Write a Common App Activities List (2026-27): Examples & Free Template

Quick Answer:

The Common App activities section (renamed “Activities and Experiences” for 2026-27) lets you list up to 10 activities. Each entry has a 50-character position field (now optional), a 100-character organization name, and a 150-character description, plus grade levels, timing, hours per week, and weeks per year. List your most meaningful activities first, start each description with an action verb, and quantify where possible. Jobs, family responsibilities, and untraditional hobbies all count as activities. See our free template to start brainstorming and refining your activities list. 

At Collegewise, we’ve read thousands of activity lists over 27 years, and here’s what surprises most families: the entries that stand out are rarely the most impressive activities. They’re the most specific ones. The specificity (which we will discuss further) is what can take a mundane activity and turn it into something that stands out.

This guide gives you everything you need to get it right: what changed in the 2026-2027 cycle, a simple formula for writing 150-character descriptions, real before-and-after rewrites, and a free template for families to use.

What is the Common App Activities Section?

The Common App activities section is the part of the application where you tell colleges how you spend your time outside of class. Every Common App college you apply to sees the same list, which makes it even more important that you get it right.

The Common App allows you to list up to 10 activities, with very specific questions and character limits. Here’s every field you’ll need to fill out for each activity:

You may hear “10 available entries” and panic. Does that mean you need to have 10 activities listed? While it’s a fair question to ask, the answer is no. There are circumstances where you may be encouraged to include more activities, but the goal isn’t to fill a space for the sake of filling a space. Instead, focus on quality over quantity. In fact, Common App’s own guidance encourages students to focus on the activities that best tell their story rather than prioritizing quantity.

How admissions officers read your activities list

The Activities section is your chance to retell the most meaningful parts of high school beyond the academics. Application readers bring four main questions to every list they read, and they’re a useful test for yours:

1. What was the student involved in outside the classroom?
2. Is there evidence of investment beyond just showing up?
3. What impact is visible?
4. Did the student’s involvement influence other people?

Three more things worth knowing.

First, readers judge your activities in context, against the opportunities and obligations you actually had. This practice is called holistic admissions. Colleges aren’t hunting for a certain number of oboists or class presidents. They’re looking to find students who are actively participating in activities they genuinely enjoy.

Second, you must pass what we’ll refer to as the “speed test.” Admissions officers read a list in just a few minutes. If admissions officers can’t understand your initiative, impact, and future potential quickly, they’ll move on to the next section with a gap in your story. Every entry should be optimized for speed and clarity for this reason.

Thirdly, think of future indicators, not past trophies. Colleges admit you for who you’ll be on their campus, not as a reward for the hours you log in an activity. The strongest descriptions show how you actively reshape the places you’re part of and how you may carry that to college.

What’s New in the Common App Activities Section for 2026-27?

The character limits didn’t change, but three updates matter for how you write your list this year onward.

1. The section has a new name: “Activities and Experiences.” The rename signals what admissions officers have always valued: not just clubs, but everything significant you do with your time.
2. The position/leadership field is now optional. You’ll answer a yes/no question about whether you held a position. Say “Yes,” and you get the usual 50 characters. Say “No,” and you skip it.
3. Activity categories were updated. Common App rewrote several labels to be more inclusive, with options such as career readiness/practicums, employment or work (paid), and hobby.

What Counts as an Activity on the Common App?

Almost anything you’ve spent real, ongoing time doing during high school counts. That includes:

• School clubs, teams, and performing groups
• Part-time jobs or other paid work
• Family responsibilities (babysitting or caring for an elderly relative)
• Hobbies and self-directed projects (a YouTube channel or capstone projects)
• Community or religious involvement
• Summer programs, research, and internships
• Non-academic honors (athletics or artistic commitments)

Traditional vs. untraditional activities

When most students picture this section, they think of “traditional” activities: volunteering, playing a sport, or leading a club. Those still count, and they’re still great. But the Common App’s recent changes indicate two things:

• More students are spending time on untraditional activities that don’t fit a standard club label, such as caring for family, running an online business, or content creation.

• There is nuance to commitments that a title can’t capture. Some of the most worthwhile things students do come with no title, no roster, and no adult in charge. For example, babysitting for your younger siblings has no official “position,” but it shows responsibility and maturity. With the position field now optional, you no longer have to invent a title to make it count.

