Want to read instead of watch 👀supertutortv.com/informational/5-activities-that-dont-help-your-college-application/

alright lemme just become number one in my class, get near-perfect scores on the sat and act, spend 2 hours at school sports and 2 hours at club sports every day for the whole school year, take 6 AP classes, be the best player in band, and be the president of every activity I'm in. oh, and also start my own business, organize 3 new clubs at school, and mentor in a children's program. don't forget a healthy 8-10 hours of sleep each night!

Getting good grades and actually doing well in school just aren't enough anymore. Not everyone has the time or energy after a long day of school + hours of homework to do these extracurriculars. Originally, these were there for fun, for students to enjoy, but now they're just there as resume padders as students scramble to make themselves seem as competitive as possible. It's sad. The entire American college and application systsm is a weird game that you have to BS like there's no tomorrow in order to win.

She talks about passion as if school hasn't already mercilessly robbed me of my sense of motivation and passion.

Life tip: do what you want, if you have a passion for an activity do it regardless of whether or not it'll look good on an application. Life is more than the college admissions office

This video made me sad

Man, it really is a shame that colleges only accept leaders. It's as if all the people that work under leaders don't matter at all :/. (i'm gonna stay on the volleyball team, even if i'm not good at it. because i LIKE it and i'm DEDICATED).

“so you can avoid wasting your time on these activities and spend your time instead on activities that are going to help you get into college” are you kidding me? this is ridiculous! kids should do activities that bring them joy instead of feeling like they’re WASTING THEIR TIME on something just because some random admissions officer doesn’t care about it

I’m not in the US educational system but I have heard here two SAD things: 1. Be passionate ... but only under condition that you’re the best at this activity ... if you aren’t the best (or aren’t a leader) then drop your “passion”. 2. You go to a college with all these catchwords about “changing the world”, “making impact” etc. ... heh, and then people get into some corporation and do a very regular job as a cog in the machine or even his job could be harmful to other people or to the planet.

Have fun in high school. Get the best grades you can but don't be afraid to try new things. You'll never be able to go back once you graduate. Don't miss out on life experience just to try to look good for some admissions counselor. If you're a crummy swimmer but you love swimming ... do it!

I did all of this. And I got into UC Berkeley with a 22 on the ACT. Take this video with a grain of salt and just focus on writing a really compelling admissions essay :)

I'm from Europe and I always found it ODD that, after school, homework, studying, family responsibilities and possibly a job, teens are supposed to spend the time they have left doing activities they don't really want to do to impress the colleges. And this is called well rounded? Always being around peers and never your family, someone of another age or god forbid ALONE is well-rounded? Someone who does ten million activities at his school and always just his school is more well-rounded than someone who volunteers? Volunteering isn't "innovative and original" but running laps around your school court IS...as long as you are good at it? Wait, WHAT?! America must really hate introverts and those that connect better with people of other ages vs. peers. And doing anything for the joy of it seems to be unacceptable, you have to be GOOD at it. I also don't get how you cannot show involvement if you aren't good at something. And how can the whole team show "leadership"?? There has to be a majority of non leaders for their to BE leaders and in the work world, it will be the same. Yet everyone has to be a leader going into college, though the majority won't be coming out?! What is this circus??? Your admissions process is a circus and teaches Americans young that NONE of their time is ever ever EVER their own. In France and Germany, nobody cares much about what you do in your free time. That's why it's FREE time. I always hated extracurricular. In my free time, I wanted to do fun things with friends, read, write crappy fanfiction, do some crafts or text my friends on my flip phone. These things had no purpose but enjoyment and destressing. The closest I got was teaching myself languages (doesn't count, solidary), babysitting (doesn't seem to count) and learning the guitar (doesn't count again, because I was mediocre). Also, what does telling someone to only do what they are naturally good at already teach them, anyway? Someone who isn't naturally good at something sticking with it shows dedication. Not being good at something from the start doesn't mean that you cannot improve. But if you dismiss everything you aren't good at already, how would you know how awesome you could be if you showed dedication? My friend who is an amazing writer was pretty horrible at high school age...she is good at it now because she didn't give up.

Watching this at 1:00am just feeds into my anxiety

2 categories *holds up 8 fingers*

You can try to get to a good college as much as you want, but remember: *mental health before success*

746 key club members disliked the video lol

I dont agree, even if you arent good at a sport doesnt mean it isnt a huge time commitment and it shows youre good at time mangement if you can get good grades and spend 3 hours a night on a sport, that means a lot

tbh if your a senior on JV, I applaud you. That is hard to take as a senior but only the ones who truly love the sport will continue playing it because they love it.

