passion project or spend a lot your free time time on an extracurricular, then chances are it’s something you value.

Use that to your advantage by aligning with values at the institutions you’re applying to. You can do this in any supplemental essay, but your case will be much stronger when you have a passion project or extracurricular to emphasize your alignment.

Perhaps you completed a passion project looking at corporate sustainability practices —something you’re really invested in. Well, let’s also say that you’re interested in the University of Pennsylvania because of Wharton’s Business, Energy, Environment, and Sustainability concentration.

Because of your passion project, you now have the ability to make a very natural, compelling case that your values line up with Penn’s. Showing your commitment to similar values will help admissions officers imagine all the ways you’d contribute to and benefit from their community.

Key Takeaways

We spend our time on what we value most. As a high schooler, you have limited time outside of your school day. Admissions officers appreciate seeing how you’ve committed yourself to projects, activities, and causes outside of the four walls of your high school.

Writing about an extracurricular or passion project in your personal statement or supplementals can be one of the best ways to expand on an activity that is important to you and forge significant connections with the schools you’re applying to.

No matter what kind of college essay you’re writing, avoid getting too caught up in the minutiae of your activity, and be sure to emphasize the meaning and outcomes.

Above all, take stock of your application narrative, and consider how your extracurriculars make you a more compelling candidate for admission.

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Blog > Application Strategy , Essay Advice , Supplementals > “Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities”: Tips and Tricks

“Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities”: Tips and Tricks

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University Admissions

Key Takeaway

You’ve probably seen this prompt again and again: “Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities.” It’s a popular supplemental essay among schools like Harvard, Colorado College, and Amherst.

But it’s also one of the trickier prompts. What does it mean to “briefly elaborate” anyway?

We break it all down for you in this post.

As you may have guessed, all versions of the “Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities” prompt are extracurricular activities essay prompts.

Here are two real examples:

Harvard: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (150 words)

  • Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt offers a community where students find balance between their academic and social experiences. Please briefly elaborate on how one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences has influenced you.

Because your response will be an extracurricular activities essay, you should have two goals in mind:

1: Show the impact of your activity.

If you’ve read any of our other posts, there’s a good chance you’ve come across our philosophy about communicating extracurricular accomplishments. We use a framework that draws on factors of magnitude, reach, and impact to communicate the importance of your extracurriculars.

The higher the magnitude, reach, and impact, the more impressive the extracurricular is to an admissions officer. Focusing on these factors keeps your attention on what matters most.

2: Show the personal significance of your activity.

We also know that your extracurriculars aren’t just about how you impact other people. You participate in them because they’re personally meaningful to you.

In addition to showing the magnitude, reach, and impact of your activities, you can also use your essay to describe why they’re important to your values, beliefs, goals, strengths—anything that will vulnerably tell an admissions officer more about who you are.

Bonus goal: Show alignment with the school you’re applying to.

This final goal is a bonus goal because it’s not necessarily a requirement for a good answer. But where appropriate, sprinkling it in can help you make your case.

If you see any extracurricular alignment with the school you’re applying to, or if you can show that your values align with the school’s because of your extracurriculars, then you’re free to mention those connections. If you’re applying to a school that values community service, for example, and you’ve organized a food drive through your local library, then you can absolutely draw out the similarities between your activity and the school’s values.

With those goals in mind, let’s go over what kinds of extracurriculars you can write about in the first place.

What extracurricular activities can you write about?

When you think about extracurricular activities, the first things that come to mind might be sports, music, and school clubs. Those are all great extracurricular activities, and you can absolutely write about them in the “please briefly elaborate” style of prompts.

But anything you do outside of the classroom can count as an extracurricular activity, even home responsibilities, a job, hobbies, volunteer work, and activism. Let’s say that you watch your siblings and make dinner for your family every day after school, even though you also have a part-time job. Your magnitude, reach, and impact may not look exactly like someone who won a robotics competition, but your activity is impressive nonetheless. What matters is that the activity takes up a significant amount of your time, dedication, and energy.

As you’re selecting from all your activities, remember the goals from the previous section. Which has the greatest magnitude, reach, and impact? How do your activities align with your application narrative ?

How to “Briefly Elaborate”

Ah, to “briefly elaborate.” It’s the vaguest part of the prompt. How briefly you elaborate will, of course, depend on the word limit of the supplemental essay. The longer you have, the more you can elaborate. Seems simple enough.

But there’s an art to selecting what to focus on and what to skim over. Where should your story linger? Where should you explain the details of your extracurricular, and where should you cut back?

I can’t give blanket advice that will apply to every single extracurricular essay. There are, however, a couple of general guidelines you can follow.

  • Avoid the urge to go on and on about the details of your extracurricular . It’s easy to get bogged down in a topic that you’re passionate about, but often students spend too much time explaining details that don’t matter to the overall essay. Give your admissions officers only the information they need to understand what your activity is and why it’s important.
  • Spend at least a third of your essay on meaning . In this kind of essay, it can be easy to get so caught up in writing about your activity that you forget to write about its significance. Remember to draw out the most important points for your admissions officer and highlight why your activity has been significant to you and to others.
  • Use numbers to quantify your impact . Just like your activities list or a job resume, the fastest and easiest way to show your impact is by using numbers. You can say, “I helped a lot of people with the food drive I organized.” But that doesn’t actually tell me much. How many people did you help? How did you help them? Something like, “Our efforts stocked the pantries of five hundred of our community members” communicates a whole lot more in the same number of words.

Final Thoughts

You’ll probably encounter this prompt during your college applications. You may even encounter it more than once.

When schools have to sort through tens of thousands of applications ****from the most highly-qualified candidates in the country, you need all the help you can get. Your response to this type of question can do crucial work for setting your application apart. Hopefully now you feel prepared to tackle it.

