Top 3 Benefits of the Common App. With the inclusion of the popular "Topic of Your Choice" option, you have the opportunity to write about anything you want to share with the folks in the admissions office. In addition to listing your family responsibilities in the activities section, ... share on this topic, and they will treat your personal story with respect and confidentiality. You should also make a point to highlight how you overcame that obstacle and grew from the experience. Stay on track and ease your anxiety with our second-to-none college application assistance. And what category would it be under? We are having trouble with the “average hours per week” section. On the Common App Activities Section the pull down menu provides only general classification on extracurricular activities. Ethan helps students write amazing college essays by offering free resources, one-on-one essay sessions, online webinars, and in-person workshops. I’d just try to answer honestly and not over-think it. Hello Maria, The second text field allows you to elaborate and provide more detail. Navigate your entire college application journey with Common App. Pinterest – Check out our collection of college admissions policies for homeschoolers. You may also be interested in: If that’s the case, keep your explanation short and to-the-point. Read on for everything you need to know about the 2019-2020 Common App. What if we have private lessons? Property of Common App, Inc. 2020 Common App, Inc. commonapp.org The Activities section is one of the seven sections of the Common App tab. The Additional Information section is not a place to continue or expand on your personal statement. If you feel that your story is better told that way, consider making it the subject of your personal statement, but only if it is the best way to answer the prompt. What you should do if you have no ECs. Thanks for your questions. They did highlight the volunteer efforts they were able to do and an upcoming professional paper they will have published. Essay writing timelines: how to write your Common App personal statement if you have six months, three months, one month, or even less. If it does, and it’s not already included in another section, go ahead and add it. Activity type: Community Service (Volunteer) Position/Leadership description and organization name, if applicable: Key Club: Club President; Kiwanis Coordinator (1) Details, honors won, and accomplishments: High school community service organization which I helped coordinate as Club President. Check out our College Application Boot Camp. In general, do not include personal family photos or certificates of completion in your application. Use a sample to craft your application essay section about activities. Should I include National Honor Societies in the activities section if I’ve already listed it under education? One section of the Common Application that confuses many students is the activities section. My son ran spring track grades 9-11 and will run again in grade 12 too. It allows applicants to complete one common application, hence the name “Common App,” when applying to universities. For the Common App, you have 5 slots for honors and awards, and 10 slots for your extracurricular activities. If you had an unusual high school experience, such as homeschooling while traveling abroad or attending a specialized school, you can explain why your transcript may not look like what the admissions committee is expecting to see. Admissions understands some activities run year round and some meet just occasionally or for a shorter period of time. I plan on mentioning my club soccer with my school soccer since its very minimal. Ten Activities Aren’t Necessary Often students will list an activity like musical theater and then provide some detail like – Roles in six YouthCenter productions. Designing apps or working at the beach as a lifeguard are appropriate to list. Other commons circumstances that can be explained in the Additional Information section include family emergencies and tragedy, struggles with gender or identity that affected academic performance, a relocation that caused missed days of school, or economic hardship that required you to work during or after high school. As your teens enter the college admissions process are you wondering what to expect? Instead of trying to impress Admissions, make sure your focus is on reflecting the real you. Yes, you are limited by characters but if you find a way to play around with it you’ll figure out how to make the most important stuff fit. There is no single rule here. For example, if you tell a sad story just to gain sympathy that is not genuine, it will reflect poorly on your application. Be sure to take the time to preview your activities on the screen. Utilize the Additional Information section to fill in any missing information that will be beneficial to your application. The reality is that doing so will reflect negatively on your overall application because it will show that you joined too many activities and did not follow the application instructions. Would it be okay to combine club and school soccer into one activity. Junior Volunteer, Central Food Pantry. While my grades dropped during this time, I kept up with all my courses, scored well on the SATs, and became captain of the softball team. Below are a number of links that provide examples of Common App essays. I encourage you to look at your life and think about anything you did aside from work in the classroom. ... ©2020 The Common … Also, she has had a lead role in each, does that count for leadership. Barbara. Finally, this last student discusses her health issues: I suffered from a string of concussions in my sophomore and junior years. The student will be able to list the years they participated and how many hours. My son has a weekend activity once per month (Friday night through Sunday at noon). I leave extra early in the morning and get home at 7 pm, once my parents are off from work and can pick me up. These are examples of activities that can give you that “hook”. Common App Essay Prompts 2020-2021. This is particularly true if the achievement is related to your potential long-term career path or major of study. my activities description does not allow me to right more than 25 words. So hard to list when they are not full year activities, and when the hours vary from week to week. Anything you add should be genuine and important. We created this guide to help you write the best possible Common App Additional Information Section! Please Describe this Activity Before filling out the Additional Information section, take a look at the big picture of your application. Follow these pointers for crafting a rich and memorable Common App activities page. If you spent time in France for one year and became fluent in French or your parents had your family move to Africa while they worked for the Red Cross, you should mention this. That said, the Common App is a part of the admissions process that needs to be filled out with precision and care. Make a list of goals of what key points you would like to get across to the admissions committee. Make sure that anything you add is distinctly different from the topics you covered in other writing portions of the Common App. Details About Activities Most of us don’t keep time logs of every minute of our days, so estimating is what is expected here. There is a place to list every class, activity, and personal reason that you are a great fit for a particular school. many orchestra participation; summer jobs, etc.? High School Planning for College Admissions Success, What To Look for in a Homeschool Consultant, latest in homeschooling and college admissions, college admissions policies for homeschoolers, Academic Benefits of Homeschooling High School, Family Benefits of Homeschooling High School. Good luck! It is important to understand our kids are playing on a different... Can homeschoolers get into Ivy League colleges? All Rights Reserved. ... Use the