Skip to content
  • Solutions
    Our Services
    Middle School College Prep
    Transfer Admissions
    Gap Year Admissions
    Essay Advising and Review
    Admissions Committee Review
    SAT Test Prep
    ACT Test Prep
    College Prep for Neurodiverse Students
  • About Us
    Our Story
    Why Us
    Success Stories
    Contact Us
  • Programs
    AI Scholar Program
    Research Scholar Program
    Startup Internship Program
    Passion Project Program
  • Resources
    Blog
    Webinars
    Empowerly Score®
  • For Organizations
    Partnerships & Affiliates
    Empowerly for Employers

Sign In

Free Consultation
Book a Free Consultation

Login

  • Blog > Applications, Extracurricular(s)

How Important Are Extracurricular Activities In College Apps?

Picture of Julia de Raadt

Julia de Raadt

  • December 7, 2018

So many questions!

Many students ask us how important extracurricular activities are in the college apps process. It is fairly clear that academics are an important part of admissions, but which parts of the extracurricular story are actually important and how do you determine that? Here at Empowerly, we have spent the past 6 years understanding what colleges care about. As a result, we use this information to help thousands of students through the college admissions process. In this article, we use our data sorting tool to help you determine how important extracurricular activities are.

What constitutes an extracurricular activity?

To us, extracurricular activities fall into three key buckets: general activities, volunteer work, and work experience. We have gathered data from the Top 50 US colleges who have ranked these three categories on a scale of 1-4, with 4 being the most important. We have analyzed and collected the data in the trailing 5 years.

General extracurricular activities

In this bucket, school clubs, out of school community organizations, and competitions fall. Schools like Princeton, University of Florida, and Case Western consider general extracurricular activities one of the most important characteristics of the college admissions process. In contrast, University of Notre Dame, Harvard, and Tulane are some schools that do not care as much about extracurricular activities.

Volunteer work

Using the same sort feature, we can select schools that care the most about volunteer work. For instance, schools like Washington University in St. Louis, University of California Irvine, and College of William and Mary care the most about volunteer work.

Other schools like Yale, Princeton, and Stanford mark volunteer work as 2/4 (considered, but not important).

Of course, you have to look at these values with respect to the other 17 variables that we have on our site. For example, Harvard ranks most of these 17 variables as 2/4, so many variables are considered but not many are important.

Work experience

Work experience is another area that many students ask us about in the college admissions process. We find that Washington University in St. Louis, University of Virginia, and Carnegie Mellon are three schools that consider work experience as important or very important.

On the other side, we can change the sorting function to find schools that do not look that closely at work experience. Dartmouth, Wake Forest, and Stanford are three schools that fit this category.

In all, the safe bet is to ensure you have strong extracurricular activities for college apps. Our counselors can help you get there. Want to learn more about the service?  Book some time to chat with us to see what the Empowerly program can do for you!

Book A Free Consultation
Share this post
College Internships
Picture of Julia de Raadt

Julia de Raadt

Related articles

Find the latest college admissions news, tips, resources and more.

College Admissions: Regular Decision Dates for 2025

Each spring, millions of high school students eagerly await the big news. Let’s review the major college decision dates for the RD pool in 2025.

Top Medical Schools 2025: Rankings & Admissions Insights

Discover the top medical schools of 2025, what sets them apart, and how to boost your chances of getting in with expert insights.

Is Duke Test Optional? Decoding Test-Optional Policies

Is Duke test optional in 2025? Learn what Duke’s policy means, how test scores impact your app, and tips to boost your holistic application.

Empowerly is a member of:

Menu

  • Services
  • Success Stories
  • Careers
  • Become a Counselor
  • Refer a Friend
  • Book a Consult

Contact Us

  • enrollment@empowerly.com
  • 800 491 6920
  • empowerly.com

Follow Us

  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
Subscribe to our Newsletter
© 2025 Empowerly Inc | All Rights Reserved
Cookie Preferences
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
Solutions
Our Services
Middle School College Prep
Transfer Admissions
Gap Year Admissions
Essay Advising and Review
Admissions Committee Review
SAT Test Prep
ACT Test Prep
College Prep for Neurodiverse Students
About Us
Our Story
Why Us
Success Stories
Programs
AI Scholar Program
Research Scholar Program
Startup Internship Program
Resources
Blog
Referral
Webinars
Empowerly Score®
For Organizations
Partnerships & Affiliates
Empowerly for Employers
Book a Free Consultation
Login