The college admissions process can be overwhelming and tedious, but thankfully, there are pros who’ve built a career out of guiding students and their families through it all. Kate Stone is one of them, and she’s breaking down which extracurricular activities are most helpful for getting kids into college.
While being involved at school is great, not all extracurriculars are created equal. “Anything that thousands of kids are doing is always going to be less helpful for you," Stone explains. “It's not that you should completely avoid popular extracurriculars, though. It just means that you have to bring something creative or differentiated to it.”
The college admissions expert recently ranked a handful of popular high school activities according to their value on an application to a top tier university.
- Newspaper editor: 7/10
- Robotics: 3/10
- Student council: 5/10
- Winning academic competitions: 8/10
- Playing viola: 9/10
- Playing violin: 3/10
- Taking an independent online course or college course: 8/10
- Planning your prom: 7/10
- Solving a real-world problem in your community: 10/10
- Model U.N. and debate: 5/10
- Eagle Scout: 6/10
- Founder of a club: 3/10
- Founding a club with a measurable impact: 9/10
- Varsity captain: 5/10
- Tutoring: 4/10
- Internships: 7/10
- DECA (student career organization): 5/10
Stone’s Tips for College Applicants:
- Tip 1 - Differentiate Yourself
- Tip 2 - Pursue Your Passion
- Tip 3 - Make a Lasting, Measurable Impact
- And her top tip? Find a mentor. “The new extracurricular is having a mentor,” Stone says. “If I could advise parents one thing, find your kid a mentor that you know will inspire them.” connecting your kid with a mentor who is living the life your kid wants can help them find the right activities and inspiration.⠀
Source: Today
