A Note for Juniors: Start Your Activity List Now

This week, I had an idea that starting your activity list before your summer between junior and senior year is beneficial. It doesn’t need to be in the format required for the Common App. Students can write down all activities in high school, both inside and outside of school, with frequency and length of participation.

Now, with this list, you’ll need to think about two things: have I shown leadership and done anything related to my desired major? If either of those answers is no, you have time to change that. If you participate in a sport or a club, run for captain, president, or secretary. If you have a major in mind and haven’t delved deep into it, summer is a great time to start researching. And with this research, you can do a project, start a blog, or put an instructional video up on YouTube. Please log how much time you spent researching and note some discoveries. If you don’t have a major picked out, find something you like to do and delve deeper. See what you can find out. Maybe you find a major, or you can show that you are open to learning beyond schoolwork.

Your options for your activity list are endless. Remember that colleges would love to see those two items - leadership and academic curiosity. Another way to show both is with a job. Hard work, even at a pizzeria, will give you leadership skills. 

Another idea is to start a club related to something you enjoy at your school. It doesn’t necessarily have to be academic and/or directly related to your major. You get the leadership points and something to show your interests. 

So, pull out a piece of paper, get to work, and have fun coming up with new ideas!

And if you need any help, please email me at karenoppen@oppenadmissions.com.