When college admission officers evaluate applicants, they look for students who are the total package.

Sure, they want to admit students with high cumulative GPAs and great standardized test scores, but they also pay close attention to recommendation letters, volunteer experiences, and extracurricular activities.

Unfortunately, students often hurt their chances of admission because they don’t pay enough attention to their participation in extracurricular activities.

While almost every student knows that they should participate in at least one extracurricular activity during high school, many don’t know that taking on too many extracurriculars can be detrimental.

Other students struggle because they don’t know which types of extracurricular activities will help them stand out and improve their chances for admission.

Take a minute to check out our various SAT prep and ACT prep options today.

Check out our recommendations for extracurricular activities that will look good on your college application:

Top Extracurriculars For College Categories (Part I)

Here are some basic extracurricular categories to consider checking out and what they offer.

Student Government – Joining the student government is a fantastic way to show that school matters are important to you. Plus that you have personal qualities that enable you to be voted in by your fellow students.

Academic Clubs/Teams – An academic club or team lets you showcase your passion for learning new skills and subjects, while also developing a competitive edge. When it comes to how easy or difficult a subject should be, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. Embrace things that seem out of your depth and give it your all.

Debate Team – Debate team students develop a number of helpful skills such as critical thinking, public speaking, and public engagement. All of these skills help you not only in life but are also sought after by prospective colleges too.

Arts Clubs – Creative art clubs, like drama, music band, or other visual arts promote open-mindedness and creativity. Those qualities often help add to overall campus life, enriching the experience for everyone learning and living together. Admissions officers definitely look to build open-minded classes.

Internships – Internships don’t only apply to college life; they’re also helpful in getting you into college. Internships show that you’re capable of handling greater responsibilities outside of regular classes, and are already testing waters in the workforce. Overall, the initiative that successful internships require easily translates into handling college easier.

Top Extracurriculars For College Categories (Part II)

Here are a few more categories to consider.

Culture Clubs – Diversity and culture are promoted and appreciated on college campuses more than ever. If you decide to join a culture club while in high school, that willingness to learn about and accept people and ways of thinking different than your own is attractive to many schools. That ability to develop your own awareness and share it with others won’t hurt you when applying to schools.

Community Service / Volunteering – Most schools will want some level of volunteer work done by applicants, in order to seriously consider them. Volunteering, or community service, looks great on your future resume, too. If you’re not sure what to do, check online for local non-profit organizations in your area and contact them for volunteer opportunities. You can also use volunteer matching services that will help you find volunteer opportunities that are aligned with your interests.

Student Newspaper – Writing for the student newspaper is great for two reasons. First, it demonstrates your willingness to tackle responsibility for something that can directly affect other people, in this case, fellow students. Second, in order to write for the student newspaper, your own English and writing skills have to be better than merely competent. This fact shows admissions officers that you can theoretically handle the heavy writing workloads that college entails.

Part-Time Work – If you work a part-time job, and that takes up most of your time, don’t worry about having enough extracurriculars too. Schools know that many students often work part-time jobs to save money and help their families out. You won’t be penalized as a result because they know you’re working for a good cause.

School Athletics – Participating in school sports helps students develop in various ways, from learning teamwork, building individual leadership skills, to maintaining good physical fitness. Athletics will help out in many admissions officers’ eyes, but don’t hesitate to balance them out with other extracurriculars that showcase your other talents and experience too.

Specific Extracurricular Clubs/Organizations To Seek Out

If you’re interested in specific clubs, here’s a basic list to cross-reference with what your high school currently offers.

• National Honor Society (NHS)
• Student Government Association
• STEM Club
• Girls Who Code
• Astronomy Club
• Chemistry Club
• Engineering Club
• Biology Club
• Math Club
• Physics Club
• Coding Club
• Drama Club
• Choir
• Marching Band
• Concert Band
• Jazz Band
• Orchestra
• Literary Magazine Club
• Poetry Club
• Photography Club
• Dance Club/Team

Tips To Remember

Before joining anything, keep these points in mind, so that you can get the most out of your experience.

Don’t Dabble – Many students think that you need to do a ton of different extracurriculars over the course of high school to look impressive. The problem with this “more is more” mentality is that it often appears that you’ve dabbled for the past four years than seriously committing your time and focus.

That’s why it’s better to have a select few activities that you’ve worked on, rather than jumping from club to club. It’s better to do drama and debate for four years straight than drama for one year, debate the second year, basketball your third year, and math club your senior year. You’ll also be able to showcase your contributions much more thoroughly.

Pursue With Passion – If you enjoy what you do, have a talent for it, and end up becoming a leader in it, then you’ve found the perfect extracurricular for yourself. It doesn’t matter how small or prestigious the club or sport is; if you can demonstrate your passion and accomplishments within that organization to college admission officers, they will notice and remember when reviewing the rest of your application.

Make Sure Your Extracurriculars Align With Schools – When researching potential schools, check if they have clubs or academic programs that align with your extracurriculars. Let’s say that you spent three years in the Physics Club and two of your prospective schools have excellent Physics departments.

Choose Extracurriculars That Fit Your Major- If you are interested in majoring in Engineering, participating in Robotics or Science Olympiad will look good on your application. If you want to be an Education major, try volunteering at an after school tutoring program at a local elementary school.

Participating in activities related to your potential major will show college admissions officers that you are passionate about what you want to study.

How Prep Expert Can Help You

A huge step in being successful beyond high school is doing well on either the SAT or ACT. We can help you do that.

Taught by our high scoring instructors, Prep Expert’s strategies are put into practice through our specific homework assignments and weekly practice tests. Together, this material will help you find and address your problem areas before having to take either test for real.

Ultimately, our aim is to help you achieve your goals for both school and life by providing the tools to overcome this first hurdle in the process – your test score. We’ve seen students’ lives change for the better, from getting scholarship money to getting literally into their dream schools.

Be sure to check out our various class options, from in-person, live online, to self-paced video on demand, to find one that fits your goals and schedule. Our classes are available year-round, so there’s no reason to wait. Moreover, if you need help for specific subjects, AP tests, etc., we have a variety of personal tutoring options available too.

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Top Extracurriculars For College FAQ