Extracurricular activities can play a significant role in the college application process because they show your interests, talents, and personality to the admissions committee. When applying for college admissions, many top universities require you to write an essay about extracurricular activities. For these institutions, your strong academic performance alone is not enough to secure admission. These essays allow them to see how you collaborate with others, overcome challenges, and take on leadership roles.
In this guide, you’ll find sample extracurricular activities essays to inspire you as you write. These extracurricular essay examples can help you learn how to highlight achievements in areas such as sports, the arts, leadership, and volunteering to present your best self to admissions officers. We'll also cover some useful tips for writing a memorable extracurricular essay that make your college application stand out..
Extracurricular activities are your pursuits outside of the classroom that showcase your talents, interests, and personal qualities. These activities can include sports, arts, volunteering, leadership, internships, and more. What sets extracurriculars apart from academics is their ability to highlight attributes that cannot be fully captured by your grades and test scores such as collaboration, leadership, and innovation.
Colleges value your essay on extracurricular activities because it helps them understand your potential to make a positive impact on campus and in society. By participating in these activities, you demonstrate your ability to contribute to your community and address social causes. Whether you lead a student group, volunteer at a local shelter, or practice a musical instrument, your involvement reflects your dedication and capacity to enrich any community that you join..
Here's what Stanford University says about extracurricular activities:
“Learning about your extracurricular activities and non-academic interests helps us understand your potential contributions to the Stanford community. Students often assume our primary concern is the number of activities in which a student participates. In fact, an exceptional depth of experience in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six clubs. In general, we want to understand the impact you have had at your job, in your family, in a club, in your school, or in the larger community, and we want to learn of the impact that experience has had on you."
Some colleges that require an extracurricular activity essay include Stanford University, Harvard University, and Georgetown University.
Extracurricular activities are diverse in scope and commitment. Some common examples include:
These activities help you to develop teamwork, leadership, creativity and commitment, all of which are important qualities for making a positive impact on a community.
Below are some essay prompts from past application cycles, along with creative extracurricular activities essay examples. Read these examples to find inspiration for writing your own essay:
Essay prompt: Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family. (50 words)
The key to writing a strong extracurricular essay for Stanford is mastering the art of succinct messaging. Think of it as an elevator pitch. With only 50 words, you need to capture something unique about you.
Former Stanford admissions officers have emphasized that the university values an entrepreneurial spirit and intellectual vitality, so it’s important to show these qualities in your essay if possible. Avoid summarizing your resume and focus on sharing a brief, engaging story highlighting your initiative, curiosity, or innovative thinking can help your essay stand out and reflect the qualities Stanford is looking for in its students..
Be specific and make every word count. Details make your essay memorable and relatable. That is key to success shown in many of these sample extracurricular activities essays.
Sample Excerpt: In my sophomore year, I began teaching my younger brother piano—a task I assumed would be straightforward. It wasn’t. My brother struggled with reading sheet music and often got frustrated. To help, I created visual aids, broke songs into simpler sections, and encouraged him with small successes. Over time, he grew more confident and played an entire piece at a family event.
Essay prompt: Briefly discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved (½ page, single-spaced).
When writing your Georgetown extra curricular activities essay, it is important for it to reflect the university’s strong emphasis on sincere commitment to volunteering and community service, as highlighted by former admissions officers. Begin by focusing on an activity you genuinely love and have actively participated in. Emphasize the purpose of the activity and how it has personally affected you. Highlight specific achievements that demonstrate your commitment and abilities.
With only about 250 words for the essay, use vivid and descriptive language to build a meaningful connection with the reader. Conclude by connecting your experience with the mission of Georgetown, which not only describes your involvement but also your genuine commitment to making a positive difference in the community.
Sample Excerpt: Sitting cross-legged on the concrete floor of our community center, I heard the words that would influence my life: "Art is activism." I had joined a mural painting program to explore my love for art, but what I found was a journey that taught me the power of storytelling and the messiness of collaboration. Our first project? A mural celebrating diversity—painted on the side of an old grocery store infamous for graffiti battles between rival neighborhoods.
