Categorizing Your Activities List for College Applications
Too many applicants rush through their activities list. A quick, surface-level description of how you’ve spent your time over the last four years will not help you stand out. Everything in this section matters: the titles, the descriptions, the character count, the order, and especially the categorization. When you approach it thoughtfully, this part of your application can become one of your strongest assets.
Why Your Activities List Matters More Than You Think
A successful college application tells a cohesive story. When I read applications for Dartmouth, I tried to understand each student’s personality, interests, and character. [2] Many applicants made this harder than it needed to be. That doesn’t mean every component of your application should repeat the same message. It also doesn’t mean you need to spell out your future goals in every activity. I’ve seen students write things like “on my path to becoming a famous surgeon” in nearly every entry. It was not effective.
Instead, think about the key themes in your life and how you can highlight them naturally. The activities list is one of the clearest places to give admissions officers a sense of who you are. [3] That includes the way you categorize what you’ve done. The Common App gives you 30 activity types, and the choices you make help determine how your story comes across. [1]
The 30 Common App Activity Categories
Here are the options you can choose from:
Academic
Art
Athletics (Club)
Athletics (JV/Varsity)
Career Oriented
Community Service (Volunteer)
Computer/Technology
Cultural
Dance
Debate/Speech
Environmental
Family Responsibilities
Foreign Exchange
Foreign Language
Internship
Journalism/Publication
Junior ROTC
LGBT
Music (Instrumental)
Music (Vocal)
Religious
Research
Robotics
School Spirit
Science/Math
Social Justice
Student Government/Politics
Theatre/Drama
Work (Paid)
Other
Most students scroll through and select whatever seems “close enough.” But if you take a moment to really think about how these categories sit next to each other, you can shape the way admissions officers interpret your experiences.
How Categorization Shapes Your Narrative
Here’s an example. I recently advised a student with a wide range of activities. She was a Girl Scout Gold Award recipient with major service projects focused on literacy, English language learning, and poverty. She studied Spanish in Spain and was a dual U.S.–Colombia citizen. She participated in the Women’s March, won awards in Spanish, created a mental health advocacy club, served as a tour guide, held two part-time jobs, and spent the most hours as a board member and performer at a community theatre.
She could have chosen Academic, Community Service, Foreign Exchange, Foreign Language, Social Justice, Student Government, Theatre, Work, and more. That mix would have shown she was well-rounded, but it wouldn’t have communicated a clear theme.
Instead, we leaned into the strongest thread in her application: social advocacy.
Her final categorizations supported that theme:
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Community Service (three times, including her theater board work, where her leadership mattered more than her performances)
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Social Justice (three times, including Girl Scouts, where advocacy united her projects)
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Foreign Language (two times, including her exchange experience, with emphasis on Spanish development)
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Work (Paid) (two meaningful jobs that highlighted responsibility and time management)
Immediately, her activities list conveyed a clear narrative: a committed, globally aware advocate for equity. A strong strategy like this is what makes an college applicants submit stand out from the rest.
Of course, she could have shaped an entirely different story if she wanted to focus on government, theater, or bilingualism instead. That’s the power of categorization.
How to Apply This Strategy to Your Own List
When you begin refining your activities list:
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Start by writing down all the possible categories each activity might fit under.
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Identify the broader theme or strength you want your application to highlight.
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Choose the classifications that reinforce that story, without stretching anything beyond what is true.
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Review how the list looks as a whole before finalizing.
Admissions officers scan this section quickly. A structured, intentional list helps them see your story immediately.
Make Your Activities List Stronger
If you want personalized guidance on how to categorize, format, and strengthen your activities list, our Former Admissions Officers can walk you through exactly how to make it stand out.
Book a free strategy call to get expert support on your full application.