Intro and Methodology

Extracurricular activities form a key part of any student's college application, often serving as the platform to demonstrate skills, passions, and commitments beyond academic prowess. However, not all activities hold equal weight - some are significantly more distinctive and impactful than others. Accordingly, we've ranked these activities on a scale from 1 to 10, where a score of 1 represents the rarest and most prestigious accomplishments, and a score of 10 indicates more common, albeit important, pursuits. This scoring system is structured around the notion that the quantity of students involved in activities decreases by roughly a factor of ten for each score level.

The path to progression through these scores can be likened to a mountain climb. The initial stages (scores 10 to 6) may seem less daunting - akin to the gentler slopes at the mountain's base. Here, students lay the groundwork by participating in clubs, contributing to community service, or playing in a school sports team (score 10). Gradually, they start taking on larger roles, showcasing their leadership and responsibility by organizing events, participating in regional sports teams, or winning at state-level competitions (scores 9 to 6). Each step up requires more involvement, dedication, and skill development, thereby helping students build a strong foundation for the more challenging journey ahead.

The latter part of the journey (scores 5 to 1) represents the steep and strenuous climb towards the peak. As the challenges multiply and competition intensifies, students transition from merely participating to truly excelling. They may win national competitions, intern at prestigious organizations, conduct original research, and eventually attain rarified achievements such as becoming an Olympiad medalist or earning recognition in international competitions (scores 5 to 1). The journey through these stages demands not only deeper passion and commitment but also high-level skills, resilience, and originality. The demanding nature of these upper stages assists top universities in identifying truly outstanding students. Nevertheless, remember that the value of these activities extends beyond college admissions, serving as platforms for self-discovery, personal growth, and the cultivation of lifelong skills and passions. So, embark on the journey that genuinely interests you - let your commitment and passion naturally shine through. Good luck!

Ranking

Extracurriculars Valued at 10

Activities at this level are typical of many high school students, showing a baseline level of involvement and commitment:

• Academics: Regularly participating in a school academic club, such as math club or science club.

• Sports: Being a member of a school sports team, displaying teamwork and athletic discipline.

• Music & Arts: Participating in the school choir, band, or an art club.

• Leadership & Service: Joining school clubs like student council, debate club, or a community service club.

• Work Experience: Holding a casual or part-time job, like retail work or babysitting, showing basic responsibility and time management. This entry-level experience is typical for many high school students and represents the broad base of students with some form of work experience.

Extracurriculars Valued at 9

These activities showcase a level of leadership and initiative beyond just participation:

• Academics: Holding a leadership position in an academic club or leading a study group.

• Sports: Being elected as a captain of a junior varsity team or being a key player on a varsity team.

• Music & Arts: Assisting in organizing school arts events or exhibitions, or playing a key role in a school play.

• Leadership & Service: Holding an office in a school club or leading a community service project.

• Work Experience: Engaging in a casual or part-time job that's indirectly related to your field of interest, such as tutoring in a subject you enjoy. This showcases responsibility and time management.

Extracurriculars Valued at 8

At this level, activities indicate a higher degree of responsibility and commitment:

• Academics: Winning a school or local level academic competition.

• Sports: Being the captain of a varsity team or receiving a regional-level athletic award.

• Music & Arts: Leading a significant school arts project, like directing a play or organizing a concert.

• Leadership & Service: Organizing significant school events or fundraising campaigns.

• Work Experience: Securing an internship at a local business or organization, displaying an interest in professional growth. This type of experience is common among high school students.

Extracurriculars Valued at 7

These activities demonstrate an even higher level of achievement and specialization:

• Academics: Earning special awards in a broad academic competition, such as a regional science fair.

• Sports: Participating at a state or regional level sports team or competition.

• Music & Arts: Winning a regional art competition or playing a solo at a regional concert.

• Leadership & Service: Leading a school club or organizing a large-scale service project, showcasing high-level management and leadership.

• Work Experience: Obtaining a summer job related to your field of interest, demonstrating focus and early career insights.

Extracurriculars Valued at 6

At this level, activities start to demonstrate an outstanding level of commitment and specialization:

• Academics: Achieving notable placements in a regional level academic competition.

• Sports: Winning an individual award at a state or regional sports competition.

• Music & Arts: Being selected for a state youth art exhibition or playing as a principal in a state youth orchestra.

• Leadership & Service: Holding a major office in the student government, showing a high level of responsibility and influence, like being the Student Council President or Vice President at your school.

• Work Experience: Interning at a local company or organization, such as working as an intern at a local tech start-up or a city hospital, giving you industry exposure in your field of interest.

Extracurriculars Valued at 5

At this level, activities demonstrate a higher degree of achievement and specialization:

• Academics: Winning a regional award in a subject-specific academic competition, such as securing distinction on the AMC (American Math Competition) or winning your region's National Science Bowl.

• Sports: State or regional-level recognition in a sport, such as being a key player on a state champion basketball team in the State High School Championships.

• Music & Arts: Being the lead in a regional theater production like a prominent local community theater or a principal musician in a regional orchestra, such as a city youth orchestra.

• Leadership & Service: Taking up a leadership role or initiating a project that has a notable positive impact within your school or local community. This might include leading a club at your school to achieve its goals, organizing a fundraising event for a local charity, or starting a project to address a local issue, such as a recycling initiative within your school or a neighborhood clean-up campaign.

• Work Experience: Securing a summer internship in your field of interest at a notable local organization or company.

Extracurriculars Valued at 4

Activities at this level show an exceptional level of commitment and impact:

• Academics: Securing a state or national award in an academic competition, like earning top honors at National History Day or winning a category in the Science Olympiad at the state or national level.

