The Common App Activities List: How to Make Every Character Count

How the section works

The Common App lets you list up to 10 activities. For each one, you share the activity type, a position or leadership description (up to 50 characters), the organization name (up to 100 characters), and a description (up to 150 characters). You also note the grades you participated in and your hours per week and weeks per year.

Order matters

Put your most meaningful activities first. Readers often give more attention to the top of the list. Consider time commitment, responsibility, impact, and how closely an activity connects to the rest of your story.

Writing within 150 characters

The description field is short, so every word should carry information. Useful habits:

• Lead with action verbs: organized, taught, built, managed.
• Include specifics: numbers, scope, results, and audience.
• Skip filler words and repeated information from the position field.
• Use fragments when they are clear — full sentences are not required.

Family responsibilities and work count

Caring for siblings, helping run a family business, or holding a part-time job are real commitments. Colleges understand that not every student has time for many clubs. List these honestly.

International students

If your activities are tied to a school system or organization readers may not know, briefly clarify what it is. A short phrase of context can make your level of responsibility much clearer to a reader outside your country.