Extracurriculars that Stand Out in College Admissions
There’s a secret that pricey college admissions consultants tell their clients: these days, it’s not enough to be excellent. Your profile also needs to stand out and be different from everyone else’s.
The number of applications submitted to highly selective colleges has exploded in the last five years. In 2020 alone, applications to top colleges increased by 20-40% or more! Teens today often submit 15-20 college applications. And if you come from a reasonably strong high school there’s a fair chance that you will be applying to the same schools as 10, 20 or even 50 of your classmates. With these numbers, it’s become a lot harder for even exceptional applicants to stand out from the pile.
Here’s the other problem: most candidates look very similar. The vast majority of applicants to elite schools have fantastic grades and board scores and participate in the same school-based extracurriculars (think: sports, student government, Model UN). Colleges work hard to build balanced student bodies (including geographically), so you are competing directly with other kids from your school and your region for a small number of spots. On these facts, it’s critical that you have something in your application that makes you look different.
It’s extremely difficult to compete on grades and scores alone. So how can ambitious teens improve their odds in this ultra-competitive landscape? Extracurriculars. But not just any extracurriculars. Your high school resume should include at least a handful of extracurriculars that are:
ORIGINAL
MEMORABLE
IMPACTFUL
THEMATICALLY LINKED
Remember: the key to standing out is to look different. School-based extracurriculars are fantastic and really important to show engagement and connection with your community. But if you are trying to stand out you should supplement your school-based activities with extracurriculars that are highly original. Relatedly, at least one or two of your extracurriculars should be memorable (with a WOW! factor). Pick something that will stand out to people when you tell them about it and that is going to stick in the mind of a college admissions officer (in a good way). At least one of your activities should make a real impact on your school or community and be self-directed, youth-led and realistic. Everyone does standard form community service. Very few candidates have made a real impact on their communities. Finally, there should be a thematic link between at least some of your extracurriculars that can be explained in a coherent narrative arc when you are completing your college applications. Candidates who have committed to a theme and dug deep look a lot more impressive than candidates who have taken a scattershot approach to filling their non-academic time. Remember: colleges want well-rounded classes, not well-rounded applicants. Be pointy!
None of this has to be hard or time-consuming. With a few strategic choices you can take your application from good to great. Want to know more? Watch our FREE webinar at: https://blue-blaze.com/webinar or join Blue Blaze at: https://blue-blaze.com/join and discover our amazing, curated collection of original extracurriculars, mind-blowing summer programs and impressive community-based projects.
High school goes fast. Time to start building a smarter resume for college admissions.