Grades? Colleges don’t care SAT? Colleges don’t care Extracurriculars? Colleges don’t care Volunteer? Colleges don’t care Money? Colleges don’t- Oh wait. So how do you get in to college then?

I wish colleges in America were like in Europe where you just have to pass an entrance exam and not do all these petty bullshit extracurriculars

College admission isn't this black and white. No extracurricular activities will get you in or break you. Don't not put volunteering just because you heard here that colleges don't like it, especially if you had an extended commitment and it's in your field of interest. By the time you do your application you'll have already committed all these hours to your clubs and other activities. PUT THEM DOWN AND BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU DID Your essays matter way more than your list of activities will. Focus more on that than fluffing your application with what you think colleges want/ don't want

Examples of extracurriculars that help you get into Harvard: Boys/Girls Nation (not state...nation), Eagle Scout, Debate Team Captain, Sports Team Captain, Class President or Student Body President, Black belt in a martial art, Cheerleading Captain (yes, cheerleading really helps), creating phone apps or other software that becomes popular (especially if you're a girl), having scientific research published in a peer-reviewed journal with you as a lead author, being conductor of an orchestra. Starting clubs or organizations doesn't help much because it's very common nowadays. 20-30 years ago, it helped a little. Basically, find a couple of activities you're really interested in and go after the top level of leadership and accomplishment in those couple of activities. Things that really don't help much for Harvard: Starting a club or organization that you are "president" of (unless it's something that really became big on a state or national level, not just your school), volunteering, tutoring, mentoring, random clubs (FBLA, HOSA, chess club, math club, etc.), summer camps and programs (unless they are extremely selective and prestigious like TASP or Research Science Institute...usually those types of programs are free), and "leadership programs/retreats/institutes." In the summer, it would be better to take challenging courses (in Calculus, English Lit, U.S. History, etc.) at a nearby 4-year university and get As in them...that would look good, especially if the courses are in the subject you plan on concentrating (i.e. majoring) in at Harvard. Hopefully you have near-perfect (or perfect) grades and test scores. Being #1 or #2 in your class looks good. If you've taken AP or IB exams, it looks good to show them a bunch of 5s (or 7s on IB exams), and nothing below a 4 (6 on IB). It helps (a little) to be from an underrepresented state like Mississippi or Wyoming. It helps to express interest in an unpopular concentration like Linguistics or Anthropology, especially if your interest for that subject shows in your essays or activities. It helps to be a girl interested in a STEM major as long as your grades and test scores strongly back up your STEM ability. Oh, and if you're poor or even middle class (family income less than ~$70k or so), that helps quite a bit. Incorporate that into your essays somehow. Yes, they could just look on your FAFSA form to see your family's income, but they really like kids from poor or middle class (not upper middle, haha) backgrounds. They like kids who overcame adversity or lack of opportunities in their communities and schools. This won't overcome less than great grades and test scores, but it will definitely help. And if you don't get in, it's fine, really. Harvard (or Yale or any other school) is FAR from a guarantee of any success in life. You will have to make your own success in life regardless of where you graduate from college.

i dont think this video's made for me... no one around here is sure enough on what they want to do to contact 20 researchers to be an intern. what kind of teenagers in this country have the energy, time, money, mental health and definite aspirations to start their own organization, "be a leader", an innovator, and entrepreneur... we're kids

she did not come to play with y’all on the mediocre activity segment

I'm 14 and already worried lmao

As a current college student with a sibling who's transferring from Community College to Berkeley, I can attest that this is all pretty true. Colleges want a narrative, not a bunch of disjointed events. The best thing to do is to join local nonprofits and stay with them for a long time building your skills and community. Colleges want someone who can bring prestige to the school through being proactive with pursuing their passions rather than following the template given to us.

For people who don’t have much time: 1. Volunteer work 1:05 2. Mediocre activities 2:55 3. Doing something because someone told you it will look good 4:32 4. Summer camps, mission trips, and leadership seminars 5:30 5. Expensive summer programs 6:53

don’t tell people to quit things if they’re not amazing at it. if it brings someone joy they should go for it.