Our team of ten was as colorful as our palettes: Mia, the perfectionist with her sketches; Carlos, the dreamer who couldn’t stick to the plan; and Ms. Raina, our ever-patient instructor. Tensions flared as we debated designs. Should we depict hands of different skin tones, or something abstract? One day, Carlos surprised us by painting an enormous phoenix—unapproved—spanning half the wall. Mia was furious, but Ms. Raina saw an opportunity. “Let’s work with it,” she said. We transformed the phoenix into a symbol of unity, its wings sheltering a mosaic of cultures.
On the mural’s unveiling day, I felt proud until a spray can hissed in the distance. One of the graffiti artists returned to mark his “territory.” Instead of confrontation, I handed him a brush and invited him to contribute. To my surprise, he added intricate designs that complemented our work.
That mural didn’t just transform the wall—it transformed me. I learned that art, like life, thrives in chaos. And sometimes, the best stories are the ones you don’t plan to tell.
Essay prompt: Please briefly elaborate on an extracurricular activity or work experience of particular significance to you. (175 words)
When writing this extra curricular activities essay, pick an activity you truly love that reflects your dedication and your personal growth.
Instead of listing tasks or responsibilities, focus on how the experience shaped your character and perspective. Describe why the activity was meaningful to you, how it challenged you, and what skills or values you gained from it. Be specific about what happened and how it influenced you.
Sample Excerpt: When I first picked up a violin in third grade, it squeaked more than it sang. By high school, however, I had discovered the transformative power of music through my role in Harmony for Hope, a student-led orchestra that performs for underserved communities.
Our most memorable project was a fundraiser for local families recovering from a devastating flood. The stakes were high—we had only two weeks to prepare a full concert. Rehearsals were chaotic. Strings snapped, tempers flared, and one trumpet player stormed out after failing to master his solo. But on concert night, everything fell into place. The music flowed like the river that had once swelled, and the audience—many still rebuilding their homes—smiled and clapped in unison.
After the final bow, a young girl approached me, clutching a makeshift cardboard violin she had crafted. “I want to play like you someday,” she said. That moment crystallized what Harmony for Hope meant: more than melodies, it was about resilience and inspiration. Now I am more intentional about mastery in all of my endeavors. After all, anything worth doing is worth doing well.
Essay prompt: Please provide more details on your most meaningful commitment outside of the classroom while in high school and explain why it was meaningful. This could be related to an extracurricular activity, work, volunteering, academic activity, family responsibility, or any other non-classroom activity. (250 words).
This extracurricular essay prompt for the University of Florida requires you to write about a real-life commitment. What matters most is not what you did, buy why the activity is meaningful to you. Think of an example where your involvement in an extracurricular activity gave you new insights or helped you better understand your value or sense of purpose.
Explain how this commitment influenced your choice of goals and how you plan to use your newfound perspective in the future. With a 250-word limit, focus on being specific and reflective, sharing personal details that clearly show your growth and the impact of your experience on you..
Sample Excerpt: My grandma and I get up with the sun every Saturday morning to work in our family garden. It's a task I began as a pastime and has now become a passion I enjoy during the weekends. Hours of hard work and care have produced an abundance of kale, tomatoes, and sunflowers in the garden that was once an empty space.
I started out thinking of gardening as a chore, but last year, when my grandmother got ill, the garden became my full responsibility. I was taught to deal with failures such as the plague that gnawed at our kale, or the drought that dried the ground to dust. Dealing with these setbacks in addition to the laborious tasks of clearing weeds and watering plants was the most challenging part of it all. But each setback taught me grit, patience, and improvisation.
Somehow everything turned around. The pests situation was gone, but I still had to water the garden thoroughly everyday. At the end of it all, we had a bountiful harvest. So bountiful that we started putting excess produce into a local food bank. I was proud to see families picking up fresh vegetables. In that moment, the garden no longer seemed a family practice, but an instrument of social change.
I learned a lot from this experience. In the University of Florida, I would like to connect students to food desert community gardens, developing long-term remedies for malnutrition. The garden helped me learn to take care of both plants and people.