If you want to learn more about all kinds of supplemental essays and personal statements, consider joining the Essay Academy, our comprehensive digital college essay course.

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Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples and Topics

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Other High School , College Admissions , Extracurriculars

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How do you like to spend your time after school? Did you know that how you choose to spend this time could be one of the most important ways you shape your future?

Extracurricular activities are a critical component of your college application, and you need to impress colleges with your interests. But you might not know what good extracurricular activities look like or what you should be spending your time on.

We've got you covered here in our guide of hundreds of examples of extracurricular activities. Read on to get some inspiration for how to spend your valuable free time during high school!

What Is An Extracurricular Activity?

An extracurricular activity can be almost anything that isn't required for high school credit or paid employment that you do while you're in high school. These activities will become very important later, such as when you are applying to colleges, because they help you develop your talents, interests, and passions. They can also teach you practical skills like time management.

With so many options out there, all students should be able to find an extracurricular that they are interested in and can develop a passion for!

Remember that extracurricular activities do not have to be sponsored by your school, so you should also consider things that you do with your family or within your community as viable options.

Below I've listed many popular activities that you may not have thought of as extracurricular activities. Take a look at the list and see if your activities are already on the list, or if anything you hadn't considered before catches your eye.

Of course, this list isn't complete, because you can turn almost any interest into an extracurricular. If you are actively involved in something that you don't see here—meaning you spend a significant amount of time doing an activity that is allowing you to develop a talent or interest, be a leader, or help out your community—then you should definitely consider that an extracurricular activity, as well!

What doesn't necessarily count as an extracurricular? Any interest of yours that's very self-centered is probably not going to make the cut.

An extracurricular should be an activity that demonstrates a talent or primarily contributes value to other people. If you have to really contort to find justification for something being an extracurricular (my taking drivers ed will make the roads safer for everyone! Keeping my vaccinations up to date helps immunocompromised people!), then chances are, it won't count as an extracurricular .

There's a spectrum here, though—for example, improving your hair quality or braiding hair for fun isn't really an extracurricular. But starting a YouTube channel around beauty tips or creating a club for teen health enthusiasts definitely does.

But if you're still unsure if something counts as an extracurricular, or you need some inspiration, then read on for our complete list of extracurricular activities.

How Should You Use This Extracurricular Activities List?

Not sure how you should use this list of extracurriculars? Just follow the six steps outlined in this section, and you'll be on your way to choosing the best extracurricular for you!

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Step 1: Brainstorm Extracurricular Ideas

What are your interests? Have you always wanted to try out something related to art, but weren't sure if it would be worth your time, or if it would be viewed favorably by a college admissions team? Keep in mind that colleges don't really care about what kind of activity you are doing—instead, they want to see that you are doing something that you are passionate about. So make a list of all of your interests—both things that you are already interested in and other areas that intrigue you and you'd like to learn more about.

Step 2: See Which Extracurriculars Fit Your Interests

Look through the list below and see if any of the activities match your interests. You may see some ways that you hadn't thought of before to pursue an interest! Keep in mind that there can be a lot of different outlets for each interest you have. For example, if you want to play an instrument, you can take private classes, play in your school's marching band, play in a community concert band, or work as part of the orchestra for your school's next musical.

Step 3: Research Different Extracurricular Options

Research to see if these activities are available at your high school or in your community. If there is something you are very passionate about that's not already offered, consider starting up a group of your own. But if you aren't sure that the interest will stick and you only want to try it out, it's probably best to find a different outlet for your curiosity.

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Extracurriculars List by Category

This list is organized into categories to make finding an activity that matches your interests easier. However, we recommend at least skimming all the extracurricular options below, even if you think they're categories you're not interested in. You never know what might catch your eye!

Note: not all schools will offer formal clubs in all these categories. If you see something you're interested in that your school doesn't offer, try joining a community group or even a national or online group to explore the interest further! Many of these topics are available as summer camp activities, as well.

You can also consider starting a club at your school if you are looking for a way to get involved in something you are interested in while also showing leadership and initiative.

These activities are based on a certain academic subject, and include both clubs (groups to discuss and practice certain subjects) and competitive teams. Academic teams have competitions that take place at all levels, from local to national.

  • Adopt-A-Physicist
  • Architecture Club
  • Astronomy Club
  • Biology Club
  • Chemistry Club
  • Economics Club
  • Electronics Club
  • Engineering Club
  • English Club
  • Distributive Education Clubs of America
  • History Club
  • Life Sciences Club
  • Literature Club
  • Literary Magazine Club
  • Mu Alpha Theta: Math Honor Society
  • National Honor Society
  • Peer Tutoring
  • Poetry Club
  • Physics Club
  • Psychology Club
  • Quill and Scroll
  • Robotics Club
  • Science National Honors Society
  • Trivia and Quiz Clubs
  • Web design/coding club
  • Writing Club

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Academic Competitive Teams

  • Academic Decathlon
  • Academic Triathlon
  • American Mathematics Competitions
  • American Regions Math League
  • Caribou Mathematics Competition
  • Chemistry Olympiad
  • Clean Tech Competition
  • Creative Communication Poetry Contest
  • EconChallenge
  • Educators Rising
  • FIRST Robotics Competition
  • High School Innovation Challenge
  • Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
  • Kids Philosophy Slam
  • Math League
  • National Academic Quiz Tournament
  • National French Contest
  • National History Bee
  • National Spelling Bee
  • Odyssey of the Mind
  • Poetry Out Loud
  • Questions Unlimited
  • Science Bowl
  • Science Olympiad
  • Other Trivia and Quiz Competition Teams

These activities will allow you to express yourself artistically—on paper, through a lens, on stage, and through several other media. Unleash your creativity!