I get that getting into college is hard and that its expensive. I did so many AP courses and challenged myself in high school and got a great scholarship but just remember that not eveything is about college. It is not all the end all be all. We push kids so hard to excel that they can't even have activities they enjoy, it has to have some dual purpose. Kids deserve to have some fun just for the sake of fun sometimes!!

yo honestly high school should be about having fun with the activities that you enjoy doing, even if it’s pep club or ur terrible at swimming

Some advice to a fellow student, spend less time participating in BS random clubs and extracurriculars (as she stated), and more time thinking about your purpose in life. I know it seems too early to have it all figured out but that is precisely what colleges are looking for--someone with the drive to fulfill a desire that will hopefully have an effect on the world. Well, at least that's what IVY leagues are looking for. Oh and don't forget to maintain your GPA to show that you can excel academically, they look at that too. Good luck

I read this one comment somewhere that stuck with me : "the elite colleges don't accept people who WILL be successful, they select people who already ARE successful". These colleges basically select people who don't really need a college education to succeed, and once they finish college and become successful, the colleges take credit for it. So messed up 🤦

You don't have to be good or passionate about everything you need to do. Just do it. Put time and commitment into and you'll be good. Colleges aren't going to say "s/he's not enthusiastic enough" just don't sound dead while you describe while you do it.

Can you do a video on the extracurricular portion of the common app? I find it so strange and difficult to fill out...

im a freshman in high school why am i watching this

I think Brooke makes a lot of good points here. If you think about it again, she clearly does make a lot of sense. It is just that the way she said them hurt people's feelings, hence the many dislikes. Sometimes the truth sucks.

Kids, just get a high GPA, good ACT/SAT scores, and take AP/college coursework in high school. Do extracurriculars for fun and add as many as you wish! 😊

I think that it is fair to say that the activities she describes as mediocre will not act as a "hook" to get you into elite universities and will not make up for shortcomings in grades or scores at even lesser selective universities. But let's be honest, what she is describing as mediocre is what 90% of the kids that DO end up getting accepted and going off to college will have put on their college resumes. Unless you are a recruited athlete, colleges mostly care about your grades and scores because that is what helps them move up the rankings. The little philanthropy that you started doesn't help them.

my heart dropped when she said summer camps and leadership seminars :( literally all i signed up for this summer

so many of people in the comments seem angry because they aren't the target audience for this video. this is tailored for people trying to get into extremely competitive schools. as someone who goes to one of the top 25 schools in the nation, i found this video rings true for not only myself, but also for 9/10 of my peers. i don't mean to show off because *it was my school counselor* that suggested i do specific and focused interests in high school, and i was lucky to have her. even so, i was rejected from all of the top 20 schools i applied to - the ivies weren't going to happen. you really have to be something special to get into those schools, and those are the people she's talking to in this video.

why the fuck am i watching this i am not even going to college

I did all of this, got straight As, internship, played soccer, meh ACT score but I’m at UC Berkeley now :)! It’s all about being passionate about something 🤗

VOLUNTEER WORK DOES HELP I have read many online essays

People seriously need to stop putting red bars at the bottom of their videos. It makes me think i watched it already lol

These SAT books in the background are making me anxious.

most college students can't get into lab research, I don't know any professors who would let a high schooler

I started my school's Prom Drive through NHS, being in NHS really helped me organize it, and it's been my "passion project" for 3 years! I really love it and I've found someone to take it over when I graduate! We've been expanding it for 2 years and we're starting to actually make a difference!

I remember back in the day when a 2.5 was seen as a great GPA. Now it’s all about the 3.0 and up

Your videos are so helpful! I love how you tell it like it is instead of sugar coating.

Okay but theres a difference between summer programs that are just pay to play and summer programs that are competitive and require an application. For instance, going to pre-college programs that you pay thousands of dollars for don't mean anything, but if you apply for competitive summer programs that focus around an area of study like TASP or RSI that require a certain gpa and essays, then that definitely matters and factors into your college admissions chances.

I'm an admissions counselor and I once I had a student listed "Going to the beach" as an extracurricular... Needless to say, don't do that please

Thank you so much! I was arguing about what looks good to college with family and friends for a long time. THis video helps so much!

