Activities Resume
A structured list of your extracurriculars, leadership, work, awards, and community service — submitted as part of the Common App or as a separate PDF. (Grad applicants: see the Academic CV guide instead.)
1 week of drafting
Free
Common Application "Activities" section + PDF attachment
What it is
A 1-2 page document listing your activities outside academics — clubs, sports, religious organisations, community service, paid work, awards, certifications, and any project you led.
Why it matters
Universities want to see who you are when school is over. Depth beats breadth: 2 years leading the chess club says more than 6 weekly clubs you barely attended.
How to get it
- 1
List every activity from JHS3 onward — clubs, sports, jobs, religious roles, community service, projects, awards.
- 2
For each: role, dates, hours per week, weeks per year, and 1-2 lines on what you accomplished.
- 3
Order by significance, not chronology. Lead with what shaped you most.
- 4
Trim ruthlessly. The Common App allows 10 activities; pick the strongest 10.
- 5
For non-Common-App schools, attach a clean 1-page PDF resume.
Tips & best practices
- •Quantify outcomes. "Organised event" is weak. "Organised event, 200 attendees, raised GHS 5,000 for school library" is strong.
- •Include unpaid family contributions — caring for siblings, helping with a family business — these count and matter.
- •Lead with action verbs: led, founded, raised, taught, coached, built, designed.
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Common mistakes to avoid
- •Inflating a one-time event into a long-term commitment. Admissions officers spot this immediately.
- •Listing 10 superficial clubs to look "well-rounded". 3 deep commitments beat 10 shallow ones.
- •Forgetting to mention informal leadership — running the church youth WhatsApp group counts.
Ghana-specific notes
Activities like Sunday School teaching, "head boy/head girl", and prefect duties are valued by US universities. Translate roles to terms an outsider will understand: "Senior Prefect (elected by 800 students to represent the student body)".
Related documents
Personal Essay (Common App)
Your 650-word personal statement. The Common App essay is sent to every undergrad school you apply to — it is the most important piece of writing in the application.
Awards & Achievements Evidence
Certificates, photos, videos, and other concrete proof of awards, competitions, and standout performances — in case schools ask.
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