  • Anime/Manga Club
  • Art: drawing, painting
  • Blacksmithing
  • Fashion design
  • Graphic Design
  • Jewelry Making
  • Photography
  • High School Theater Program
  • Community Theater Program
  • Video Game Development Club
  • Woodworking

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Cultural and Language

These activities may help you reconnect with your roots, or allow you to get a taste of the world's diversity without ever leaving home. There are many other cultural and language-related activities that you can participate in. Some of the most common ones are listed below.

  • African American Student Alliances/Clubs
  • American Sign Language Club
  • Chinese Club
  • French Club
  • German Club
  • International Food Club
  • Pacific Islanders Club
  • Russian Club
  • South Asian Student Society
  • Spanish Club

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These activities will allow you to get involved in your community.

  • Community Festivals
  • Do Something
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Kids Helping Kids
  • Mountaineers Club
  • Sisters on the Runway

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Interested in making a difference in your school, community, or on a larger scale, through policy? Try a government-related activity to see if this could be a career interest for you!

  • Community Youth Board
  • Student Council
  • Student Government
  • Community Government

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These activities could be a fit if you're a natural leader, skilled at motivating, directing, and inspiring others.

  • National Beta Club
  • Peer Leadership Group

If you love writing and communicating, consider getting involved in a media activity to help bring news and information to your school or community.

  • School or local magazine/journal
  • School or local newspaper
  • School or local radio station
  • School or local television channel
  • School or local web site
  • Work on a movie
  • Yearbook Committee

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If you are interested in learning about discipline, teamwork, and leadership, then you may be interested in a military-based extracurricular activity.

  • Civil Air Patrol
  • Junior ROTC

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If you want to try playing an instrument or singing, there are many opportunities to try music-related activities. These are usually available both in your school community and in your wider community.

  • Any musical interest club
  • School Chorus/Choir
  • Community Chorus/Choir
  • Church Chorus/Choir
  • Chamber Music Group
  • Concert Band
  • Singing Lessons
  • Marching Band
  • Your own band
  • Tri-M Music Honor Society

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Performance Art

Love to ham it up? You'll find there are many outlets both in your school and in your community to get on a stage and make an audience laugh and cry.

  • Comedy Club
  • Choreography
  • Classic Film Club
  • Film Production Club
  • International Thespian Society
  • Slam Poetry Club
  • High School Theater Group
  • Community Theater Group

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You can usually find these groups in your community.

  • Church groups
  • Fellowship of Christian Athletes
  • Jewish Student Union
  • Missionary work
  • Youth Groups

Roleplaying/Fantasy

Did you know your love of fantasy can also be an extracurricular activity? Participating in one of these groups can show a dedication to many different creative skills.

  • The Civil War Reenactors
  • Dungeons and Dragons Club
  • Gamers Club
  • LARPing (Live Action Role Playing)
  • Renaissance Faires

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Social Activism

These groups may have chapters in your school or in your community. If there's a cause you're passionate about, seek out the local group that supports it.

  • Amnesty International
  • Animal Rights Club
  • Breast Cancer Awareness
  • Cancer Foundation
  • Environmental Club
  • Fair Trade Club
  • Gay-Straight Alliance
  • Girls Lean International
  • NOW —National Organization for Women
  • SADD —Students Against Destructive Decisions

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Special Interest

You will often find these groups in your school or supported by the community. If you have a special interest in something that you can't find a local group for, consider creating one or join a national group. You can communicate with other people who have the same interest online, and attend meet-ups throughout the year.

  • Equestrian Club
  • Entrepreneurship Club
  • Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
  • Girl Scouts
  • Horticulture Club
  • Model Railroads
  • Quilt Making

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Sports and Recreation

You probably already know about the sports teams at your schools, but there are also many opportunities to participate outside of those. Try doing extramural sports, join a club league in your community, or consider coaching a youth team.

  • Baseball and softball
  • Bodybuilding
  • Cheerleading
  • Climbing Club
  • Hiking Club
  • Intramural Sports
  • Martial Arts
  • Ping Pong Club
  • Quidditch Clubs
  • Skate Board Club
  • Track & Field
  • Ultimate Frisbee Club

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There are a lot of ways to make a difference in your local community. Look for volunteer groups in your school, your church, or elsewhere in your neighborhood. There are many websites, such as Volunteer Match , that can help you find a local community service project that is of interest to you.

  • Adopt-a-Highway
  • Animal rescue
  • Best Buddies International
  • Church outreach
  • Hospital volunteer
  • International volunteer program
  • Red Cross Club
  • UNICEF High School Clubs
  • Volunteer Fire Department
  • Work with a local charity
  • Work with a local soup kitchen

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If none of the above activities are for you, you're still in luck. Why? You can always create your own extracurricular activity!

Did you know that almost any hobby can be turned into an extracurricular activity?

Starting a business or a website, volunteering, or any unusual hobby can be turned into something that you can write about for college. And if it's unique enough to not be on this list, you can be sure that it will be something new for the college admissions committee, as well!

What matters most is that it's an outlet for your passion, creativity, and leadership.

So instead of thinking you don't do anything interesting, take the opportunity to find a new passion, or to turn something you already love into an activity you can share with the world.

If you think there's something we left off that you want to see something added to this list, leave a comment below.

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What's Next?

Now that you know what extracurriculars look like, read about how to write about extracurriculars on your college application.

Did you know that you can use community service work to help pay for college? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to win community service scholarships.

Want your extracurriculars to really stand out? Check out our guide of three amazing extracurricular examples that are sure to impress colleges.

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Mary Ann holds a BA in Classics and Russian from the University of Notre Dame, and an MA from University College London. She has years of tutoring experience and is also passionate about travel and learning languages.

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Best College Essay Examples

Extracurricular activities.