Thank you for all your informative vids. Anytime I have a question or just anything boggling in my mind about college, I go straight to your channel. Please keep your videos as I know that all students will find them helpful somewhat.~

*1) Volunteer work* Most high schools require it anyway *2) Mediocre activities* Like clubs that don’t require lots of commitment or interest/competitive activities where you don’t compete *3) Doing something just because you think college will like it* doesn’t show passion or interest *4) summer camps/mission trips/leadership seminars* One week things don’t mean much, you need to show detication *5) Expensive summer programs* Like: summer programs offered by a college. It won’t really make a difference. Don’t do it just to get into college.

Doing something you are passionate about and love doing, even if you're not any good, is FAR better than excelling at something you are apathetic about. I would not trade doing my sport for anything. Not admission to my dream college. Nothing. Have fun in high school, and don't just use it as a jumping off point to college. Live your life fully.

This video is so realistic. I participated activities in school basically just for fun, I never think about to join certain activities make my high school life stunning

i’m not a varsity runner but i am passionate about it. it’s hard to decrease your times quickly without injury. i’m not gonna stop running because i’m not the best. if a college doesn’t accept me bc of the fact that i wasn’t the best in my sport, which was very competitive, it’s not my loss.

So glad I skipped real college and went straight for my EMT and went into real world. I got my current job because of service hours, summer camps that I've worked for, mission trips, small clubs, and other "mediocre" activities such as the "cancer walk"! Real world is a lot easier than getting into college if this video is true. I would have never gotten into a "real" college. Also... What school forces kids to volunteer unless you need to make up hours or you are in certain extra curriculars??? I've heard rumors that some do but I've never been to a school district that requires students to do hours. No schools in my area require hours. I guess most kids do it on their own in my area they don't think it is needed to force them.

ah you should definitely make another channel for college app advice

Hi! Thanks a lot! I'm a Brazilian student really focused to get in MIT, your channel is really helping me and giving me really good tips! So, thank you again and congratulations for the awesome work!

Awesome video! Really gives me a great idea of what colleges are really looking for! Passion, dedication, and how you express your intellectual curiosity/interests in your everyday life.

Hey guys! Please feel free to give your two cents: Every summer until I go to college (I'm currently a junior, so two more summers), I am planning to work at SeaWorld as a janitor. I did it last year, and I actually enjoyed it. It might sound weird, but my perspective on life changed...by merely spending time in the bathroom. Would it be a bad idea to write about my experience working in a bathroom? I feel like it's a unique topic to write about, but at the same time, it might fall flat by the admissions counselors. Any ideas?

My college told me they were very impressed by my volunteer work, so I'm glad I put it on my college application. I'm doing a double major in early childhood education and theatre/dance. My volunteer work was all teaching dance, teaching art, teaching preschool programs, etc. If your volunteer work is meaningful to you, make sure you DO put it on your college application

I piloted a program with special ed kids during gym that gives the special education students a connection with the regular education students. It was so amazing to connect with each and every one of them and learn how their minds work my freshman year. I will do that every day instead of study hall first semester my sophomore year and it will be my gym second semester and until I graduate high school. I love working with all of them and will continue to do it no matter what but would colleges care about that?

I think the thing with extracurriculars is that you have to be able to WRITE about them. Like do volunteering or play sports, and it will show in your writing if they're special to you. I did go to a one-week summer program (it was with the US Naval Academy - it wasn't as exclusive as I thought it'd be bc we had to apply and submit grades) but I was able to write about my experience so I think it helped me in my college process. Obviously, all advice must be taken with a grain of salt because everyone's college process will be different (and there is a bit of luck involved), but I do think the points in the video are true to some extent.

If you want to volunteer at a pet shelter or be “a clog” then do it, nobody can say it won’t help. I just received a scholarship for my volunteer work. Do you, there’s no wrong or right here.

I feel like the whole idea of “selling” yourself to a dream college is stupid in the first place. Long down the road nobody will care if you got into this school or that school, they care if you were a good or bad person. What a way to live your teenage years according college admissions.

Lmao just go to community college and don’t waste your money

I've been volunteering at the special Olympics swim team in my area since I was 12 and a local animal shelter since I was 13, those both helped. Start early and be committed.

What even is this? This takes out basically everything that you can do to get into college except for grades.

I'm an Eagle scout and I was surprised to find 5 other Eagle scouts in my suite of 14. The admissions office knew the dedication and work This takes.

I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS thank you so much for helping us navigate the process of college admissions!