Essay prompt: Vanderbilt offers a community where students find a balance between their academic and social experiences. Please briefly elaborate on how one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences has influenced you. (250 words)
This Vanderbilt prompt asks you to consider your personal or professional background and explain how you manage your responsibilities. When writing your extracurricular activities essay, you should focus on activities that have significantly influenced your life or changed your perspective.
Highlight the skills, values, or knowledge you have gained from your experiences, and share how they show your ability to succeed in different environments. Be sure to connect your experiences to how they have prepared you to thrive on Vanderbilt’s campus.
Sample Excerpt: The spotlight hit me, and my voice wavered as I delivered the opening monologue of Echoes of Home, a play my multicultural drama troupe wrote to share immigrant experiences. My character, a girl who fled political unrest, had lines drawn directly from interviews we conducted with local families. “When they left, it was like taking my roots from the soil,” I said, channeling the emotions of a woman who had fled Sudan.
Rehearsals were emotionally charged. Mateo, a sophomore from El Salvador, broke down during a scene where his character confronted cultural erasure. “This feels too real,” he whispered, stepping off stage. We rallied around him, revising the scene to honor his experience while giving him space to heal. It was the first time I saw art’s ability to hold space for pain and transformation.
When performance day arrived, a young boy in the audience clutched his mother’s hand as she wiped away tears. Later, she approached me, sharing that she’d lived through similar struggles and never thought anyone would care to listen. It hit me then: our stories didn’t just entertain; they gave people a voice.
Theater taught me empathy, leadership, and the importance of collaboration. At Vanderbilt, I plan to join cultural organizations and continue creating spaces for diverse stories. Whether writing scripts, directing, or acting, I’ll carry forward the lessons learned from Echoes of Home. I now understand that the stage is more than a platform—it’s a bridge between worlds.
Here are some practical tips to help you produce a strong essay:
Athletic, leadership, and community service experiences are great options, but which one should you write about? The key is to look beyond the type of activity and focus on the impact it had on you and others. Choose an extracurricular that sincerely interests you and where you’ve made meaningful contributions. Avoid activities that are one-time events or activities that don't inspire you.
Use the following questions as a guide for making your choice:t
Showcasing Impact: Shaping Campus and Beyond
When reflecting on your extracurriculars, consider not only what you did, but how your involvement made a difference. Did your leadership inspire others to join or improve the group? Did your initiative solve a problem or start a new tradition? Think about the ripple effect of your actions. How did you leave your mark on your school or community?
Admissions committees are looking for students who will make a major impact on their campus and the world in the future. Use your story to show how the qualities you developed, such as leadership, creativity, empathy, and resilience, will help you contribute to the college community. Paint a picture of how you’ll bring your unique perspective and drive for change to campus life, and how the lessons you’ve learned will empower you to make a difference in society.
Highlight What Matters Most
Share your most impactful experiences and proudest accomplishments, but don’t hesitate to write about an impressive but less popular activity if it truly expresses your personality and future ambitions. What matters is the depth of your engagement. The right activity to write about is the one that best showcases your authentic self, your vision for the future, and your potential to leave a lasting impact wherever you go.
Extracurricular essays often revolve around how a student overcame a challenge or the unexpected lessons you learned from an experience. Essay prompts can help you identify the best angle for your story. For example, Stanford’s essay prompt asks you to “...elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities…”. In your response, you should focus on a problem-solving approach: describe a specific problem you faced, explain the steps you took to resolve it, and the impact your actions had.
Other prompts, such as Vanderbilt’s may ask how an extracurricular activity has led to personal growth: “…elaborate on how one of your extracurricular activities has influenced you.” For these essays, you should highlight the new perspectives you gained and not just the challenges you encountered. Discuss the valuable lessons you learned like the importance of teamwork or leadership.
In both cases, use the prompt as a guide for your narrative and ensure your essay is focused, insightful, and personal.