348 words | 2 page(s)

I believe that extracurricular activities are a crucial aspect of life. Life must be multidimensional and offer the individual a number of activities to enrich one’s life. I have several extracurricular activities. One of my favorites is a sport that I regularly engage in: table tennis. I find this form of the sport to be particularly interesting. I began playing it as a young child and have never stopped. While it does not appear to be as popular as regular tennis, I find it to be relaxing and enjoyable. There is, of course, also an element of competition to it. There are times when I have played competitively with it. Other times, however, I simply enjoy a nice, relaxing game of it with my family and my friends. I have a table tennis set in my house for me to practice and to play with my friends. Many of my friends also have developed a significant interest in it as well.

My summers have been quite busy. During 2012, I attended a two week sleep-away camp. The title was “Legacy: A Step Camp Experience.” It really was an experience! It gave me a greater understanding of who I am as a person and how I can use this to leave my mark on the world. I believe it will be one of the most formative experiences of my life. It emphasized diversity within New York society. We visited a number of different religious places of worship to understand how all of these influence society. I also went on vacation to India. In this experience, I did community service. I donated clothes to an orphanage, served meals and spent time with the children.

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In 2013, I attended a three week sleep-away camp; this focused on improving my leadership skills and fostering a greater sense of family. I learned that giving back is not optional; rather, it is our human responsibility. I spent the rest of the summer preparing for my SATs. I also completed several college applications. I believe this helped me to be better prepared for my junior year.

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Essay on Extracurricular Activities

Students are often asked to write an essay on Extracurricular Activities in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Extracurricular Activities

What are extracurricular activities.

Extracurricular activities are things you do outside of your regular school work. They can be clubs, sports, art, music, or volunteering. These activities help you learn new skills, make friends, and discover what you like to do.

Benefits of Joining

Joining these activities can make you happier at school. They teach you how to work with others and give you a break from studying. They also help you do better in school and can lead to better jobs in the future.

Types of Activities

There are many types of activities to choose from. You can play soccer, join a science club, or learn to play an instrument. It’s important to pick something you enjoy.

Getting Involved

To get involved, ask your teachers or friends about different activities. Try out a few and stick with the one you like best. It’s a fun way to learn and grow outside the classroom.

Also check:

  • Speech on Extracurricular Activities

250 Words Essay on Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities are things you do outside of regular school classes. They can be sports, clubs, debate, drama, school publications, student council, and other social events. These activities help students learn new skills, make friends, and find what they love to do.

The Importance of Extracurricular Activities

Joining these activities is important for several reasons. First, they help you grow as a person. You learn how to work with others, solve problems, and manage your time. They also make school more fun because you get to do things you enjoy. Colleges and jobs often look for people who have been involved in extracurricular activities because it shows you’re a well-rounded person.

Types of Extracurricular Activities

There are many kinds of activities to choose from. Sports like soccer, basketball, and swimming teach teamwork and discipline. Clubs like chess, science, or art encourage you to explore your interests. Activities like drama or music can help you be creative and confident.

Balance is Key

It’s important to balance schoolwork with these activities. Too much of anything can be bad, so make sure you have time for both. It’s okay to pick one or two activities that you really enjoy and focus on them.

Extracurricular activities are a great part of school life. They help you learn new things, meet new people, and have a good time. Remember to balance them with your studies, and you’ll have a great experience.

500 Words Essay on Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities are the fun things students do outside of their regular school work. These can be sports like soccer or basketball, clubs like art or music, or even groups that help the community. They are not part of your grades at school, but they are still very important. They help you learn new skills, make friends, and discover what you love to do.

The Benefits of Joining In

When you join an extracurricular activity, you get to enjoy a lot of good things. First, you can make new friends who like the same things you do. This can make school more fun because you have buddies to share your interests with. Also, you learn how to work with other people as a team, which is a skill you will use your whole life.

These activities also help you become better at managing your time. You have to figure out how to fit your homework, your activity, and your rest time into each day. This makes you more organized and responsible.

Discovering New Passions

Sometimes, you might not know that you are really good at something until you try it. Extracurricular activities give you the chance to try new things. You might find out you are a great actor when you join the drama club, or you might learn that you love science when you join the science club. Finding what you love doing is a big part of growing up, and these activities can help you with that.

Staying Healthy and Active

Sports and other active clubs are great for keeping your body healthy. Running around and playing games is not just fun, it also makes your body stronger. It is important to move and not just sit all day, and sports are a great way to do that. Plus, being active can also make you feel happier and more ready to learn when you are in class.

Getting Ready for the Future

Believe it or not, extracurricular activities can even help you in the future when you are looking for a job. They teach you how to be a leader, how to solve problems, and how to talk to other people. These are all things that bosses like to see when they are hiring someone. Also, if you want to go to college, they like to see that you have done activities outside of class too.

Choosing the Right Activities

With so many different activities out there, how do you pick the right one? Think about what you like to do. Do you like drawing or painting? Maybe the art club is for you. Do you like being outside and learning about nature? Then maybe a gardening club would be fun. It is okay to try a few different things until you find the one that feels right.

Remember, the most important part is to have fun and try your best. You do not have to be the best at something to enjoy it. Just by being there and giving it a go, you are already doing something great. So go out there, join a club or a team, and start having fun!

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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How to Choose and Prioritize Extracurricular Activities as a Premed Student

Engage in activities that reflect your passion and commitment to serving others, and choose quality over quantity.

Premeds and Extracurricular Activities

Optical Microscope is used for conducting planned, research experiments, educational demonstrations in medical and clinical laboratories. Close-up of scientist hands with microscope, examining samples and liquid. Photo of Young student scientist looking through a microscope in a laboratory. Young scientist doing some research.

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Extracurriculars are a great way explore what kind of field you want to go into.

Extracurricular activities can help to differentiate your application in the medical school admissions process and require thoughtful decision-making and careful planning.

Here's some advice on choosing and prioritizing extracurriculars, plus some examples of activities that may impress med school admissions officers.

