This article first appeared in The Grad Fit!
Most students treat the Common App activities list like a chore. They jot down what they did, move on, and hope for the best.
But here’s the thing: admissions officers read hundreds of activity lists. A vague, generic description blends into the pile. A sharp, specific one sticks.
The good news: writing a great activities list entry isn’t complicated. You just need the right formula for those 150 characters.
Each activity entry on the Common App gives you three fields:
Position or leadership title: 50 characters
Organization name: 100 characters
Activity description: 150 characters
That last field is where most students leave points on the table. Let’s fix that.
Every strong activities list description does three things in a tight, punchy package:
What you did + where or with whom + what came of it
That’s it. Three elements. One powerful line.
Your first word matters. Drop passive phrases like “member of” or “helped with” — they bury your contribution before the reader even gets started.
Instead, open with a verb that shows you were doing something: founded, led, coached, designed, managed, taught, built, organized, directed.
Weak: Helped with the school newspaper
Strong: Edited 3 weekly columns; managed editorial calendar for staff of 12
What did you actually do, and for whom? This is where students most often stay too vague. Saying you “volunteered” tells the reader almost nothing. Saying you “distributed food to 100+ families per week” tells them everything.
Be specific about your role, your responsibilities, and the scope of your work. If it was competitive or selective, say so. If you were one of a small number chosen, say that too.
Weak: Volunteered at food pantry
Strong: Distributed food to 100+ families/wk; built volunteer schedules; tracked pantry stock
Numbers do something words can’t. They make your work feel real. How many people did you reach? How often did you show up? How much did you raise?
You don’t need a number for every entry. But wherever one fits naturally, use it. Even a small number adds credibility and scale.
Weak: Organized fundraiser for cancer research
Strong: Organized benefit concert (200+ attendees); raised $3.4K for cancer research
This is not an essay. Full sentences, filler words, and unnecessary articles (”the,” “a,” “I”) eat up your character count without adding meaning.
Read your entry back and ask: does every word do something? If not, cut it.
Before: For two years I volunteered at my local animal shelter, mainly walking dogs and helping at the front desk
After: Volunteer at local animal shelter; walked dogs, ran front desk; promoted to weekend receptionist
Your activities list is your story in shorthand. Jobs count. Family responsibilities count. Passion projects count. You don’t need a trophy to write a compelling entry. You need clarity about what you did and why it mattered.
Samantha Herscher is an application specialist at Throughline Guidance and Founder at The GradFit.
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