Activities & Resume

The activities section of your application gets maybe 30 seconds of an admissions officer’s attention — but it tells them more about you than any other single section. Ten activities with 150-character descriptions each. That’s 1,500 characters to show who you are outside the classroom.

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, you crafted your personal statement — the narrative heart of your application. Your activities list complements the essay: while the essay goes deep on one story, the activities list shows the breadth of who you are.

Organizing Your Activities

The Activity Inventory Prompt

Help me organize my activities for college applications:

List everything I've done outside of class (include all years of high school):
[List all activities: clubs, sports, jobs, volunteer work, family
responsibilities, personal projects, hobbies, summer programs,
religious organizations, caregiving]

For each activity, I'll note:
- Years involved
- Hours per week
- Leadership roles (if any)
- Measurable impact (people helped, money raised, projects completed)

Help me:
1. Rank by impact and depth (most impressive first)
2. Identify the narrative thread — what themes connect my top activities?
3. Write 150-character descriptions that show IMPACT, not just participation
4. Spot any gaps (e.g., no community service, no sustained commitment)
5. Identify which activities support my intended major

The 150-Character Description Formula

The Common App gives you 150 characters per activity description. Every character counts.

Formula: Action verb + what you did + measurable impact

✅ Quick Check: You have 150 characters. Which description is stronger: “Founded coding club, taught students to code” (44 chars) or “Founded coding club (45 members); taught Python to beginners. 3 students placed in state hackathon” (97 chars)? (Answer: The second — it has specific numbers (45 members, 3 students) and an outcome (state hackathon placement). Specificity proves impact; vague claims are unverifiable.)

Description Writing Prompt

Write a 150-character activity description for:

Activity: [name]
My role: [title or position]
Years: [how many years]
Key accomplishments: [list 2-3 specific things you achieved]
Numbers: [any quantifiable impact — people, money, events, growth]

Write 3 options under 150 characters each, prioritizing:
- Action verbs (led, founded, organized, created, raised)
- Specific numbers
- Outcomes, not just duties

Telling a Coherent Story

Your activities should form a narrative, not a random list.

Analyze my activities list for narrative coherence:

My activities (in order of importance):
1. [Activity, role, impact]
2. [Activity, role, impact]
3-10. [Continue...]

My intended major: [major]
My essay topic: [brief summary]

Evaluate:
1. What themes emerge? (leadership, creativity, service, etc.)
2. Do activities support my stated academic interests?
3. Is there growth visible? (participant → leader, local → state)
4. Are there any contradictions? (essay about one thing, no related activities)
5. What story would an admissions officer construct from this list?

Practice Exercise

1. List all your activities (don’t filter yet — include everything from work to hobbies)
2. Write 150-character descriptions for your top 5 activities using the formula: verb + action + impact
3. Ask AI to identify the narrative thread connecting your activities — what story do they tell together?

Key Takeaways

• Quality over quantity: 7 strong activities with clear impact beat 10 entries with filler padding
• The 150-character description formula: action verb + what you did + measurable impact (numbers make claims credible)
• Work experience and family responsibilities are valuable activities — describe them with the same impact-focused language as leadership positions
• Your activities list should tell a coherent story — themes of growth, leadership, or deep commitment are more compelling than random variety
• Order activities by importance and impact (most impressive first), not chronologically
• AI helps you write concise, impactful descriptions but you provide the raw material — the accomplishments and numbers

Up Next

In the next lesson, you’ll prepare recommendation letter requests and practice for interviews — using AI to help your recommenders write strong letters and prepare you for the questions admissions officers actually ask.