Identify and Understand Your Career Goals 

The best extracurricular activities will be personally tailored to your specific goals in medicine and in your career. It is essential to align extracurriculars with your goals, so dedicate some time to reflecting on your personal interests, values and career aspirations. Work to identify areas of genuine passion . Try not to bend to outside pressures or negative comparisons with other premedical students, but instead pursue opportunities that excite you. 

For example, if you have no interest in research but a proclivity for service and volunteering, pursue those activities at the expense of joining a laboratory. If you feel particularly excited by a medical or surgical subfield, it is never too early to get involved in specialty-specific interests, such as clinical volunteering in an emergency department or dialysis unit, as a sitter in a psychiatry department, etc. 

A great way to gain exposure to a specific field, and validate your early interest, is by joining a clinical research laboratory. Many clinical labs and trials are run by practicing clinicians. Select ones in your area of interest and ask for opportunities to contribute.

You will likely dedicate significant time to two or three extracurricular activities as an undergraduate premed student, so be sure they align with your actual interests. 

Carefully Select and Manage Commitments to Extracurricular Activities 

Assess your personal time constraints and prior commitments. When you know you have available time, reach out to several possible opportunities, such as clinical work, service, basic or translational research projects, or leadership activities. Don’t be shy – cold email to get your foot in the door! 

Start a single extracurricular activity at first, and verify that you can balance your academics and personal life before you take on more responsibilities. It can reflect poorly if you back out of a commitment soon after it was made, so begin only activities you know you can commit to.

Admissions committees value significant, longitudinal time investments in a single activity more than brief involvement in many extracurriculars, and you will find sticking with activities more personally rewarding in the long term, as well. 

Don’t underestimate the time required to meaningfully contribute to a research endeavor. Expect to commit significant time to lab work in order to gain meaningful skills or contribute to a project.

At the same time, if you enjoy the work, advocate for yourself to present an abstract, contribute to a publication or write an honors thesis. Purposeful involvement in any extracurricular activity will shine through in your application. 

Describe Your Extracurriculars With Purpose in Your Application 

When it comes time to apply to med school, spend significant time on the extracurricular activity descriptions. Describe explicitly and concisely what you did, but also craft a compelling narrative around your decision to pursue each activity. Highlight any personal growth that has come as a result, lessons you’ve learned and any impact you’ve been able to have on others.

Even if an activity is common, your experience is unique. Describe a unique clinical encounter you had, a memorable patient or mentee you helped or a service experience that changed the way you see your career. 

You did the legwork and spent many, many hours on a research project, volunteering in a free clinic or leading a tutoring program, so be sure to present these experiences thoughtfully. You want your application to read like a coherent and engaging story, and you want admissions committees to feel that they have gotten to know you through your decisions and experiences presented in your application. 

What Are Meaningful Extracurricular Activities? 

Many possible extracurricular activities can be meaningful on a medical school application. 

If clinical work interests you, working in a free clinic, volunteering in an ER or other hospital department, "sitting" in a psychiatric department or shadowing physicians in any specialty can be significant experiences. 

If you find yourself drawn to service, consider opportunities such as mentoring underprivileged youth, organizing preventative health care fairs in underserved communities and working in shelters or soup kitchens. 

Leadership opportunities can be less easy to find, but serving as president of a student organization, leading an initiative to address a health disparity or coordinating a team of volunteers are realistic examples of meaningful leadership experiences that can be attained before medical school. 

If you’re excited by the possibility of expanding your understanding of biology and medicine, then basic, clinical or translational research is a substantial activity readily available at most major academic centers and universities. The only limit is how much available time you have, as this is a significant investment.

Nonetheless, if research excites you, many faculty members are eager to have an enthusiastic undergraduate premed student join their laboratory. All you need to do is reach out.

Additional Tips for Success 

Engage in a diverse range of activities, if possible. Exploring different interests is an essential aspect of the undergraduate premed experience, and you may not know what interests you until you try.

Avoid subconsciously boxing yourself into a career plan too early, and don’t be afraid to take the leap and explore a new extracurricular activity. It is never too late to gain experience and discover a passion. 

Within extracurricular activities, seek out opportunities to showcase initiative and demonstrate leadership potential. The more you show that you can do, the more responsibilities you are likely to be given, and the more meaningful the experience will be to you and your application. 

Above all, pursue activities that align with your long-term career goals and personal values. While exploring new avenues is important and exciting, if you want to pursue a career centered on service , for example, try to build up significant experience in service-oriented extracurriculars so that you are prepared for such a career. The same goes for research, clinical subspecialty work, etc. 

Don’t force yourself to continue in an extracurricular activity you don’t enjoy, just because “everyone is doing research” or because of an existential need to “check the box." Your time is much too valuable to make decisions in this manner. Pursue opportunities that make you excited and will help prepare you for a career in medicine, and you will be well positioned to be a great medical school applicant. 

Thoughtfully select extracurricular activities that reflect genuine passion and commitment to serving others, focus on quality over quantity and describe your activities with purpose and thoughtfulness throughout your application. With hard work and commitment, you should be able to leverage extracurricular experiences to learn, expand your skill set and stand out in the medical school admissions process.

Medical School Application Mistakes

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About Medical School Admissions Doctor

Need a guide through the murky medical school admissions process? Medical School Admissions Doctor offers a roundup of expert and student voices in the field to guide prospective students in their pursuit of a medical education. The blog is currently authored by Dr. Ali Loftizadeh, Dr. Azadeh Salek and Zach Grimmett at Admissions Helpers , a provider of medical school application services; Dr. Renee Marinelli at MedSchoolCoach , a premed and med school admissions consultancy; Dr. Rachel Rizal, co-founder and CEO of the Cracking Med School Admissions consultancy; Dr. Cassie Kosarec at Varsity Tutors , an advertiser with U.S. News & World Report; Dr. Kathleen Franco, a med school emeritus professor and psychiatrist; and Liana Meffert, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine and a writer for Admissions Helpers. Got a question? Email [email protected] .

