Extracurriculars vs. Work Experience for College

Are extracurriculars or work experiences more valuable for college applications? This is a question that frequently comes up for high school students, and it can be tough to find a definitive answer. Both extracurriculars and work experiences can demonstrate initiative, skills, positive character traits, and growth over time. That said, it’s how you engage deeply with each activity to craft an overall narrative that can be the most impactful when it comes to applications.

In this article, we’ll help you understand the strengths of each type of experience, and how to balance and ultimately present them for well-rounded college applications.

Why Activities and Experience Matter in College Applications

Colleges and universities in the United States tend to be transparent about considering non-academic factors when making admissions decisions. University websites and college admissions materials often state some version of “we are looking for candidates who will take full advantage of the resources that the university has to offer.” For example, USC says they are looking for candidates who “would take advantage of the many opportunities available at USC” and that they “consider personal qualities, as revealed by your school and/or community involvement, leadership and other achievements.” Harvard’s admissions office writes that “While academic accomplishment is important,” they also value “strong personal qualities, special talents or excellences… and the ability to take advantage of available resources and opportunities.” Yale indicates that they “are looking for students who will make the most of Yale and the most of their talents.”

How specifically can high school students best demonstrate that they will take advantage of opportunities and resources during college? One strategy is to actively identify, pursue, and excel at extracurricular activities and/or professional experiences outside the classroom. These opportunities showcase your passions, dedication, and initiative, all of which indicate to college admissions committees that you will continue to engage with the community and resources available to you during college. Extracurricular activities and work experiences also provide important context beyond grades and test scores, adding a unique and humanizing dimension to your profile. Finally, they help students develop transferable soft skills like leadership and teamwork, which are positive character attributes that four-year college admissions committees have valued highly in recent years — even higher than the quality of essays and writing samples, on average.

Common Misconceptions About Extracurriculars and Work Experience

There are a handful of common misconceptions out there about how colleges value extracurriculars and work experiences. Let’s debunk some of those myths:

• Misconception #1: “Jobs don’t ‘count’ towards college applications.” This is false! Okay, colleges may not care about how well you can serve frozen yogurt. However, they want to know that you had the initiative to land and hold a job, and that you can work well with others in various situations.

• Misconception #2: “Quantity is more important than quality.” Admissions officers consistently remind students and counselors that depth of engagement is far more important than breadth. According to College Board, students should:

  • Focus on a small number of activities and interests

  • Develop and document long-term engagement with organizations

  • Highlight high school leadership positions on their applications

• Misconception #3: “Informal or unpaid experiences don’t count.” Experience is experience: it’s as simple as that. Just because you don’t have an official title doesn’t mean you aren’t deeply engaging with an activity or an organization.

• Misconception #4: “Activity X is more valuable than activity Y.” There’s no secret ranking of extracurricular activities. Colleges want to see that you’re finding opportunities and engaging with them in meaningful ways.

Strengths of Extracurricular Activities

Why pursue extracurriculars? Extracurricular activities add depth to your profile when applying to colleges. They showcase your commitment to your passions and interests, your capacity for excellence outside of the classroom, and, if applicable, your teamwork and leadership skills. Depending on the types of activities you get involved with, they can also demonstrate initiative, creativity, and independence. 

Extracurriculars have been shown to greatly benefit students’ development. They allow students to pursue independent projects and collaborate with peers beyond the classroom. Students who participate in extracurricular activities during school strengthen their academic, personal, and social skills in high school while engaging deeply with their individual interests. Students interested in pursuing extracurricular activities can join sports teams, theater and music groups, political activist groups, community service clubs, and more.

Strengths of Work Experience

Like extracurricular activities, work experiences such as internships and part-time jobs can also add nuance to your college application profile, helping you stand out. Working students get real-world exposure in professional environments, which helps them build essential skills that often transfer to future studies and employment opportunities. Maintaining parallel success in both academics and in a part-time job or internship demonstrates time management skills, and can also help students learn responsibility, reliability, professionalism, and collaboration.