Additional Information section on the Writing page to share important résumé details that you could not fit on the Activities … The key to determining if you should use the Additional Information section is if the information you plan to include adds value to your application. While social media is an increasingly popular way for colleges to market, the familiar glossy brochures filling the mailbox are a... Facebook – Follow for the latest in homeschooling and college admissions news. She was rehearsal assistant for a production but just once. He has answered the “weeks per year” as “12”. Demonstrating participation and accomplishment through extracurricular activities is essential for all college applicants. I’ve been playing viola since I was young. What should I do? How would you suggest listing the “Hours” field? Include volunteer experience if it is prolonged and shows a genuine commitment. Should I say yes to all of them to demonstrate possible activeness in college? Think carefully before you mention a hardship in this section. Yes, but as for all students it is very competitive. At the end of each activity, there is a yes/no question asking if I want to continue this activity in college. Is it a good idea to put that up as an activity? It is pretty common for students to carry on some but not all of their high school interests into college so you don’t have to say yes to everything. If you did exceptionally well after the incident occurred, that is something to be proud of and it will also show the admissions committee that you had difficult circumstances, worked hard, and did well in the end. Typically I suggest students list scouts under Community Service. If once a month your works at the food bank for a four hour shift – I would answer that he is participates 12 weeks a year, four hours per week. Art encompasses a wide variety of … We hope they inspire you and help you to write your own unique essay for your college application. It led to financial hardship for my family and a drop in my grades. Students who want to be successful in highly selective admissions are advised to start early and carefully build their... Has the deluge of college mail started arriving in your homeschooler’s mailbox yet? Check the common app activities section examples. Take the time to plan your answer carefully and remember that your reader may not be familiar with the specific activities or organizations you are involved with. This response text is limited to 150 characters including spaces. Doesn’t it supposed to allow until 150? ... Common App Essay Examples . Extracurricular activities can take on a special importance for homeschoolers. I want to put viola player as the “position” but I feel like there would be too much information to include and I’m only allowed 150 characters. Topic Title: Math Team Declared Time Commitment: 1 hours per week, 16 weeks per year Description: In my junior year, I placed first at my school in the AMC 12 competition. This may be a good place to do so, but it may also come across as making excuses. If you have participated in an impressive research study or have been published, absolutely mention your accomplishments in the Common App. Keep in mind that you are able to list and briefly describe leadership you held within activities in the Activities portion of your application. they are not mentioned elsewhere in your application. Stereotypes about homeschoolers persist and activities are an opportunity to demonstrate that teens have been well-socialized and are  members of their communities. Green Committee Chair, Youth In Action ), 75+ Community Service Ideas & Projects: The Volunteer’s Guide, How to Write the Common App Activities Section (Examples Included! I hope that helps! I don’t want to put it on a separate “Athletics: Club” because I don’t have a lot to say about club soccer. Many students see ten lines in the activities section and they panic. The first text field provides a place for students to list position/leadership name and organization name if applicable. Many students who apply to these schools have top GPAs and test scores, so extracurricular activities are one of the best ways to differentiate yourself from the rest of the applicant pool and make yourself stand out as an exceptional candidate. HELP ME . Should I combine or separate the two? Overview for the Common App. This is required for some colleges. College admissions understand that some activities run year round and some (such as a being in a theater performance) may be intense but for a shorter period of time. The Common Application, as well as many individual college applications, provides room for students to list out extracurricular activities. For some students, the 10 spaces for Common App activities are just not enough. should i mention what i just said in the common app? Extracurricular activities can take on a special importance for homeschoolers. Should I combine activities if they are similar. School soccer is my main. I have a 2 year old. Use every inch to demonstrate your impact beyond the classroom. Hi Sarah, As most of us don’t walk around with stop watches we just have to guess the average. Hi I would like to know if dual enrollment counts as an activity. College-Specific Questions: Some schools choose to ask additional questions, which will be listed in this section. Make sure you are not using this section to fit in more information for the sake of looking impressive. Remember, being authentic, unique, and honest is where the Additional Information section will be a strong asset to you in your Common App. These opportunities would not have been available to me at my home high school. I was also able to take advantage of social media platforms to create fundraising drives for Ananda Sagara, an orphanage and charitable organization I work with in Bangalore, India. Brainstorming Common App Essay topics. According to Common App, “activities may include arts, athletics, clubs, employment, personal commitments, and other pursuits.”. The Additional Information section is designed to include relevant factors to your application that would otherwise be missed. Keep in mind that you don’t want to mention any of your accomplishments twice, as this will waste the admission officer’s time. Other sections are specific to particular schools, should they have additional requirements such as writing samples or additional information. The Common Application is officially open for the 2020-21 college application season, and there are several changes that high school seniors should be aware of as they embark on their college admissions journey this fall.. Since then, I have strived to better my grades by attending after-school peer-to-peer tutoring. Good luck! Dear Michelle, International experiences count if they are more than a short trip and if they provided you with a new skill or exceptional personal growth. Good luck with your applications, It can also be an opportunity to describe an experience or volunteer project that really influenced your work in the classroom or other organizations listed on your application. Here's a sample Common App activities list. We support a centralized or "common" online application system for more than 800 colleges and universities worldwide that enables more than 1 million students - a third of whom are first generation - to apply to college. I’m in my HS orchestra, chamber (first chair 9-12), and participated in multiple festival events. Trending Articles. If not, it’s best to leave it off and spend your time polishing the rest of your application. In general, honors that are tied to your extracurricular activities should be listed in the activities section, while those that aren’t connected to a specific activity should be listed in the honors section. I’m kind of having a difficult time deciding how to phrase those right to make them sound wholesome but not too ‘showy’. Granted, there are many difficult situations that happen in life that do impact academic and exam performance.