by Pat Wilson

Created on: March 19, 2007   Last Updated: September 10, 2009

As a suit makes the man, extracurriculars makes the college application.
Colleges and universities are receiving record numbers of applications from high school seniors this year, and every admission counselor we've contacted has asked about the extras.
"What sports does your son play?"
"What clubs has your daughter joined? Is she an officer in any clubs?"
"Does he play any instruments?"

Extracurricular activities are often the deciding factors between academically superior candidates. It is often the thing that makes the student shine.
As one Admissions Officer at Princeton University advised, "Be interesting!"
There are thousands of students with perfect Grade Point Averages (GPAs) that have brought home straight-A report cards. It is not enough. There are hundreds who have perfect SAT scores (it really is true). Well, that may be enough for all but the top five or six schools, but add extracurriculars to that and rejection is unthinkable.
To be a successful applicant, especially with the more selective colleges, the student needs to stand out from the crowd of thousands of other applicants. What are the extra activities outside of the classroom that he or she has been involved with, and how long have they been involved? The prospective student needs to be involved in an activity that gives the Admissions Officer (AO) something to gravitate toward when comparing your child's application with another.
AO's also look at how long a student has been involved in the activity. It is pretty obvious to the Admissions Officer that a student is padding an application when all the activity began in the senior year. The student should start early (freshmen or sophomore year) and stick with the extracurricular if she or he wants to imply any expertise in the activity.
A student worth admission should also display width in their choice of activities, as well as depth of experience.
Diversity is a neat word - it implies so much. But it can also be a terrific tool in the prospective student's toolkit when considering schools, and when schools are considering the student. A wide array of interests shows a college officer that the student is well-rounded.
The student who has been on an intramural or varsity sport gets points towards the admissions target, with varsity sports being of greater interest to colleges, but add a musical instrument (different skills set) and performance in a school play (aha! outgoing!) and the points rack up.
A student who is a member of the chess

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