How to Write the Common App Activities List (That Admissions Actually Reads)
6 min read
The Common App activities section gives you 150 characters for description and 50 for position/leadership. Most students waste both. Here's how to use every character.
The key principle
The activities list should add information the rest of the application doesn't have. If the description just restates the title, it's not doing any work. If it tells the reader something specific — a number, an outcome, a decision — it's pulling its weight.
What to put in the description
- A specific outcome or scale ('reached 2,400 readers monthly')
- A decision you made that wasn't obvious ('restructured the club's funding model after the school cut our budget')
- What you actually did, not what the role involves in general
Ordering your activities
Put your most meaningful activity first — not the most impressive-sounding one. Admissions readers pay most attention to the top of the list. If your most meaningful thing is a part-time job, lead with the job.
Common mistakes
- Writing a job description instead of your specific contributions
- Listing passive involvement ('attended club meetings')
- Using the description to repeat the position title
- Including activities you stopped after freshman year to fill space
The 10 activity limit
You don't have to fill all 10. Eight strong entries beat ten weak ones. Leave a slot empty rather than padding the list with something you did once. Admissions readers notice when entries feel obligatory.
Using spare entries strategically
If you have a category that doesn't fit elsewhere — a business you ran, a project you built, a caregiving responsibility — the activities list is the right place for it. Don't bury it. Lead with it if it's genuinely who you are.