Ivy League universities and US colleges in general practice their admissions quite differently from those in India and across the world. Strong academics remain paramount, but admission officers also wish to know who you are beyond the grades: your broad interests, your achievements, and your character, to name a few things.

In other words, they wish to answer: what will your unique contribution be to their dynamic and diverse community of values, perspectives, and interests? Hence, extracurricular activities make up a significant part of your appeal to be admitted.

Students often look to the application essays as the source of a story of who they are. While your personal statement is an integral part of this holistic assessment process, it is your activities list that provides admissions officers with a real insight into your leadership and extracurricular achievements and more importantly, how passionate, creative, entrepreneurial, and original you have been when it comes to taking these activities to the next level.

So, how much time should you commit to your extracurricular profile development?

There is no way around it – you need to be devoting a lot of time outside of the classroom to extracurricular activities in order to make successful applications to Ivy League and equivalent universities in the USA.

In some ways, this is a requirement that is out of the admissions officers’ hands and is very much down to the caliber of your competition. Take Harvard, for example, with its acceptance rate of 3.59%: such a rate means that, to be admitted, you need to be the chosen one out of approximately every 28 applicants.

If your application is to tell a compelling and memorable story, look no further than your extracurricular activities, to see that story in action. The presence of each activity shows a different set of qualities: in long-term commitments, you are showing discipline, sticking power, and perhaps greater impact, but in short-term commitments, you are showing energy, diversity of interests, and creative exploration. I would thus advise you to have a theme running through some of your activities – perhaps related to your first-choice major, or to a social cause/issue which is important to you.

A mistake however, I often see even the most gifted students make is pursuing activities because they feel it will make them look good in the eyes of the admissions officers. A one-word answer to the extracurricular profile that each admissions officer looks for in the top US colleges, is authenticity. You simply cannot go wrong if you pursue activities that you, deep down, love to participate in.

Go beyond your comfort zone to showcase authenticity. Get into the habit of pushing beyond your comfort zone, to impress an Ivy League admissions officer. Take on leadership positions, create leadership projects with impact beyond your school community, and participate in competitions at the regional, national, or international level! Top US colleges are looking for students whom they already know will be incredible brand ambassadors for their alma mater, once they’ve graduated.

So, if you wish to build a profile that is brimming with impact on other people, then recruiting the help of your friends and classmates will always produce the best results. The scale of measurable impact you create will make all the difference in conveying the most compelling application.

If I had to leave you with a plan of action, it would be to ensure your extracurriculars are evolving throughout high school.
Exploration: Use the first two years of high school to explore your interests. If something catches your attention, why not give it a try? Indulge your curiosities by delving into a variety of activities.

Consolidation: As you approach grade 11, sift through activities that no longer spark your interest. This is also the time to seek leadership roles and shoulder more responsibilities within existing endeavors. While you can still explore new activities, it’s imperative to commit only to those you genuinely intend to pursue.

Measuring and Mentoring: By the time grade 12 rolls around, your application story should be crystal clear and prominently showcased on your college applications. Senior year serves as the opportune moment to elevate your extracurricular involvement and contemplate scalability. Now is the time for thoughtful consideration of your broader impact!

(Authors are George Baxter, Strategist, Crimson Education and Kunal Mehra – CEO & Managing Director, Crimson Education, India)

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