Constructing an Effective College Application Activity Sheet

What is a college application activity sheet? The activity sheet is a tool for admissions counselors to evaluate the student in a perspective that is above and beyond grades and test scores. All college applications require information outlining the applicant’s extracurricular involvement. Constructing an activity sheet can be a daunting task for students as they attempt to put together all their information. What should they include? What is important? What are colleges looking for? All these questions are legitimate and should be considered when preparing a college application activity sheet. Having gone through the college application process four times in six years, I am able to share some insight on how to put your best foot forward on your college application resume. First and foremost, recognize that the activity sheet is your chance to shine. This sheet provides a vehicle for you to highlight all the great aspects of your high school career that can’t be seen on your transcript. So feel free to brag and sell yourself. Before you start to complete the activity sheet, compile a list of all your high school activities, clubs, service work, sports teams, honors or achievements. Add to that list any groups of activities you were involved with that occurred outside of school. This could include church groups, theatrical or musical groups or service organizations such as Girl and Boy Scouts. Now evaluate your list. Eliminate anything that was a one-time activity with no relation to your others. For example, you don’t need to add the 2 hours you spent in your sophomore year sorting cans for a food drive, unless you have an extensive community service resume. You don’t want your activity sheet to be a long list of “one hit wonders”. Your goal is to show a depth of commitment and focus to areas that are important to you. Don’t discount sports involvement by just listing your teams and years of participation. Include any titles or recognitions the team received. If your team went to the State finals that means you had an extended season requiring more than the usual hours of participation. Also include any individual recognition such as All League honors. Finally, many high school sports teams are including an element of service in their season. It may be a charity fundraiser, such as a Hit A Thon, a food drive, a clinic for local kids or a summer camp. These should all be a part of your college application activity sheet. A final piece of advice is to limit your sheet to one page. Keep the format simple and easy to read. Avoid complex spreadsheets, clip art and fancy fonts. Finally, put your activities in order of your strengths. If you have a lot of service work, list that first. If your honors are few, put that near the end. Always, always include any jobs you have held. Holding a job is a reflection on your responsibility and reliability. My advice to younger students..start a document your freshman or sophomore year where you can enter your activity information on an occasional basis. By senior year, you will have a list in place and can edit it accordingly. It makes the process simple and stress-free. For more tips and to see a sample college application activity sheet check out Celebrate College at Celebration Ideas Online.com.