I really think that people have overcomplicated things when it comes to activities. We want to see that our students will thrive and contribute in our community. The activity section is one of the areas that we use when we are making our assessment. Activities don't overshadow the other parts of the application, they are one piece of the puzzle.
It seems that people believe that applicants must show long-term commitment to activities. Perhaps this is because most college applications ask students to note the years during which they participated in an activity. We definitely look at that information, but we aren't fixated on seeing every activity during each year of high school. If you happen to have found an organization, club, or sport that you love very early in life and have maintained involvement in it for years, that's wonderful! If your involvement in extracurricular activities isn't consistent, that isn't a big deal to us. Sometimes, interests change and priorities evolve.
Please don't apologize if your activities haven't been long-term.There is room for all kinds of involvement here.
Tennis ball retriever - 6/2008 to present
