Nailing the Activities Section of the Common App

The Activities section of the Common App is small—but mighty. Think of it like Twitter for your achievements: you’ve got very little space to tell a big story. Here’s the breakdown:

• Position/Leadership: 50 characters

• Organization Name: 100 characters

• Description of Activity: 150 characters

That’s about 300 characters total to show colleges what you’ve done, how you’ve led, and the impact you’ve made.

💡 Pro tip: Colleges don’t just want to see that you showed up—they want to see what you did. So use those 50 characters for position wisely. Were you captain, treasurer, outreach chair, event planner, or social media lead? Titles matter. They show leadership and commitment.

Use the 100-character “organization” line to explain what the group actually does. This gives context so you can spend your 150-character description on what matters most: your impact.

And here’s where strong verbs win the day. Instead of saying:
❌ “I got first place in the debate competition in Washington, DC”
✅ Say: “earned 1st place in DC debate”

Or instead of:
❌ “I started a club to look for and observe local birds at school”
✅ Say: “founded birdwatching club”

See how clean and powerful that is? Less fluff, more punch.

📝 Formatting hack: Use semicolons to separate ideas, commas for details. Skip the “I.” Forget the periods. Go for strong action-packed phrases. Example:
“demonstrate concepts, teach math to grades 3–5; design lessons, organize visits; create seasonal math activities for KIHS”

The activities list is like your highlight reel—it’s part of your unique story. Don’t waste a single character. Trim the fat, keep the muscle.

And remember: at College Sharks, we help you cut through the noise so your application makes a splash. 🦈✨