Common Activities, Uncommon Perspectives
Choosing to write about a popular or common activity is acceptable. What will truly make your story stand out is your approach and the unique perspective you bring. Admissions officers have read countless essays about sports teams, student government, or volunteering, but what will capture their attention is how you made the experience your own. What made this activity meaningful to you? How did you tackle challenges or setbacks? Did you approach a familiar situation in an innovative way, or find a creative solution to a recurring problem? Maybe you saw an opportunity to help others that no one else noticed, or you led your group in a new direction that left a lasting impact.
By focusing on your journey, insights, and growth because even the most common activity can become a compelling and memorable story.
Using clichés in your essay can make your writing feel stale and your story seem commonplace. Cliches like “I learned the value of hard work” or “It taught me to never give up” may give the reader a vague idea of your experience, but they fail to immerse your audience in the details of your story. When you rely on these overused phrases, your essay can blend in with countless others read by admissions officers, making it harder for you to stand out.
Instead of using cliches, aim to write detailed and vivid descriptions of experiences that show, rather than tell, your reader what you mean. Use concrete examples and specific moments to illustrate your growth or realizations. For example, instead of simply saying, “I learned the value of hard work,” describe a moment: “Waking up at 5 a.m. every morning to practice violin, I realized that persistence doesn’t guarantee perfection, but it can lead to steady improvement.”
By painting a clear picture with your words, you’ll invite the reader into your world and help them understand your experiences on a deeper level. This not only makes your essay more engaging but also highlights the lessons you’ve learned and your individuality.
Admissions officers want to know your thoughts, feelings, and motivations, and not simply a list of what you did in your essay. Instead of saying "studied for hours" or “volunteered at an animal shelter," dig deeper and describe how those experiences shaped your perspective and inspired you to take meaningful action.
For example, rather than recounting your participation in a Math Olympiad, share how your initial aversion to competitions transformed into admiration for peers’ dedication and knowledge. Perhaps that admiration sparked a desire to help others discover their potential and motivated you to start a peer tutoring group. Or maybe volunteering at an animal shelter made you realize the importance of community support, inspiring you to organize a local fundraiser. Reflect on the emotions you experienced: excitement, frustration, and inspiration. Connect these feelings to the actions you took to make a positive difference. By showing how your internal reflections led you to contribute to your community, you underscore your vulnerability and authentic desire to drive change. This approach will make your essay not just a story of what happened, but a powerful narrative of why you acted and how you strive to leave a lasting impact on those around you..
Extracurricular activities help to shape your personality and create compelling stories for your college essays. By learning how to write an extracurricular essay, you can showcase your growth, passions, and ability to leave a positive impact on a community. Remember to highlight experiences that best reflect your values and use vivid details to bring your story to life.
Study the extracurricular activity essay examples in this guide to spark your creativity. With thoughtful reflection and effort, you can craft an essay that authentically represents who you are in the best way possible. If you haven’t yet found an extracurricular activity that excites you, consider participating in the Indigo Research Program.
Among all extracurriculars, research stands out as the ultimate activity because it demonstrates the highest level of intellectual curiosity, which is the personal quality that top colleges value above every other trait. As a former Princeton and Dartmouth admissions officer once said: “Holistic admissions, especially for top-tier universities, is really the quest to find students who are intellectually curious.” Admissions officers are looking for students who truly love to learn, and engaging in research is a powerful way to show your passion for discovery.
Indigo Research offers students hands-on training in scientific research and problem-solving. At Indigo Research, you’ll work alongside professors and tackle real-world problems, developing critical thinking skills that will set you apart in the college admissions process. Join Indigo Research today to unlock opportunities to innovate, learn, and lead, and to show colleges your genuine enthusiasm for learning.
All of the Indigo Research programs are examples of extracurricular activity that trains students in scientific research and problem-solving. At Indigo Research, you get to work with top professors & academia, work on real-world problems, and develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities to differentiate you in college applications.
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All of the Indigo Research programs are examples of extracurricular activity that trains students in scientific research and problem-solving. At Indigo Research, you get to work with top professors & academia, work on real-world problems, and develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities to differentiate you in college applications.