Where untraditional activities fit

Have an activity that you’re not sure how it would fit in the Activities section? Pick the closest match from the activity type dropdown. Here are a few examples:

As you’ll notice, many activities may fit under multiple labels. Don’t overthink it. There is no “right” answer when filling out the activity type. It is simply a way for admissions officers to understand what you consider each activity to be.

If you find yourself in a position where your activity truly doesn’t fit within the main category types, choose “Other Club/Activity.”

How Many Activities Should You List on the Common App? And in What Order?

You do not need to fill all 10 slots. We suggest roughly 5-8 strong activities over a padded list. Many colleges, like Stanford University, say outright that the length of your list isn’t a factor:

“Students often assume our primary concern is the number of activities they participate in. In fact, an exceptional depth of experience in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six clubs.”

That said, most students have more to list than they initially believe, so take the time to brainstorm widely and narrow down your list from there. It’s also fine if your interests have changed, or if you dropped something you lost interest in to make room for something new.

Is there a formula for ordering the activities listed? Yes and no. Order by importance to you, measured by these five signals:

1. Time: how many hours per week and how many years?
2. Recency: how long ago did you commit to this activity, and does it reflect who you are today?
3. Depth: how much responsibility you took on, or how much you grew during your involvement?
4. Impact: what changed as a result of your involvement?
5. Connection: whether it relates to your intended major, essay, or theme in your college application.

An activity that incorporates some or all of these things usually belongs at the very top of the list. Reserve your top 3-4 slots for your primary commitments, biggest roles, and most impactful activities tied to your intended field of study. These are the activities that admissions officers typically give the most attention to.

How to Write a Common App Activity Description: A 3-Part Formula

Every strong 150-character description covers three key bases: Action verb + context + measurable outcome.

Watch how this description transforms through the formula:

The final version tells the reader what you do, at what scale, how you approach it, and what the result is.

When playing around with activity descriptions, don’t be afraid to show personality, too. If you have the room to include a line or a couple of words that showcase a little flair or your attitude about that particular activity, do it. One of our counselors’ favorite descriptions comes from a student who started a storm-cleanup business. The student ends their description with: “Earned $800! Fingers crossed for another storm.” This is exactly the kind of language that makes admissions officers pause, especially when reading thousands of activity lists.

Another one of our favorite drafting tricks is to write about 200 characters first, then trim to 150. Cut out unnecessary adjectives, subordinate clauses, and filler words such as “successfully completed” or “in order to.” Starting descriptions with filler words leaves little room to provide detail.

A well-crafted description is what we like to call “resume poetry”: factual, compact, and a pleasure to read. Across all 10 entries (or as many as you include), aim for headlines and heart, a mix of concrete achievements and lines that show why something matters to you. Similar to the example we gave above, one short line from the heart is enough to make an entry memorable.

How to build your activities list, step by step

1. Brainstorm everything from 9th grade on, including jobs, family duties, hobbies, you name it. This is a great time to ask a parent or guardian to help you remember what you’ve accomplished. Don’t worry about character counts yet; just make your list of activities.
2. Rank your list using time, depth, recency, impact, connection, and then pick your top 10 or fewer.
3. Draft in a separate document so you can track character counts and edit freely.
4. Apply our 3-step formula and start to expand each description or trim off filler words to fit within the character limit.
5. Get a second reader, check that you’ve maximized the allotted space and communicated your activity accurately and effectively.

A quick note on honesty. Every word on your activities list should be accurate and your own. In fact, when you submit your application, it is one of the terms and conditions you agree to. That means avoid exaggerating positions or titles you didn’t have, embellishing your responsibilities, or inventing activities to sound impressive. Admissions officers read your activities list alongside your counselor’s and teachers’ letters, so an inflated title or padded hours may cause the reader to question your and your recommender’s credibility.

On the flip side of that, honesty doesn’t mean modest. Don’t undersell yourself by leaving out legitimate activities because you believe it isn’t important or glamorous. Balanced and accurate is what you should aim for.

10 Common App Activities Examples: Before and After

These are composite examples based on the kinds of activities our counselors see every year (names and details changed). Keep an eye out for what kinds of activities are presented, how they’re communicated, and what your takeaways are. Then, apply your learnings to your own activities list.

Looking for more support on building activities that genuinely reflect who you are? Explore Collegewise’s Extracurricular Strategy Mentorship program.