According to the president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, working a job in high school can help students develop an idea of what they want to study in college, and helps them find inspiration for their future careers. The “critical component” when translating that to college applications, she says, “is being able to create a narrative around how that work experience will inform your college career.”

Finally, and not insignificantly, work experiences can lead to financial income, which is an important consideration for many students and families.

How to Decide What to Emphasize

Are extracurriculars or work experiences more important? There’s no simple answer. It depends on your own interests and objectives, as well as the other activities that you are already involved in. Whatever the nature of your activities and experiences are, the crucial part is to engage with them deeply and over an extended period of time, which shows colleges that you are able to maximize opportunities and resources in life.

Additionally, keep in mind that you’ll want to craft a compelling narrative that you can express clearly and succinctly in your college applications. When considering the narrative you want to present to colleges and universities, reflect on your personal goals and current strengths. Where do you see yourself in a few years? Is there a path or trajectory that you see yourself on, or that you would want to be on? Consider where you started at the beginning of high school and where you want to be at the end of college.

Don’t spread yourself too thin. Select a small number of unique experiences that you find important and that, ideally, could set you apart from other applicants. For many (though not all) students, their extracurricular or work/internship activities lead to profound experiences that they end up highlighting on their college applications. Some students are able to balance high school academics with a combination of extracurricular activities and work experience, which is an impressive feat! Just remember: depth is better than breadth, and in your applications, find a way to tie everything together into a cohesive narrative.

Presenting Extracurriculars and Work Experience Effectively

Strategy is key when presenting your extracurricular and/or work-related accomplishments to colleges and other specific programs. If asked for a résumé, craft a strong, clear, and concise summary of your profile. Use consistent formatting, double-check for spelling and grammatical errors, and stick to one to two bullet points per item. Avoid the temptation to lengthen descriptions to fill white space: it’s okay if your résumé doesn’t fill a whole page yet. For more, check out our dedicated article on high school student résumés

In résumés and other application fields, quantify your achievements where possible. For each activity or experience, indicate a number of hours you dedicated, a tangible impact, or if applicable, a leadership position you held.

Connect each activity and experience to the broader narrative you want to present. How does each line of your resume connect to your personal growth up to this point? How has it informed your future goals? How will it shape your engagement with the school or program’s resources?

Finally, for each application, tailor your résumé and narrative slightly to align with the values of specific colleges or programs. For example, this could mean adjusting which activities, experiences, and outcomes you choose to emphasize.

Building a Well-Rounded Application

Extracurriculars and/or work experiences can be combined with academic achievement to add depth to your college applications. This creates a rounded profile that stands out when compared to monodimensional applications. Regardless of the nature of your activities and experiences, engaging with a small number of them over a long period of time demonstrates consistency, resilience, and excellent time management skills. Most importantly, depth of engagement is the strongest indicator to colleges that you will find and take full advantage of the resources they have to offer.

If you’re unsure of how best to present your profile on applications, remember to quantify your achievements and to pull everything together into a cohesive narrative. You can also ask a mentor to help guide you on the most compelling way(s) to present yourself.

Conclusion: Showcase Your Strengths with Polygence

When framed effectively, extracurriculars and work experiences can have strong positive impacts on your college applications.

Polygence is a resource for students to build, execute, and showcase unique passion projects and mentorship experiences. These projects demonstrate depth of engagement, as well as leadership, initiative, and a commitment to excellence, allowing high school students to add dimension to their college applications while building real-world skills.

Work Lab connects students with industry mentors at actual startup companies. Guided by their mentors, participants work on challenging, intellectually stimulating projects with tangible business outcomes.

Our Research Mentorship Program pairs students with PhD-level experts to guide them through an independent research project of their choosing.

Polygence Pods are beginner-friendly courses on cutting edge topics. They’re ideal for students looking to explore an interest before diving in deeper.

Polygence lets you create profound experiences that bridge academic achievement, extracurricular passions, and career readiness. Apply now to take full advantage of all that Polygence has to offer!