6:22
Do These 5 Extracurriculars, thank me later
Onyedi
Overview
This video outlines five impactful extracurricular activities that can significantly boost college applications, particularly for selective institutions. It ranks them from worst to best, emphasizing how each activity demonstrates initiative, passion, and skills valued by admissions committees. The advice focuses on practical steps for high school students to engage in these activities, such as creating online portfolios for creative work, cold emailing for internships, training for STEM competitions, identifying market gaps for micro-businesses, and reaching out to university professors for research opportunities. The core message is that demonstrating genuine engagement and a compelling personal narrative through these activities is key to standing out in the application process.
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Chapters
- Treat any creative output (art, YouTube, music, photography) as a portfolio, not just a hobby.
- Establish an online presence for your work and keep it updated.
- Ensure your creative projects have a backstory that connects to your personal values and interests.
- Showcasing creative work online tells a more compelling story than simply listing interests.
Demonstrating a consistent creative output with a narrative shows initiative and a unique perspective, which is highly valued by admissions committees looking for compelling personal stories.
A student with a cooking channel on YouTube with 3,000 subscribers presents a stronger narrative than someone who only lists 'enjoys cooking' on their application.
- Securing an internship or job in your desired field is a powerful differentiator.
- Cold emailing small businesses or professionals is an effective strategy to find opportunities.
- Focus on what you can offer the employer and ask for a brief meeting or shadowing chance.
- This experience demonstrates initiative and the ability to operate outside the academic environment.
Gaining practical experience through internships shows initiative, real-world skills, and a genuine commitment to a field, making your application stand out from those who only list school-based activities.
A student who secures a summer internship at a local firm by cold emailing and then uses that experience in their college essay is more memorable than someone who only lists a school club.
- Participating and placing in prestigious STEM competitions (e.g., USAMO, USABO, Regeneron STS) signals strong aptitude.
- Success often comes from dedicated, daily training and practice, treating it like a sport.
- Be mindful of registration deadlines, as missing them disqualifies participation.
- Achieving national-level recognition in these competitions significantly enhances an application.
Elite STEM competitions provide a measurable and objective signal of academic excellence and dedication, directly appealing to highly selective institutions that recognize these specific contests.
Students who consistently train for competitions like the USAMO by working through past tests are more likely to place and gain recognition.
- Launching a small business, even with minimal capital, demonstrates entrepreneurship.
- Identify a market gap by understanding customer needs and existing offerings.
- Build a minimal viable product and market it aggressively through relevant channels.
- The entrepreneurial journey and personal growth are more important to colleges than revenue generated.
Starting a micro-business showcases entrepreneurial spirit, problem-solving skills, and ambition, offering a unique and compelling narrative that highlights a student's ability to create value.
Student-run businesses like tutoring services, pastry baking, or even educational apps like Gimkit demonstrate initiative and market understanding.
- Engaging in research, especially at the university level, directly mirrors college-level academic work.
- Identify professors in your area of interest at nearby universities and reach out via email.
- Reference their specific work in your outreach to show genuine interest.
- Research demonstrates the highest level of intellectual curiosity by showing you pursue unanswered questions.
Conducting research signals profound intellectual curiosity and the ability to independently pursue knowledge, which is the ultimate goal of higher education and highly sought after by top universities.
Contacting university professors by referencing their published papers and inquiring about research opportunities is a direct path to gaining research experience.
Key takeaways
- Treat all extracurricular activities as opportunities to build a compelling narrative for college applications.
- Demonstrate initiative by actively seeking opportunities rather than passively waiting for them.
- Showcase your work and experiences online to create a tangible portfolio.
- Real-world experience, whether through internships or businesses, is highly valued for its demonstration of practical skills and independence.
- Dedicated practice and training are crucial for success in competitive academic fields and competitions.
- Colleges value the process and personal growth derived from activities like entrepreneurship and research, not just the outcomes.
- Intellectual curiosity is best demonstrated by independently investigating unanswered questions through research.
Key terms
Extracurricular activitiesT20 collegesCreative portfolioCold emailingInternshipSTEM competitionsMicro-businessMarket gapUndergraduate researchIntellectual curiosity
Test your understanding
- How can a student effectively package their creative work to impress college admissions officers?
- What is the most effective strategy for a high school student to secure an internship without prior connections?
- Why are elite STEM competitions considered a strong signal for selective college admissions?
- What is the primary reason starting a micro-business is a highly valued extracurricular activity?
- How does engaging in undergraduate research demonstrate intellectual curiosity to a university?