This guide is written by Tony Le, a former UC Berkeley Admissions Reader who has reviewed thousands of Common App and UC applications, including hundreds of activity sections. He knows exactly what works.
The Common App gives your kid 150 characters to describe each activity. One hundred and fifty characters. That is shorter than most text messages.
Most students waste those characters. They write vague descriptions that could belong to anyone.
Here is how to write activity descriptions that actually stand out.
Sources: Common App first-year application | College Board
What Admissions Readers Are Looking For
When I was reading applications, the activity section gave me two things: evidence and story.
Evidence means: what did your kid actually do? Not the club name or the title. What specifically did they contribute?
Story means: what does this activity tell me about who your kid is? A student who tutors younger kids tells one story. A student who designed the tutoring curriculum, recruited 10 other tutors, and now serves 80 students tells a completely different one.
Most activity descriptions give me title and role. Strong ones give me actions and results.
The format that works every time: action verb, then what you did, then what resulted from it.
"Founded debate team. Recruited 30 members. Coached 4 students to state quarterfinals in two years." That is three specific things in 88 characters. All memorable. All evidence.
How to Order Your Activities
The Common App allows up to 10 activities. You list them in order, and that order matters.
Put your most significant activity first. Not the most impressive on paper, but the most significant to your kid. The one they spent the most time on, contributed the most to, or that best represents who they are.
Admissions readers know the ordering is intentional. The first activity signals what your kid considers most important. Make sure that signal is accurate.
Group similar activities when possible. If your kid has three music-related activities, list them together. It creates a narrative of depth and commitment rather than scattered interests that tell no story.
Do not bury impressive activities at the bottom. I have seen students put their most significant work at number 9. Lead with strength. Readers notice.
Action Verbs That Work
Every activity description should start with a strong action verb. Not "was responsible for" or "helped with." An actual action verb.
Strong choices: Founded, Led, Coached, Designed, Built, Managed, Trained, Directed, Launched, Taught, Organized, Created, Produced, Raised, Competed.
Weak phrases to cut: "was a member of," "participated in," "was involved with," "helped the team," "worked on."
Here is the difference in practice.
Weak: "Was a member of the school environmental club for three years."
Strong: "Co-led environmental club. Organized campus waste audit. Reduced cafeteria plastic use by 40% over two semesters."
Same student. Different description. The second one tells me your kid drives measurable results. The first one tells me your kid showed up. With 150 characters, every word is a choice. Make the choices count.
Handling Activities That Are Hard to Describe
Some of the most meaningful activities are the hardest to describe in 150 characters.
Caring for a family member. Working a part-time job. Practicing a skill independently, like coding, art, or music production. Personal projects with real depth.
These belong in the activities section. Do not skip them because they feel ordinary.
A student who worked 20 hours a week at a restaurant to help support their family is showing commitment, responsibility, and time management. Write it clearly: "Worked 20 hrs/week as restaurant server to support family. Balanced with full AP course load throughout junior and senior year."
For self-taught skills, show the evidence: "Taught myself Python over 18 months. Built three web apps, including a scheduling tool used by 200+ students at my school."
Personal, real activities often create more memorable impressions than a list of clubs with no story behind them.
The "So What" Test
After your kid writes every activity description, apply one test. Read the description and ask: so what? Why does this matter? What does it tell me about the student?
If you cannot answer those questions clearly in 3 seconds, the description needs work.
"Member, Science Olympiad team, 4 years." So what? What did they do? What did they achieve?
"Competed in Science Olympiad 4 years. Placed 1st regionally in Forensics. Led team practice sessions for 6 months before state." Now there is something to remember.
The "so what" test also applies to the choice of activities themselves. If your kid is listing an activity just to fill a slot, that slot would be better used for something with real impact. An empty slot is better than a weak description that adds noise without any signal.
Cut anything that does not pass the test. Stronger lists with fewer entries always beat long lists full of filler.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many activities should students list on the Common App?
The Common App allows up to 10. There is no minimum. Most competitive applicants list 7-10. Listing fewer but stronger activities is better than filling all 10 with weak entries. Quality over volume. A reader remembers 5 strong activities far longer than 10 forgettable ones.
Q: Can students include jobs and family responsibilities?
Yes. Part-time jobs, internships, and family responsibilities like caring for a sibling or managing household duties are legitimate activities. They often impress admissions readers because they show real-world responsibility that most applicants cannot demonstrate. List them the same way you would any other activity.
Q: Does it matter how many hours per week a student spent on an activity?
Yes. The Common App asks for hours per week and weeks per year for each activity. These numbers help readers understand how much time and commitment the activity actually required. Be accurate and honest. Do not inflate hours. Readers have seen thousands of activity sections and can tell when the numbers do not add up.
Q: Can students mention a significant activity that doesn't fit in 10 slots?
Yes. The Common App has an Additional Information section with 650 characters. Students can use this to mention a significant activity that did not fit in the 10 slots, or to provide more context for an activity already on the list. Use this space strategically, not as overflow for things that were not strong enough to include.
Q: Should students list activities they only did for one year?
Only if the activity was genuinely significant. A one-year activity with real leadership or impact is worth listing. A one-year club membership with no contribution is not. The question to ask is always: what does this tell the reader about who I am? If the answer is nothing, leave it off.
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Tony Le is a former UC Berkeley Admissions Reader and UCLA Outreach Director with 15+ years of college admissions coaching experience. A two-time full-ride scholarship recipient (UCLA and UCI), Tony has helped 500+ students gain acceptance to top universities including Stanford, Harvard, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Columbia. Featured in the Wall Street Journal and an official TikTok College Admissions Educational Partner. Founder of egelloC. Follow on TikTok @coachtonyle.