The Common App activities section gives you 10 slots and 150 characters per description. That's shorter than a tweet. Most students either write vague descriptions ("I enjoyed learning leadership skills") or dry recaps ("Attended meetings and organized events"). Neither works.
Here's how to write activity descriptions that actually communicate impact.
What Admissions Officers Are Looking For
When a reader reviews your activities list, they're trying to answer three questions:
- What did you actually do? (Not your title—your work)
- What impact did it have? (Numbers, outcomes, reach)
- What does this tell me about you? (Genuine engagement vs. résumé padding)
A title like "President, Student Government" tells them almost nothing. What you did as president—and what changed because of it—is the story.
The Format of Each Activity Entry
The Common App provides:
- Activity type (dropdown)
- Position/leadership (50 characters)
- Organization name (100 characters)
- Description (150 characters)
- Participation checkboxes (during school year, summers, hours/week, weeks/year)
The 150-character description is your most important field. It's where the work happens.
How to Write a Strong 150-Character Description
The formula: Start with an action verb. Include a specific achievement or task. Add a number or scale when possible.
Bad description:
Worked with club members to plan events and improve school culture.
Good description:
Organized 12 fundraising events raising $8,400 for local food bank; grew club membership 40% in one year.
The good version:
- Starts with an action verb ("Organized")
- Includes specific numbers ($8,400, 40%)
- Shows impact (food bank, membership growth)
- Uses every character productively
Writing Descriptions for Different Activity Types
Research or Academic Projects
Lead with what you studied and any outcomes.
Conducted independent research on antibiotic-resistant bacteria; presented findings at state science fair; paper submitted to Journal of Student Research.
Sports
Don't just list your position. Describe achievement, leadership, or commitment.
Captain; led team to first regional championship in 8 years; mentored 6 JV players in weekly skills sessions.
Arts and Performance
Include scope, audience, and any recognition.
Principal violinist; performed in 4 concerts/year for audiences of 300+; placed 2nd at state solo competition.
Community Service or Volunteering
Lead with impact, not hours.
Tutored 15 ESL students weekly; 12 passed citizenship exam. Translated materials for 40+ immigrant families.
Work Experience
Frame it with initiative and responsibility.
Managed weekend shifts independently; trained 3 new employees; handled $2,000+ daily transactions.
Self-Directed Projects
These are often undersold. Describe what you built and who it reached.
Built open-source web app for tracking college deadlines; 2,000+ users across 30 states since launch.
The 10-Slot Question: What to Include
The Common App gives you 10 slots. You don't have to fill all 10—a focused list of 7–8 strong entries is better than 10 thin ones.
Order matters: Put your most important activities first. Admissions readers typically spend the most attention on the top 3–5 entries.
What counts as an activity:
- Clubs, sports, arts, and organizations (obvious)
- Work experience, including part-time jobs
- Family responsibilities (caring for siblings, assisting with a family business)
- Independent projects (apps, blogs, art, research)
- Summer programs or research experiences
- Religious or community involvement
What to leave out:
- Activities you dropped after one semester
- Clubs where you were just a passive member
- Anything where your description would be "attended meetings"
The Hours/Week Field
Be accurate, but don't undersell consistent commitments. If you spent 10 hours a week on an activity during a period of intense preparation, note that. If participation varied, use the average.
Connecting Your Activities to Your Essays
Your top activities and your essays should tell a coherent story. If your essays are about your passion for environmental science, your activities list should reflect real engagement in that area—independent projects, research, related clubs, summer programs. Disconnects between your essays and activities raise questions.
Use Counsely's Profile Builder to build and organize your activities list, and Ask Counsely to get feedback on whether your list tells a coherent story.
Common Mistakes
Using passive voice. "Was responsible for" is weaker than "Managed." Start with strong action verbs.
Listing duties instead of achievements. "Attended practice and competed in meets" describes a participant. "Reduced 100m sprint time from 11.4s to 10.9s; qualified for state" describes an achiever.
Forgetting the numbers. Admissions readers process hundreds of lists. Numbers make entries concrete and memorable.
Padding the list. Ten mediocre entries look worse than seven strong ones.