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‘Balancing studies, projects and extra-curricular activities — life in IIT Bombay is fun’

The iit bombay fourth year student completed his internship in an aerospace company and wishes to work on uav technology or aerial robotics after his btech is over..

essay for extracurricular activities

– Aryank Banoth

essay for extracurricular activities

I have been passionate about planes and rockets since my childhood. I played games and made sketches on them until high school where my passion and interest grew immensely. I started following space missions and binge-watched documentaries to understand the functioning of these marvellous machines out of pure curiosity.

Moreover, my mother is a science teacher and my father is a mechanical engineer. Therefore, I got a significant head-start in my engineering endeavour. I had first-hand experience working with engineering tools to build stuff in my childhood. 

I learnt soldering in Class 8, followed by building my first robot, learnt CAD design, and programming, and eventually started working on projects with my father. I feel extremely fortunate and grateful for this experience, hence, I was sure I wanted to become an engineer. 

JEE Main coaching, school life and board exams

I got into the JEE race from Class 8. I was in a consolidated schooling and JEE coaching programme. It was quite tough and discouraging at the start to keep up with the pace and perform well, however, over time, things got better and I started performing well. I figured out that cracking the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) will open the door for the best engineering institutions.

Festive offer

Studies started getting tougher in Classes 11 and 12 and I started studying rigorously. My coaching was from 8 am to 5 pm followed by extra study hours until 9 pm and then studying at night until 2 am at home. The weekends were too devoted to mock tests. 

Though it was tiring, I had a nice friend circle where we did group study and had fun too. The year 2020 was tough for each of us due to Covid-19 . I had imbalances in my performance that year that made it stressful. 

However, I was thrilled when my JEE Advanced 2020 results were out. It was like a dream come true and a proud moment for my family. Since childhood, I have been sure of pursuing aerospace engineering. Becoming something you dreamt of your entire childhood is a special feeling and I was one step closer to it. Only four IITs and a few other colleges offered the branch of my choice. IIT Bombay was one of them. I got enrolled in the aerospace department. I am in my fourth year right now.

Life in IIT Bombay

In the first year, the classes, examinations and events were held online at IIT Bombay.  In my second year, I moved to IIT Bombay. It was an exciting as well as emotional experience. Unlike most others, I did not stay away from my family for coaching and the hostel life is quite new to me. This change was tough and challenging. Over time, I got adjusted well and made good friends.

IIT Bombay is truly a beautiful place. It is quite hard to get bored here. There is always something for everyone ranging from technical and cultural to sports and competitions. Being in Mumbai , there is always an option to have fun outside too. I love to take a walk around the campus. It feels refreshing. There are a lot of places in the city where I hang out with my friends.

Like most IIT students, I too am a night person and feel comfortable working till late at night. Thanks to late-night canteens and friends, I do not feel drained out. As it is my final year here, I have a relatively peaceful semester academically. Hence, I can focus more on the other activities. 

‘How IIT Bombay has groomed me’

IIT has taught me a lot in every aspect. I have learnt to live independently; balancing studies, projects and extra-curricular activities. I have learnt to stay strong, believe in myself and stay confident. I have made many good friends and have many memories.

I got exposed to quality teaching in aerospace engineering, which, coupled with the projects and competitions, created a strong foundation of experience on top of the theoretical knowledge.

Apart from academics, I got involved in mostly technical activities at IIT. I am currently holding a position in a technical team where we design and build UAVs for international competitions and also in the aeromodelling club.  Contributing to these activities is something I truly enjoy spending a fair share of my time and effort. 

Life in an IIT | JEE advanced qualifier now in IIT Bombay

Here at IIT, I have been actively participating in numerous technical competitions. Until now, I have built and piloted over 40 drones each unique in appearance and purpose. I secured the first position in the Institute Technical Summer Project 2022, participated in international competitions related to aerial robotics and UAV automation, and presented my work at many research conclaves and technical exhibitions.

I completed my internship in an aerospace company and wish to work on UAV technology or aerial robotics after my BTech gets over. There is never an end to learning. I will always be learning things each day and doing what I enjoy.

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Illustration shows ChatGPT logo and AI Artificial Intelligence words

How to get away with AI-generated essays

Prof Paul Kleiman on putting ChatGPT to the test on his work. Plus letters from Michael Bulley and Dr Paul Flewers

No wonder Robert Topinka found himself in a quandary ( The software says my student cheated using AI. They say they’re innocent. Who do I believe?, 13 February ). To test ChatGPT’s abilities and weaknesses, I asked it to write a short essay on a particular topic that I specialised in. Before looking at what it produced, I wrote my own 100% original short essay on the same topic. I then submitted both pieces to ChatGPT and asked it to identify whether they were written by AI or a human. It immediately identified the first piece as AI-generated. But then it also said that my essay “was probably generated by AI”.

I concluded that if you write well, in logical, appropriate and grammatically correct English, then the chances are that it will be deemed to be AI-generated. To avoid detection, write badly. Prof Paul Kleiman Truro, Cornwall

Robert Topinka gets into a twist about whether his student’s essay was genuine or produced by AI. The obvious solution is for such work not to contribute to the final degree qualification. Then there would be no point in cheating.

