Undergraduate admissions / Activities list and resume
Common App Activities List and Resume Help
Help choosing, ordering, and describing activities and honors for the Common App, plus a resume workshop with a sample resume.
How the Activities section works
The Common App allows up to 10 entries in its activities section, now called Activities and Experiences. Each entry has a 50-character position or title, a 100-character organization name, and a 150-character description, and the position field is optional.
Choosing and ordering
Many applicants have more than 10 activities. We help them decide which to list and in what order, so the strongest and most representative entries come first.
Writing 150 characters
Descriptions are short, so every word has to carry information. We help applicants:
Lead with what they did and the result, not their title
Use concrete numbers and details where they are accurate
Avoid repeating what is already in the position and organization fields
Keep each entry consistent with the rest of the application
Honors
The honors section allows up to five entries, each with a 100-character title. We help applicants select the awards worth listing and describe each one clearly, without repeating what appears in the activities list.
Resume workshop
Applicants who work with us start with a resume workshop, a presentation and a sample resume that show how to organize experience. A resume is useful for interviews and for colleges that accept one, and it gives the applicant a working record to draw from when filling in the activities list.
How we work with applicants on it
We review the applicant’s full list of activities and honors, recommend which to include, and give written feedback on each description. The applicant writes the entries, and we edit for clarity and length.
The activities list sits next to the Common App personal statement. Both should tell the same story from different angles.
What to Expect
In a free consultation, we review the applicant’s profile, goals, and school list. Activities and resume work then follows three steps.
Resume Workshop
We start with a workshop and a sample resume that show how to organize experience clearly.
Choose & Order
We decide which activities and honors to list and in what order.
Write & Edit
The applicant drafts each entry. We edit for clarity, length, and consistency with the rest of the application.
A near-peer advisor on every application
Every applicant works closely with a near-peer advisor, a recent graduate of a top university who has been through the process. Before anything is submitted, it goes through review by our senior team. Meet our advisors, see where our students have been admitted on the results page, or read the FAQ.