College admissions officers are interested in students who pursue activities that are offbeat or notable. Activities such as lacrosse, bird watching or opera performance are just a few examples. High-school students often believe that they need to get involved in many different types of popular activities during their time in school so that college admissions officers will notice them. In fact, uniqueness and diversity are extremely important qualities for college applicants to demonstrate.
It pays to be dedicated to the activity that you are involved in during high school. College admissions officers love to see students who display their passion, responsibility and dedication. Joining an organization and sticking with it is an excellent way to demonstrate sought after qualities. Students should choose one or two activities that they are extremely interested in and then make sure to attend every meeting, apply for leadership positions and volunteer time and support to the organization. All of these things will make a difference during the application process.
Leadership is an extremely important quality to college admissions officers because it is an important quality to employers. Colleges want to bring in students that are likely to succeed and excel in their professional careers. Although joining an organization is a step in the right direction, leading an organization is the best step a high-school student can take. This does not mean that you have to be president of every club you are in. Join a committee or provide leadership in other ways. You could lead an event for your organization instead of leading the entire club.
College admissions officers also love to see that a future college student knows how to balance their time. Although extracurricular activities, organizations and clubs are important, academic work is important, too. Students who join and lead every club that their school has to offer are probably not going to be able to balance these responsibilities with their schoolwork. Either schoolwork or leadership will suffer as a result of taking on too much responsibility. Students should make sure that they are realistic with their time commitments.