Since 2013, the Extracurricular Essay has not been a required element of the Common Application and the information below is outdated. Some schools do still include a similar short essay question in their supplemental applications and, if you’re applying to such a school, you might still find the tips presented below useful.
For everyone else, check out our post on what not to write about in your Common App essay and learn how to avoid the most common pitfalls in the process.
t’s one of the only two essays on the Common App proper, but it doesn’t get much attention. The extracurricular essay—that 1000 character short essay on the Common App that asks you to briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences” just doesn’t get a lot of love.
“The College Essay” refers to the Personal Statement—the approximately 500-word main essay that the Common App requires applicants to upload, and each college and university has their own supplement, complete with supplemental essays that run the gamut from “Why Tufts?” (Tufts, 2012) to “So where is Waldo, really?” (U Chicago, 2012). The extracurricular essay often gets overlooked (some students and parents aren’t even aware that it’s there until they look at the Common App for the first time). To see this little essay as a throwaway, however, is a big mistake, and a missed opportunity.
The extracurricular essay gets sent to every college you apply to through the Common App—they all see it, and it certainly plays a part in how they see you as an applicant. If the personal statement is your chance to talk about what you want to talk about—to show who you are—the extracurricular essay is your chance to show your range.
Here’s how to take advantage of the extracurricular essay, and make it work for you:
Tone
Whatever you choose to write about, remember that this isn’t a 500-word essay, it’s a 1000 character essay, and that’s 1000 characters with spaces. You know how long 1000 characters is? From the title of this blog post to the end of the second paragraph, that’s 943 characters. 1000 is almost nothing. Because of that, you just don’t have the space for grand, poetic language—this is about getting in the facts. You should definitely sound like you—it shouldn’t be too cold or academic—but it’s more important to give information that really shows what you’re good at and/or what you care about.
Topic
Firstly, you have to carefully consider what you’re going to write about. When it comes to the extracurricular essay, just like with the personal statement, you have options:
- You could use it as a chance to showcase a particular achievement, like a sport in which you worked your way up to captain, or a debate club in which you’ve won awards.
- You could use it to talk about a way in which you’ve given back to your community—through community service, or through a tutoring or mentoring relationship.
- You could use it to simply talk about something that you love, whether you’re good at it or not—ceramics, baking, running, or playing the bongos.
How do you choose which one of these types of topics to go with? Think about what the rest of your application says, and then use this to show something different.
- If you wrote your personal essay about being an Olympic-level diver, and how intensely you’ve worked to get to that point, perhaps your extracurricular essay could be about how much you love being the photographer for the school newspaper, or volunteering at a preschool. If you do that, you’ll be showing that yes, you’re a driven, powerhouse of an individual, but you also have a contemplative side; a warm, group-oriented side.
- If your personal essay was about discovering your love of surfing, even though you’re not very good at it, maybe you could write your extracurricular essay about how much you love holding the attention of a room, and arguing your cases in mock trial. In this case, you’d be showing that you’re relaxed, self-aware, and fun, but you’re also smart, focused, and goal-oriented.
- If your activities section of the common app is loaded with sports and clubs and student council—successes you’ve had in team and group situations—the extracurricular essay would be a good place to talk about a less-intense, less-goal-oriented, more artistic activity like ceramics, or baking, or skateboarding, or whatever you like.
At the end of the day, it’s all about showing who you are, and the extracurricular essay gives you a chance to let colleges know that you’re multi-faceted and multi-talented, and the opportunity to elaborate on something you love or are particularly proud of. Don’t over think it, but don’t overlook it—make it work for you.