Lol so me grinding my ass off in debate for the past 4 years to finally get selected to go for a national extremely selective week-long seminar is just "fluff"

I'm an illustration major and the fact that I was in the debate team for five years and became vice president helped me out more than anything art related I did on the side because the art stuff was like maybe one week of workshops... Commitment!

if you're into any performing arts, like orchestra, band, or theatre, I've heard those are very good for college! one of my band director's sons worked for admissions at Boston University and said that colleges like music kids because they tend to be very demanding activities and it shows that the students have a lot of dedication, so if it's something you love but are scared to do because you think it won't help you, go for it!

Even though these activities may not be the most helpful on applications, I still find a lot of them to be very rewarding. I'm on the swim team and I'm definitely not a good swimmer. However, I learned so much about being on a team and made so many new friends. I also went to a week-long leadership conference/camp and met people who re some of the best friends I've ever had. So some of these things may seem like a waste of time, but I would encourage you to do things you want to do, and don't worry about them not helping your application because they can be such amazing experiences.

I love how this video popped up after I submitted an application the night before contradicting everything in this video

Every person in the comments section: "LIAR! Community service and volunteer work are EXTREMELY important in an application!! They are what makes ME special!"

Just have high SAT scores like a classmate of mine. He was not involved in anything and got into MIT

I think the idea is that your activities are consistent and relevant to your major/what you want to study and explore as a career. I volunteer at an archive and plan events for them (great for grad school applications and my resume because I want to pursue cultural history and museum and archive work!) and I'm the president of the student group of my major at my university. Those are the kind of activities that impress people, stay dedicated at something you love!

I’m glad you get to the point. Watching other videos is so irritating as they dance around the topic and don’t give straight answers.

life is too short to think this way smh just do what you love and don’t listen to people who try to tell you otherwise

I felt this video was directed at me when it said I should quit the swim team if I’m not a stand out. But I’m not going to Bc it is hard to stand out when half of the team is amazing and 5 are all Americans

Love what you said about how often extracurriculars don't develop or showcase a passion!!! 100000% agree.

This was a big help ! Thank you so much ❤️

A video that would be really helpful to me is how to explain a bad year to colleges/jobs. I have had some health issues this year that have meant I have been at school less and thus not able to get the grades I did last year.

Since you mentioned volunteer work, i was just wondering about my situation. My school requires 75 hours of volunteer work to graduate, but I have almost 200 and I am planning on volunteering at a hospital to gain insight into the medical field since I want to pursue a career in that. The hospital volunteering will require at least 100 hours, so put together I'll have almost 300 hours. Will this be impressive to colleges?

Wow! This video really made me happy! I was nervous that I spend all three year really just in drama club, but it was VERY VERY time consuming and a huge commitment so I guess that’s good 😄

thanks so much! i realize a lot of things i have done wrong for my application next year

your literally contradicting yourself. if your'e not the best on a team, but you stay on it ITS DEDICATION AND A COMMITMENT

I understand for many people that these activities won't help most people, however I think it should be made more clear that these things aren't black and white! Personally, many of my activities fell under these "activities that don't help your college application," and I still was admitted to some decently prestigious universities. I definitely understand the intentions of this video, but you definitely make it seem like you shouldn't do any of these activities that can be perfectly viable.

Wow, the system is so different in different countries. I'm so happy that none of this matters in my country, at least on my field. It was all grades and entrance exam.

I've done two mission trips and neither only took a week, we were actually away for 2.5 weeks but there was 5-6 months of fund raising activities prior to the trip.

4:07 i feel like we shouldn’t be so focused on how everything we do looks to colleges. Like sure, if you’re only on swimming to add to your application, you should reconsider, but I don’t think telling people to quit just because they aren’t the best in what they’re doing is good advice, especially if it’s something they genuinely enjoy. Not always being the best can be a really valuable experience, especially for kids who are used to being at the top. High school should be able to stand alone as its own experience, not just something to show off in applications

Me: *accepted into college, leaving in the fall* Also me: *clicks video anyway*

Watching this was very comforting because now I have reassurance I am actually doing something right in hs

I guess im not going 2 college. :(

what if I have been volunteering for a really long time and consistently?? Because I actually like where im volunteering and I go there because I really enjoy it. Also is Marching band also something colleges notice because I really like Marching band.

As a junior on JV swim team, this video really came for me huh. Whatever, it’s fun.

i honestly did no clubs in high school I only did the ACE Plus program where you basically go to college and high school at the same time, becauae I focused so much in excelling my studies I got into university with full tuition paid and will graduate in less than 2 years with my bachelor's degree