Activities and Awards List: What It Is and Why you Need One

Let’s say you and a friend head to the library or a favorite coffee shop to spend a couple of hours working on college applications. Your friend pulls out her laptop, sips her coffee, and gets to work on the Activities section. Thirty minutes later, she has finished, and you have only listed two items and are struggling to remember more.

What’s the difference between the two of you?

Your friend kept an Activities List- a document that lists all of the activities she participated in throughout high school. Your friend simply printed the list, made a few notes, and then glanced at it as she typed items into her Common App.

You, on the other hand, have no such list. You sit and struggle to remember what you did your freshman year- three long years ago and are continually having to ask your friend what she remembers about YOUR past.

Having an activities and awards list can save you countless hours and help you create an accurate portrait of yourself on your college applications.

The best way to maintain an activities list is to create a document at the start of your freshman year and add to it each time you participate in something new or receive an award, regardless of how big or small. Ideally, you will update this list at the end of each school year (after the end of the year Awards Assembly, where, hopefully, you have been recognized) and at the end of each summer before starting a new school year.

Your activities list should include absolutely everything you do! Be sure to include dates of participation or when an award was received. Include all of the following on your list:

Club participation and leadership roles
Awards received
Athletic participation
Paid work
Volunteer activities
Private music lessons
Church youth group
Honors classes taken
Anything else that’s important to you!

It is important to realize that just because something is on this list does not mean you will automatically include it on your college applications. You will choose the best activities to include- the ones that give college admissions counselors the best picture of who you are in your senior year. The idea behind an activities and awards list is to have all of the information together in one place for easy reference.

Keeping an activities list throughout your high school career will make college applications a breeze to complete. It will also help when you write a personal statement or create a resume.

Do you need help completing college applications or any aspect of the college admissions process?

Unraveled Futures is here to help you!

Author
Recent Posts

Susan Ray

Susan is an Education Consultant who is passionate about helping high school students take the next step toward higher education. She has over 10 years of experience in public education and is a certified School Counselor and National Certified Counselor. She also has two years of professional editing and documentation experience.