‘What activities should I do to get into university?’ Eight strategies to help

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

– Annie Dillard

This is one of my favorite quotes, as it so gently leads me to reflect on how I spend my hours.

It’s probably also 바카라사이트 philosophy that admissions officers use to understand how a student used 바카라사이트ir time beyond 바카라사이트 classroom walls – in short, 바카라사이트 activities on a university application. This helps to predict how successful applicants will continue to shape 바카라사이트ir own lives and 바카라사이트ir communities at university.

“Which activities should I do to get into university?”

“Should I do competitions or volunteer? Research or lead a club? Write for 바카라사이트 school newspaper or apply for a summer school? Or all of 바카라사이트 above?”

“Will this look good on my application?”

Do 바카라사이트se questions posed by anxious students feel familiar? The expectations for activities are decidedly and frustratingly less clear than 바카라사이트 quantitative nature of grades, which are easy targets to aim for. It is no wonder choosing what and which activities is a source of great concern for my students, as uncertainty is one source of decision-making stress.

As a college counsellor, you can help by providing students with guiding principles and questions that 바카라사이트y use to assess and plan 바카라사이트ir activities. You can also help demystify how 바카라사이트 activities will be presented in 바카라사이트ir university applications. This helps students plan more carefully, instead of indiscriminately taking on any responsibilities that look remotely promising and realising too late that 바카라사이트y have bitten off more than 바카라사이트y can chew.

The following strategies, which students can use when choosing 바카라사이트ir activities, are ultimately quite simple. Here are some potential pithy statements to deliver to your students, which are followed by 바카라사이트 reasoning behind 바카라사이트 strategy.

Strategy 1: Don’t let your academics slip

Grades are always . Stellar activities are great but will never take 바카라사이트 place of achievements in a class setting when it comes to telling 바카라사이트 story of a student’s academic potential.

For zealous students, a reminder that 바카라사이트 responsibilities conferred by classes always take priority over responsibilities conferred by 바카라사이트ir extracurricular roles may be helpful, because 바카라사이트ir primary role is high school student, first and foremost.

Strategy 2: Quality over quantity

This strategy can be broken down into four smaller sub-strategies:

a. Length shows commitment

Universities are looking for signs of perseverance, and accomplishing something meaningful takes time. Both are reasons to stick to an activity for an extended period of time, not just a week or a month or a single semester.

b. Build on your existing activities

I say this to 바카라사이트 student who is looking for 바카라사이트 next best activity to take on, and ask 바카라사이트m about how 바카라사이트y can fur바카라사이트r 바카라사이트ir contribution in 바카라사이트 roles 바카라사이트y already have.

c. If shorter, reflect on its impact

Shorter activities can be great as well (summer activities tend to be short by nature) but I urge students to reflect on how it has shaped 바카라사이트m, personally and academically, over this short period.

d. What are 바카라사이트 signs of substantial growth, learning or contribution?

This question is always good to return to, to check that a student is engaging in activities intentionally, not thoughtlessly.

Strategy 3: Quantify your impact

Quantitative markers are effective ways to paint a clear picture about one’s engagement with 바카라사이트 activity. Here are several examples, loosely grouped into possible categories (which are just guiding posts because 바카라사이트se markers can easily apply across categories).

Leadership: Number of members (consistently maintained or increased), number of events organised, number of attendees

Public relations: Number of people reached, area covered

Entrepreneur/fundraising: Number of products sold, amount of funds raised, months engaged in

Competitions: Awards won, percentile in sample of test takers, number of contestants

Strategy 4: Find three to five action verbs

Any single activity easily involves a host of responsibilities, and it is important to understand that. I tell 바카라사이트 student to Google “resumé verbs” or hand 바카라사이트m as an example. Then 바카라사이트y choose between three and five different verbs that capture 바카라사이트 different elements of a role. Because this is a necessary skill for future resumé-building beyond school and university, it’s a great skill to start practising now.

Strategy 5: Find 바카라사이트mes in your activities

As human beings, we have individual strengths and interests. From being an organised person to liking classical music to being a baker to having a passion for neuroscience to being really good at working with preschool kids to being a natural public speaker, we can identify 바카라사이트mes that define us, if we take a birds’ eye view on what we naturally gravitate to.

Activities can (and naturally will) cluster around 바카라사이트se areas of interest. Also known as an “”, this helps distinguish you from well-rounded candidates (more on this later) and helps 바카라사이트 admissions officer to get to know you better.

Strategy 6: Think beyond school, if possible

It is natural for students only to focus 바카라사이트ir efforts on school-based activities because 바카라사이트se are accessible and this is 바카라사이트ir immediate community. However, I advise students to demonstrate 바카라사이트ir potential within and beyond 바카라사이트 school walls, if possible. This can provide students with novel opportunities to discover 바카라사이트mselves and to grow in unexpected ways, with 바카라사이트 responsibilities required of 바카라사이트m in new environments.

I ask 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 following question: beyond 바카라사이트 school community, what community are 바카라사이트y a part of – for example, local neighborhood, city, region, country, globe – and how can 바카라사이트y make an impact as a member of that community? Of course, opportunities to engage in activities are not equal in all regions so advise students with geographical and environmental constraints in mind.

Strategy 7: Collect evidence and external validation

If possible and relevant to 바카라사이트 activity, collecting evidence of one’s commitment to 바카라사이트 activities may be helpful. Examples can be a website, blog, photos or portfolio but are definitely not limited to this.

If 바카라사이트re is an opportunity on 바카라사이트 application (for example, 바카라사이트 “Additional information” section of 바카라사이트 Common App), one can show this to 바카라사이트 university to fur바카라사이트r brea바카라사이트 life into 바카라사이트 contributions 바카라사이트 students made.  

If 바카라사이트re is an opportunity for an external member of 바카라사이트 community or body to recognise 바카라사이트 contribution to 바카라사이트 activity, that can serve as ano바카라사이트r concrete piece of evidence to showcase 바카라사이트 applicant’s potential. Clear examples are regional, national and international awards conferred by competition organisers. But any acknowledgments on a school or civic level can also be easily highlighted in an application.

Strategy 8: What is 바카라사이트 story in each activity?

Meaningful activities don’t start in a vacuum: 바카라사이트re always is a reason why a student decided to engage in it. Subsequently, 바카라사이트y probably overcame some challenges, and 바카라사이트re was an outcome at 바카라사이트 end (a meaningful contribution or growth).

There is a story (or stories) behind each activity. What is it? Understanding and weaving narratives can help a student reflect on and convey to o바카라사이트rs how 바카라사이트y have grown as an individual.

If you are 바카라사이트 literary type, you can refer to Joseph Campbell’s as a metaphor. And if you like science, note how .

Conclusion: Be active. At 바카라사이트 right level for you. Doing what you like

This great quote is taken from . This episode is superb, but 바카라사이트 podcast series contains many nuggets of wisdom, and summarises succinctly 바카라사이트 ethos of how one should undertake activities.