The Increasing Importance of Activity Lists

We have written before about the evolving importance of different elements of the application process, most recently noting the decreased emphasis on essays and

greater relevance of video content for a number of top schools.

Now, there is increasing evidence that activities and the activity section of student

applications are more important in the admissions process. As recently as 2023,

NACAC surveys highlighted activities as the 9th most important factor; for many years

colleges emphasized other categories as more relevant, with one Purdue study

highlighting a lack of correlation between a stronger activity section and increased

acceptance odds.

Our own survey of 28 colleges, compiled in the last 60 days, shows that 20 (71%)

considered activities and the activity section to be more important in their decision process this cycle. Articles on the subject, like the one released February 24th by Bucknell University, are appearing more frequently.

While colleges mention their focus on activities as a way to differentiate applications, we

believe a newer factor is increasingly important — community. Divisive actions on college campuses over the past few years have made campus conflict and the destructive publicity that tends to folow it a bigger cobcern for higher education. While there are many potential negatives associated with troubled campuses and student communities, the impact that can be felt in admissions is one schools are increasingly focused on. All schools seek to avoid the type of reputational damage that can be done by divisive, hostile and potentially dangerous campus environments seen most recently at Cornell, and how applicants spend their free time in high school can be a way to try to gauge potential campus contribution and how a student might impact the campus community they join.

In brief, students with a list of focused, healthy interests can look good to a college, not only by what they might contribute but also by what they likely will not if they stay engaged with some of their high school passions. A Pioneer Academics survey of 150 high performing students applying to highly selective colleges highlights this with the peak acceptance rate in their survey group occurring among applicants with four activities, while those with six fared worse than those with only one activity. One might imagine that more focused activities are more likely to continue in college.

An increased focus on activities leads us to the following recommendations for families:

1. Less is more. Filling out all ten slots in the Common App activity section can bring in

inflated activities, so the student’s true areas of focus are diminished, and the

truthfulness of their application becomes a question.

2. Link activities with academic areas of focus when possible, and make sure to

cultivate intellectual pursuits outside of high school.

3. Dare to be different. Mention hobbies and work as important. While a true focus and

interest in community service is a positive, when it isn’t authentic it can introduce a level

of cynicism that is negative for an applicant. Scholarship Owl’s 2025 survey of 12,000+

applicants had 73% mentioning volunteer work and community service as an activity,

which points to a high bar to impress application readers.

4. Think about activities as a reflection of the candidate. If a college could look only at

your activity list, would they know you and see you as a positive contributor to their

campus environment?

5. Add up the hours and weeks associated with the Common App activity section and

make sure they are realistic.