• Sports: Captaining a sports team to a state or regional championship, such as leading your school's soccer team to a state title.

• Music & Arts: Securing a significant role in a state-level theater production or being selected for a state youth orchestra, like the Texas All-State Band or Orchestra.

• Leadership & Service: Launching a community initiative or project that has made a significant local impact. This could mean organizing a charity event that actively engages and benefits your entire city, like a city-wide charity run with large participation and fundraising success, or starting a tutoring program that significantly improves educational opportunities for underprivileged children in your city.

• Work Experience: Conducting an extensive research project under a university professor's guidance, signaling academic rigor and commitment, like completing a summer research program at a local university.

Extracurriculars Valued at 3

These activities indicate standout achievement:

• Academics: Winning a state-level Olympiad in subjects like mathematics, physics, or informatics, like achieving top scores in your state's Physics Olympiad or American Computer Science League.

• Sports: Achieving All-State or All-American status in a sport, like being selected for the All-State Football Team or named an All-American in lacrosse.

• Music & Arts: Winning a prestigious state or national art competition, such as earning first place in your state's PTA Reflections arts competition, or leading a national youth orchestra, like being the concertmaster of the National Youth Orchestra of the USA.

• Leadership & Service: Launching a community initiative or project that has made a significant regional impact. This could involve organizing a charity event that engages multiple communities or cities, like a charity marathon that spans across the region, or establishing a tutoring program that serves underprivileged students in multiple districts within your region.

• Work Experience: Interning at a prestigious company or institution, showing significant initiative and industry exposure, such as a summer internship at a regional branch of a Fortune 500 company or a respected nonprofit organization.

Extracurriculars Valued at 2

These activities are highly distinguished and reflect an extraordinary level of accomplishment:

• Academics: Achieving national or international level recognition in academic competitions, such as being a finalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search or reaching the final stages of the USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO).

• Sports: Receiving national-level recognition or awards in a sports team, like being part of a national championship-winning team in sports such as the National High School Basketball Championship or the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship.

• Music & Arts: Receiving top honors in national or international music or art competitions. For example, earning accolades in prestigious competitions such as the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) competitions for musicians, or being a Gold Medal recipient in the national level of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for artists.

• Leadership & Service: Starting and running a successful business or nonprofit that has a substantial national impact. This could be a social enterprise that tackles a nationwide issue, such as a nonprofit that provides educational resources for low-income students across the country, or a tech startup that develops an app used widely across the nation, creating significant change or solving a widespread problem.

• Work Experience: Publishing a research paper in a reputable, peer-reviewed academic journal, showcasing advanced academic aptitude. For example, a high school student contributing to a research article published in a notable journal like Nature or Science, or a specialized journal relevant to their field of study.

Extracurriculars Valued at 1

The cream of the crop, these activities indicate the highest level of achievement and commitment:

• Academics: Examples of top achievements include being an International Olympiad medalist such as in the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO), or winning a prestigious award like the first place at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, or the Google Code-in competition.

• Sports: High-level accomplishments could involve winning a prestigious international sports award like a gold medal in the Junior World Rowing Championships or the Junior World Figure Skating Championships, or playing at an international-level championship such as the FIFA U-17 World Cup for soccer or the U-19 Cricket World Cup.

• Music & Arts: Students can secure significant roles in professional theater productions, like having the leading role in a Broadway show, or orchestras, such as being a principal violinist in a professional youth orchestra like the European Union Youth Orchestra. Winning internationally recognized art competitions like the BP Portrait Award or the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards also ranks highly.

• Leadership & Service: High-impact activities might involve starting a project or initiative with wide-reaching or significant global impact, such as creating an international nonprofit organization similar to Malala Yousafzai's Malala Fund that supports education for girls worldwide, or a tech startup that has a substantial global impact, like Boyan Slat's The Ocean Cleanup initiative.

• Work Experience: High-level industry engagement could be demonstrated through interning at globally renowned organizations or corporations like Google, Microsoft, or Amazon, working on significant projects at internationally recognized research institutions such as MIT, Stanford, or Harvard's research labs, or having internships at international government organizations like the CIA, United Nations, or World Bank.

Conclusion

While the aforementioned scores provide a certain guideline, they are not a definitive road map. What makes an extracurricular activity truly effective and influential in the eyes of admission officers is its genuine reflection of your interests, passions, and personal growth. They are interested in understanding who you are as a person beyond your academic achievements, and extracurricular activities are a great way to showcase this. Depth of commitment, demonstrated leadership, and the tangible impact of your contributions are qualities that significantly enhance the value of an activity.

Moreover, it's important to note that colleges and universities also consider the access and opportunities a student has had when evaluating their accomplishments. For instance, students from under-resourced schools or communities may not have the same opportunities to achieve top levels of recognition as those in more privileged circumstances. Admissions officers are trained to read applications in the context of these opportunities. That means if you've done impressive things with the resources you've had available, it will be noticed.

Consider this list as a broad gauge to help you understand where you stand among your peers and what potential opportunities exist for your further improvement and growth. It is not meant to box you into a rigid pathway, but to inspire you to strive for excellence in areas that you are truly passionate about. If music is what moves you, strive to be the best in that field. If coding is your passion, build something significant that solves a real-world problem.

Along this journey, your growth, resilience, and the learning experiences are what matter most. Each step upward signifies not just a higher 'score', but also your increased dedication, skill enhancement, and impact in your chosen activities. By embracing this mindset, you'll naturally cultivate an impressive portfolio of extracurriculars that truly embodies your personal interests and strengths. Good luck on your journey!