Let there be real chat between teachers and students rather than ChatGPT , and let the degree be decided only by exams, with surprise questions, done in an exam room with pen and paper, and not a computer in sight. Michael Bulley Chalon-sur-Saône, France

Dr Robert Topinka overlooks a crucial factor with respect to student cheating – so long as a degree is a requirement to obtain a reasonable job, then chicanery is inevitable. When I left school at 16 in the early 1970s, an administrative job could be had with a few O-levels; when I finished my PhD two decades ago and was looking for that sort of job, each one required A-levels, and often a degree. I was a mature student, studying for my own edification, and so cheating was self-defeating. Cheating will stop being a major problem only when students attend university primarily to learn for the sake of learning and not as a means of gaining employment. Dr Paul Flewers London

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Most viewed

Teachers to pull out of extracurricular activities across Sask. on Monday

Halt to lunchtime supervision scheduled for select areas.

essay for extracurricular activities

Social Sharing

More job action is on the way from teachers in Saskatchewan. 

The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) said Friday that its members will pull out of all extracurricular activities for a 24-hour period on Monday.

That includes sports, drama, music, band, science clubs, intramurals, rehearsals, student leadership activities, planning for graduation celebrations, books fairs, and other clubs and activities, according to the STF. 

Teachers will also withdraw lunch time supervision in some areas of the province Monday:

  • Northern Lights School Division.
  • Northwest School Division.
  • Prairie South School Division.
  • Saskatoon Public Schools and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools.
  • Living Sky School Division.
  • Light of Christ Catholic School Division.
  • Sakewew High School in North Battleford.

STF president Samantha Becotte said the job action is part of a plan to get the province back to the negotiating table. 

"This government has the ability to pay, they have the ability to ensure that students are getting the supports that they need in classrooms all across the province. They just need the political will, and a lot of that political will comes from public pressure," she said.

essay for extracurricular activities

Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation president lays out one-day strike on extracurricular supervision

One expert believes the STF is trying to strike a balance between staking out a position and maintaining public support.

"I think trying to find that balance is difficult and we never know, we might end up at a point where there is a full-scale strike, because that is what will put ultimate pressure on the employer. But for now, I think they're trying to keep that balance," said Charles Smith, an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan.

  • Sask. Teachers' Federation takes aim at violent incidents at school, blames lack of funding
  • Sask. teachers' union reiterates that class complexity, size included in other provinces' contracts

During a news conference on Friday, Becotte confirmed that negotiations between the teachers' federation and the province largely remain at a standstill.

The latest round of talks collapsed last week, and it's not clear when — or if — they will resume. 

Becotte said the mandate provided to the province's government-trustee bargaining committee last week was disappointing.

It did not give negotiators latitude to address the key issues raised by the teachers: class complexity and class size.

WATCH | Teacher tells story of being assaulted in Sask. school: 

essay for extracurricular activities

Teacher tells story of being assaulted in Sask. school

"We did communicate that to the GTBC that until they have the authority to engage in negotiations on classroom complexity that we would be declining their invitation," Becotte said. 

The teachers' federation did not rule out taking broader job action, but said those announcements would come at a later date. 

Smith questioned why the government has not made its messaging on class complexity and size clearer.

"The government, from day 1, said 'having this in the contract is not what we want,' but we've never heard the next question answered — at least I haven't. Why can't these issues be in in the agreement?" said Smith. 

A statement from the Ministry of Education did not address questions about how provincial negotiators plan to address the impasse.

Instead, it pointed to how the ministry has invited the STF to the table every day this week.

"Since October, the STF has been at the bargaining table for a total of 30 minutes.… Unfortunately, the union continues to choose job action over bargaining," the statement reads.

The ministry maintains that it has moved on a number of items including salary and workplace safety. It did not say anything about whether it is willing to move on class complexity.

Teachers in Saskatchewan have been without a contract since August.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

essay for extracurricular activities

Alexander Quon is a reporter with CBC Saskatchewan based in Regina. After working in Atlantic Canada for four years he's happy to be back in his home province. He has previously worked with the CBC News investigative unit in Nova Scotia and Global News in Halifax. Alexander specializes in data-reporting, COVID-19 and municipal political coverage. He can be reached at: [email protected].

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  • 2nd round of rotating strikes for Sask. teachers to begin Wednesday
  • Sask. Teachers Federation announces full-day rotating strikes
  • Rolling teacher strikes hit Saskatoon, other regions
  • Innu school division launches teacher training program with McGill University 

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  1. My Extracurricular Activities In School Free Essay Example

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  3. What Are Extracurricular Activities

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COMMENTS

  1. 3 Successful Extracurricular Activity Essay Examples

    The purpose of the extracurricular activities essay is for admissions officers to better understand how your extracurricular activities have shaped and motivated you. This essay shouldn't restate the activities you've already shared in your resume, but should elaborate on their impact and significance to you as a person.

  2. How to Write a Great Extracurricular Activity Essay 2023

    Extracurricular Activity Essay Example: The Catalyzing Creativity Club Extracurricular Activity Essay Example: Earthquakes A Step-by-Step Guide to Brainstorming and Writing a Narrative (Challenges-Based) Extracurricular Essay The Montage Approach (via The Uncommon Connections Exercise)

  3. Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples

    An extracurricular activity, or after-school activity, is something that you participate in outside of your regular classes. Extracurricular activities are important because they give you a chance to explore your interests outside the classroom.

  4. How to Write a Strong Extracurricular Activity Essay

    1. Personal Significance When contemplating which extracurriculars to highlight in your essay, take the time to reflect on the experiences that have had the most profound impact on your life. Consider the activities that have shaped your character, influenced your values, and ignited your passions.

  5. How to Write an Extracurricular Activities Supplemental Essay

    Key Takeaway Extracurricular Activities supplemental essays can be the trickiest to get right. In this post, we'll give you some concrete strategies for writing your own. This post is one in a series of posts about the supplemental essays. You can read our core "how-to" supplemental post here.

  6. How to Write a Great Extracurricular Activity Essay (2023 Guide)

    July 25, 2023 How will you write your college extracurricular activity essay? The Common Application used to ask you to "elaborate" on one of your extracurricular activities in 150 words. Now this essay is not quite as common. At least it is no long required on the Common App.

