Breaking Down Extracurriculars & Passion Projects
Quick! You have 100 clubs to choose from! Which ones actually matter? Will you join something, start something, or create a passion project? What’s the difference? Extracurriculars are things that you do outside of school and/or work. This can be a sport, a club, community service, and so much more. This is what sets you apart and shows your personality on college applications. Passion projects take it a step further. Passion projects are self-directed projects based on your personal interest, creativity, or skill development and driven by personal fulfillment rather than external requirements. These can be initiatives, research, nonprofits, etc. But, how do you choose what fits you best? How do you stand out?
1. What Colleges Actually Look For:
Let’s face it. Everyone is doing the same things. Everyone has the same GPA, ACT score, community service, and clubs. To fight this, you not only have to stand out with your college essays but also in your activities outside of school.
Depth over Breadth:
Colleges don’t want to see you in 12 clubs that you are not involved in and make an impact in. They want to see a spike, one or two areas where you were engaged, took on responsibilities, built skills, and created measurable change. This shows your personality, commitment, and ability to develop expertise. You can choose any club or extracurricular, but ensure that you are actually doing, creating, or achieving something.
Consistency:
Colleges value activities that span years, not weeks. They want to see your growth, which will foreshadow how you will grow in college.
(Tip: show what you can bring to the table for them. They want successful students, publicity, and money. How can you do this for them?)
Staying consistent in your club and growing in it shows that you aren’t just joining things for your resume; you are actually invested. Consistent involvement also shows discipline, follow-through, and reliability, especially if you create measurable change.
Leadership, Initiative, & Impact:
Colleges are not just looking for titles. They are looking for influence. How have you impacted those around you?
Leadership: This could be an official role (president, captain, editor), but it could also be unofficial (starting a project, mentoring, organizing initiatives, competing in events)
Initiative: This is where you show your drive. Create, improve, launch, or solve something. This can be founding a club, creating a replicable event, starting a tutoring program, etc.
Impact: These are the results of what you did. Include numbers, statistics, and improvements made. (people served, money raised, members recruited, awards won) Impact shows that you did not just participate, you contributed and made measurable change.
Passion and Authenticity:
Colleges can immediately tell when a student joins random activities for their resume or college apps. This is why you need to show authenticity and set yourself apart. Authentic activities are ones you genuinely enjoy, stick with, and grow in naturally. To show passion, show your interest, effort, and time. When you are passionate and authentic, your application feels real and believable.
Alignment with Your Future Major or Goals:
Not every activity must relate to your major, but at least a few should hint at your academic interests and passions. This helps colleges understand your direction, goals, and personality, and it makes your application more coherent.
EX:
Political Science = debate, student government, Model UN, journalism, service projects, etc.
Pre-med = HOSA, volunteering, science fairs
Business = entrepreneurship, finance clubs, community fundraising
(Tip: don’t become too predictable with these, or you will end up looking like everyone else. Show your personality, diversity, and passions. For example, join 2 clubs based on your academic path and one based on a hobby.)
2. Types of Extracurriculars
There are many different types of extracurriculars to choose from, and I recommend having one from at least 3 of these categories.
Academic and Career-Aligned Activities: These are your core clubs, such as Honor Society, BETA, HOSA, FCCLA. FBLA, DECA, FFA, etc. They should align with your passions, but are broad enough to allow you to create your own path.
Leadership Roles: Technically, you can have a leadership role in any of these categories, but they are important enough to warrant their own section. To show commitment to college admissions officers (or anyone reviewing your high school career), you need to illustrate an upward trend in your involvement. (ex: Member to Officer to President)
Service and Community Work: No matter what field you are going into, you need community service hours. Not only does this show selflessness and commitment, but it also helps you become a better person in general. This can be volunteering at RIFA, writing cards to local nursing homes, or even developing a project to assist underserved children.
Creative/Artistic/Athletic Endeavors: This is the “keeps me sane” category. These endeavors need to be something you enjoy outside of school, something unique to you. For me, it’s writing. For one of my friends, it’s painting. Any hobby or creative output that keeps you from going insane is perfect.
Unusual or Independent Activities: The final catch-all. This can be work, family responsibilities, a business, or anything else that does not fit in the above categories. If these activities affect the rest of your extracurriculars or school work, you must include that in your college application to ensure that admissions officers know your balance.
3. How to Choose the Right Extracurriculars
Ask yourself these questions:
What am I naturally drawn to?
What aligns with my future major?
What problems do I care about solving?
Where can I realistically grow into leadership?
Once you have answered those, find opportunities (not only at your school!) that align with your answers. Again, I recommend choosing 1 activity from 2-4 of the extracurricular categories above to maintain diversity. Once you choose, commit. Don’t dabble. Don’t stay stagnant. Branch out, look for roles with responsibility, and make real change.
4. What is a Passion Project?
Passion projects are self-started, self-driven projects or initiatives that seek to solve a problem, fill a gap, or reflect your own personal values. It’s something you pursue because it matters to you, not because a teacher assigned it or a college asked for it. They are usually scalable, shareable, and community-driven. The best part? You can make it yours. You build it from the ground up until it becomes part of you. Colleges love passion projects because they show your personality, story, leadership, creativity, commitment, and so much more. In the process of creating a passion project, you discover incredible things about yourself and learn real, tangible skills. Examples of passion projects:
A tutoring program
A research or writing project
A product, business, or event
An online platform
5. How to Start a Passion Project
Starting a passion project is not a strict formula, but here is a simple framework to guide you.
Step 1: Identify a need or passion
Step 2: Create a plan (who, what, when, how)
Step 3: Start small
Step 4: Document (!!!) and track impact
Step 5: Share your work (website, social media, presentations)
Step 6: Scale or replicate (only if appropriate)
As you begin or continue your extracurricular journey, keep these things in mind:
Don’t overdo it immediately. You will burn out.
Don’t just chase prestige. Chase passion.
Actually follow through with what you plan, and do it well.
Document!! You need proof of your hard work!!
Depth > Quantity
Extracurriculars can be confusing and stressful, but they can also be an outlet. Make sure that you are choosing things that you enjoy, that inspire you instead of draining you. Your activities should tell the story of who you are becoming. Depth creates your story, but passion gives it color. I hope this has helped you find that.
Thank you for joining me today! If you ever want to talk about school, life, or anything in between, my email and DMs are always open! Comment below/DM/email me with the extracurriculars or passion project that you are choosing so I can hold you accountable!!
Love,
Juliet & Study Strong