Common App activities-section examples for robotics: team captain, founder, software lead, mentor. Each one is calibrated to the 50/100/150-char Common App field limits and the way admissions readers actually scan a list.
Position / leadership
Team Captain, FIRST Robotics Competition (Team 1234)
Organization
FIRST Robotics, 40-person school team
Description
Led drive team to regional win and Worlds. Cut autonomous routine from 6.2 to 4.1 sec; mentored 12 freshmen on CAD and Java.
Why it works
Position names the role and team. Description names a metric (6.2→4.1 sec), a team-size scope (12 freshmen), and a tier-defining outcome (regional win, Worlds qualification).
Position / leadership
Engineering Lead, VEX Robotics
Organization
VEX Robotics World Championship, 7-person crew
Description
Designed and machined custom holonomic drive. Placed 8th of 600 teams at VEX Worlds. Documented build for next year's rookies.
Why it works
International tier earned via World Championship placement. The verb stack (designed, machined, placed, documented) shows technical depth and stewardship.
Position / leadership
Founder, Elementary Robotics Outreach
Organization
Self-organized after-school program, two title-I schools
Description
Started LEGO Robotics club at two Title I elementary schools. Raised $4,800 for kits; taught 60 students; placed 2 teams in regionals.
Why it works
Founder titles require evidence; this one shows fundraising ($4,800), reach (60 students, 2 schools), and outcome (2 teams to regionals).
Position / leadership
Software Lead, FIRST Tech Challenge
Organization
School FTC team, 12 members
Description
Wrote computer-vision pipeline for game-piece detection in Kotlin/OpenCV. Open-sourced on GitHub (200+ stars).
Why it works
Specific stack (Kotlin, OpenCV), specific output (vision pipeline), validation signal (GitHub stars). Reader can verify in 30 seconds.
Position / leadership
Lead Instructor, Robotics Summer Camp
Organization
Local Boys & Girls Club, 4-week program
Description
Designed 4-week curriculum on Arduino + sensors for 30 middle schoolers. Returned year 2; promoted to lead from assistant.
Why it works
Promotion (assistant → lead) is the most readable signal of growth in a teaching context. Curriculum design quantifies the work behind the title.
Position / leadership
Mentor, FIRST LEGO League
Organization
Local middle school team, 8 students
Description
Mentored team to state finals in second year mentoring. Translated FLL coaching guide into Spanish for new immigrant families.
Why it works
Two distinct contributions in one line (coaching outcome AND community translation work). State finals = state tier.
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