How to Fill Out the Other Fields

Position (50 characters, optional). Use a real title if you have one, and add your specific role where possible. For example, instead of “Member,” try: “Treasurer,” or instead of “Volunteer,” try “Fundraiser Coordinator.” You can even include changes in your position if you’ve been promoted or changed roles over time. Try: “Member (10), Vice President (11).”

Organization (100 characters). This is where students can add a few words of context when the reader may be unfamiliar with the organization. Turn “Parkrun” into “Ridgeway Parkrun Program (Run Club).” This is also the place to decode any acronyms, like “GSA (Gender & Sexuality Alliance).” Let the position and organization fields do the heavy lifting so your description can focus on impact.

Hours per week and weeks per year. Give your honest best guess here. Do a quick time audit, considering that some weeks may be busier than others, and settle on an average. Since grades, hours, and weeks have their own fields, try to avoid reiterating that information in the description.

Grade levels and timing. Check only the years you actually participated. If you started before 9th grade, you may say so in the description if you feel it’s important for admissions officers to know.

Intent to continue in college. Answer honestly. Don’t say “Yes” to every activity because you believe it will impress readers. Instead, be realistic about what's most interesting and where you see yourself keeping up with your involvement in college.

Character-Saving Cheat Sheet

Common App itself suggests abbreviations to fit the character limits. Here are a few common abbreviations you may want to bookmark before tackling the activities list:

Be sure to skip unfamiliar acronyms or informal abbreviations. If a reader has to guess what “IYKYK” is, it’s probably best to spell it out in the organization field or in the Additional Information section.

Can I use AI to help me write activity descriptions? Yes, but verify your text with a human reader. AI (artificial intelligence) can help you synthesize your ideas and work within character limits, but you should still have your description drafts reviewed by a trusted individual.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Describing duties instead of impact. A treasurer doesn’t need to explain that they collect dues and keep records. Any student in that role can perform the same or similar duties. Focus on what you do differently, and why.
• Repeating information from other fields. “I am president of the robotics club” is something that is already explained in the position and organization fields.
• Exaggerating your role. Be specific about your role where you can, but without misleading your reader or exaggerating your position. A secretary and a director are not the same position. Be honest.
• Underdeveloped descriptions. Try to use as many characters as possible when writing descriptions.
• Overlooking technical errors. Typos, information in the wrong field, copy-paste issues that cut off text are all things you should address before submitting your application.
• Overusing professional action verbs. “Orchestrated,” ”forecasted,” “pioneered,” and “engineered” are all very strong verbs, but they do two things: take away characters and make the description sound like someone who isn’t 17 years old wrote it. Both of these things can raise a few eyebrows when being read.

For Parents: How to Help Your Teen With the Activities List

The activities list is one of the best places for parents to help, because you remember things your teen forgets. In countless family meetings, our counselors ask students a simple question: “What activities have you been involved in?” More often than not, the answer is a blank stare. That’s not because the student hasn’t done anything. It’s because they aren’t sure what counts or what matters. While the writing should ultimately be the student’s, your memory and perspective are genuinely helpful.

Where you can help:

• Be the memory bank and help your teen brainstorm activities.
• Encourage them to get involved in activities, especially in grades 9 and 10.
• Help them quantify where possible.
• Name what counts (traditional vs. nontraditional commitments).
• Be the second, trusted reader of their description drafts.
• Offer support estimating hours of involvement, especially for seasonal activities.

It’s important to note that your teen’s activity list won’t be perfect, because it doesn’t have to be. It does have to be honest and reflective of how they spend their time. Helping your teen get involved in different activities early will give them room to discover what they care about, so that by senior year, the list tells a true story about who they are.

If you’re the parent of a 9th or 10th grader and want guidance on finding activities that fit, our Extracurricular Strategy Mentorship or Research Support & Work Experience programs can help.

Final Thoughts

Your activities list should be treated as an honest snapshot of how you’ve spent your time in high school, what you bring to a community, and how this ties into your college journey.

Bookmark this blog when it’s time to start drafting your activities list, use our guide to the Common App for expert insights on other sections, and bring your questions to one of our free college admissions webinars.

However, if you feel your activities list needs the help of a counselor, schedule a free consultation with our team today to learn more about how we can support you and your family.