If you’re an upperclassman, you would understand the struggle that comes from the heightened expectations to have your life tailored to prepare for the college season. There are many ways to highlight your accomplishments and abilities, such as a huge list of activities that align with your major, numerous awards and successes in academics, and the constant question that haunts us all: “What do you do outside of high school?”
The topic of extracurriculars has come into discussion many times, but most importantly, many question if acceptance to an Ivy League is correlated to a long list of activities. For some the easy answer is yes or no, but the topic at hand is more complicated than you think.
More often, when we think of extracurriculars we think of something that looks like this: Debate Club, Varsity Volleyball, Library Student Aide, Art Club member, Broadcasting News Anchor. However, statistics show that even a transcript that looks like this, isn’t that unique to. According to Next Level Education, over 90% of colleges consider extracurriculars “Important” or “Very Important,” revealing that the presence of activities in a student’s life can impact their acceptance in college. However, the data would seem to suggest otherwise.
A Forbes analysis of applicants to elite colleges found this pattern:
| Number of Extracurriculars | Admission Rate |
| 1 activity | ~8% |
| 2 activities | ~15% |
| 3 activities | ~25% |
| 4 activities | ~30% (highest) |
| 5 activities | ~25% |
| 6+ activities | ~7% |
So, what kind of extracurriculars are colleges looking for and should I be a member of every club at my school or not?
The answer can be different for many colleges, and, no, you having a long list of activities will not make an admission officer smile as it turns out. In fact, somewhere around 20% of high school students participate in 3-5 activities, a decent amount seemingly sufficient for college acceptance. So, why are the statistics not matching up?
As a matter of fact, elite colleges share a similar pattern when they look through an applicant’s activities list and transcripts. They particularly look into how the activities are tailored to match a student’s interest or major. So, if your extracurricular list looks somewhat like Film Club, Mathletics Team, Broadcasting, and Robotic Club, you’re on the right track. The first step into actually making your extracurriculars matter to an admissions officer is having it reflect in your passion. There’s no shame in the game when it comes to whatever you want to do and if an officer can see your interest shine through your student life, that is already enough to prove that you’re worthy of a spot. Another important thing that elite colleges factor in, when it comes to extracurriculars, is long-term commitments. The best way to leverage success in something is to be consistent at it, because you will always see growth even if it’s subtle. Some may say that leadership comes into tight decisions, but leadership can only be granted to one if someone shows they are committed to the activity for an extensive period of time. If you’re an underclassman looking for what to do at Marian Catholic, you have plenty of options! Ranging from Film Club to Speech to Women’s Club, our community is open to people who share different passions. It all begins with starting early, because it is solely through commitment that officers can really begin to see impact, passion, initiative, and leadership.
So, from this essay that you’ve probably skimmed through, it does turn out that extracurriculars matter but to a certain extent with qualifications involved. It’s all up to you whether you want to start becoming involved, but the worst thing you can lose is missing the opportunity to find your passion.