#UniShorts: 3 Extracurricular Activities to Improve Your Ivy League University Application

Ivy League universities have some of the lowest acceptance rates in the world, so you should have a clear game plan when it comes to tackling the admissions process. This is particularly useful advice when it comes to engaging with extracurricular activities.

It’s safe to assume that the majority of Ivy League applicants will have an impressive academic track record, so you’ll need to engage fully with a number of valuable hobbies to strengthen your application. This will give you the best opportunity to stand out when highly picky admissions teams look through your paperwork. 

Here are 3 useful extracurriculars to give you some inspiration going forwards in the holistic US application process. 

• Take on a Leadership Role in One of Your Extracurricular Activities

One of the best ways to stand out as a prospective Ivy League candidate is to take on a leadership role in one (or several) of your clubs. You could captain your football team to a historic run in the local league, take charge of recruitment for your lacrosse club, or become social chair for your school’s debating team. Whatever you do, admissions groups at top-quality US universities want to see evidence of applicants demonstrating initiative and leadership. If you’re a long-term captain of your school’s sports team. this demonstrates your commitment and discipline. Those candidates that have a track record of leadership success demonstrate a personal standard of excellence. 

• Engaging With Your Community as Part of Your Extracurricular Activities

When you’re applying to an Ivy League college, you should try to get into the habit of figuring out what they’re looking for in a prospective student. Put simply, the best universities and liberal arts colleges in the States want to find young people with a track record of positive and proactive involvement with various kinds of communities.

You could get involved with the school’s Model UN club, jazz band, rugby team, or the local soup kitchen and homeless shelter. Ivy League colleges are looking for the leaders of tomorrow, and they want to create a campus where students are fully engaged with academic, sporting, and creative communities. The more you commit to taking part in community work in your free time, the stronger your college application will become. More importantly, you’ll bring some positive, constructive change to your local area, school, or sports team.

• Getting Research or Creative Work Published 

You’ll impress the admissions teams of the top US universities if you’ve managed to write and publish a properly cited research paper while still in secondary school. By doing this, you’ll elevate your application to a new level by emphasising both your academic talent and your personal initiative.

If you love sitting in coffee shops or cafés and writing short stories or drawing detailed sketches, why not try to get some of these creative works published? A thorough portfolio with examples of excellent work will bolster your Ivy League application, so it’s well worth putting together a collection of your favourite stories, artworks, and creative school essays to send to the admissions team as part of the process.

A Quick Summary 

Undergraduate places at Ivy League colleges are incredibly competitive, so it’s likely that you’ll need to engage with a variety of extracurricular activities in order to draw the attention of the admissions teams at these universities. Try to take leadership roles where you can, and use these roles to demonstrate your commitment, self-discipline, and ability to inspire those around you to achieve something special.

If you have a creative or academic piece of work of which you’re extremely proud, push to get it published in some journal or short story collection.

Finally, engage with your local community in some substantial and positive way, whether it’s serving home-cooked meals to economically disadvantaged families, setting up a women’s rugby team at your school, planning the Leavers Ball, or directing a community play or concert. Not only are these actions beneficial to those around you, but they’ll also make you feel great about yourself and will strengthen your Ivy League application.

For more advice on the Ivy League application process, visit our website to set up a free consultation with one of the A&J Education experts.