What if the “Activities” section of college applications did not permit applicants to list the names or titles of the activities, but instead asked for a specific description of the impact students made within each commitment?
You couldn’t list “Varsity Golf, “ but you could describe that you organized trips to the driving range during the summer.
You couldn’t list “Part-time job at Layla’s Boutique,” but you could describe that you were the top salesperson for three months running which led to the store’s best performing quarter that year.
You couldn’t list “Volunteer at homeless shelter,” but you could describe that you’d successfully recruited five friends and that, between the six of you, you’d given nearly 1,000 hours of your time to the shelter.
The names and titles of activities have their place. But what really matters is what you get done.