  7. How to Write the Harvard Extracurricular Activities Essay

    In this post, we look at Harvard University 's supplemental essay focusing on extracurricular activities. For more information, check out this article on how to get into Harvard . Purpose of the Prompt Harvard's second supplemental essay prompt reads, "Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences."

  8. How to write an extracurricular activities essay?

    1. Choose a specific activity: Instead of writing about multiple extracurriculars, pick one that you're truly passionate about and has had a significant impact on your personal growth. This will help you focus your essay and provide a more engaging story. 2. Begin with an introduction: Introduce the activity and explain why it's important to you.

  9. How to Improve Your Extracurricular Essay

    the story or narrative, which tends to be the first half or two-thirds of the essay, and. the "so what" or insight, which tends to come at the end. And for the purposes of illustrating this point I've decided to focus on the extracurricular activity essay, since most of you are or will be writing one, but the lessons apply for most any essay.

  10. How to Write the Harvard Supplemental Essay

    How to Write Harvard Supplemental Essay #3. Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (10-200 words) This is your classic 150-word extracurricular essay.

  11. How to Write About Extracurriculars on College Applications

    Remember that almost anything that you are actively and productively involved in can be considered an extracurricular activity. This includes things like having a job or taking care of family members. For the Common App, you'll need to reflect on what you have learned from your activities and how they have helped you develop.

  12. How to write the 'Extracurricular Activity' essay

    What is the "Extracurricular Activity" essay? Examples of "Extracurricular Activity" prompts What are colleges looking for in this supplemental essay? How to write the "Extracurricular Activity" essay Example of a successful extracurricular essay Analysis of a real extracurricular essay How to choose the topic for the extracurricular essay

  13. How to Write about Extracurriculars in Your Personal Statement and

    Emphasizing the meaning and impact of your activity is especially important in supplemental essays because they're shorter, more purpose-driven in response to a prompt, and often more straightforward than a personal statement. Take this example essay ("Community Essay: The DIY-ers") in response to one of MIT's prompts.

  14. Amazing Extracurricular Activity Examples for College Applications

    An extracurricular is any activity you participate in outside of class. It can be associated with your school, such as a sports team or club, or completely separate. They also include any jobs or internships you have had, as well as volunteer work you have performed.

  15. Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples

    Participation in extracurricular activities become an important part of secondary school life. The most common cocurricular activities are art club, basketball club, badminton club, hockey club, etc. Extracurricular activities have many benefits for students, can not only enrich students' school life, but can also promote friendships among ...

  16. Extracurricular Activities Essay

    Short Essay on Extracurricular Activities is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Students who take part in extra curriculum activities improve their academic scores and social life. It also helps to reduce many peer pressure related problems and enrich the lives of students, their families and our communities.

  17. "Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities

    As you may have guessed, all versions of the "Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities" prompt are extracurricular activities essay prompts. Here are two real examples: Harvard: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (150 words) Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt offers a ...

  18. Extracurricular Activities Essay Examples and Topics

    A Personal Experience of Different Extracurricular Activities. 2907. The numerous extracurricular activities that I have participated in throughout my High School and College careers have all impacted me in a variety of ways that have created the person I am today. Although the activities vary from piano practice, to an internship at a….

  19. Complete List of Extracurricular Activities: 100s of Examples

    Sports and Recreation. You probably already know about the sports teams at your schools, but there are also many opportunities to participate outside of those. Try doing extramural sports, join a club league in your community, or consider coaching a youth team. Baseball and softball.

  20. Extracurricular Activity Examples

    80+ Real Examples for Writing Your Extracurricular Activity List Ethan Sawyer October 22, 2018 Common App, Supplemental Essays I happen to think the activities list is one of the most underutilized spaces on the college application. Why? I think your activities list can make the difference in your application. Want proof? Compare these two: Art

  21. Extracurricular Activities

    Extracurricular Activities. I believe that extracurricular activities are a crucial aspect of life. Life must be multidimensional and offer the individual a number of activities to enrich one's life. I have several extracurricular activities. One of my favorites is a sport that I regularly engage in: table tennis.

  22. Essay on Extracurricular Activities

    February 18, 2024 Students are often asked to write an essay on Extracurricular Activities in their schools and colleges. And if you're also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic. Let's take a look… 100 Words Essay on Extracurricular Activities What Are Extracurricular Activities?

  23. The Role of Extra-Curricular Activities in the School Curriculum

    Essay Sample: Most of the education theories emphasized the connection between physiological, emotional, social and, cognitive development. ... "Extra-Curricular Activity" is part of any school curriculum, this includes all activities which take place outside the classroom environment so that each and every child get the opportunity to ...

  24. How to Choose and Prioritize Extracurricular Activities as a Premed

    The best extracurricular activities will be personally tailored to your specific goals in medicine and in your career. It is essential to align extracurriculars with your goals, so dedicate some ...

  25. College Admissions Trends: AI, College Essays And Going ...

    One way to do this for universities is to focus on varied aspects of the application to get a holistic picture—leadership, extracurricular activities, academics, community service and so on.

  26. 'Balancing studies, projects and extra-curricular activities

    'Balancing studies, projects and extra-curricular activities — life in IIT Bombay is fun' 'Balancing studies, projects and extra-curricular activities — life in IIT Bombay is fun' The IIT Bombay fourth year student completed his internship in an aerospace company and wishes to work on UAV technology or aerial robotics after his BTech ...

  27. How to get away with AI-generated essays

    To test ChatGPT's abilities and weaknesses, I asked it to write a short essay on a particular topic that I specialised in. Before looking at what it produced, I wrote my own 100% original short ...

  28. Teachers to pull out of extracurricular activities across Sask. on

    More job action is on the way from teachers in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) said Friday that its members will pull out of all extracurricular activities for a 24-hour ...