Extracurricular Activities Richard Guide May 2026

Member of the Debate Club. Attended meetings. Helped with research. Richard’s version: Debate Team President (11-12) | Led 15 members to 3 state quarterfinals | Coached novices (40+ hours) | Raised $2k for travel. The Formula: Action verb + Number + Outcome + Skills demonstrated.

By Richard Chen, Independent Educational Consultant extracurricular activities richard guide

Write your activity list draft. Identify gaps. Plan your summer artifact. Part 10: Final Words – Why This Guide Exists I wrote the Extracurricular Activities Richard Guide because I am tired of seeing talented students waste their potential on meaningless resume padding. You do not need to cure cancer to get into a great school. You do need to care deeply about something and prove it with action. Member of the Debate Club

You pay $10,000 for a “prestigious” summer program where you sit in a lecture hall for three weeks. Unless you produced something tangible (a research paper, a prototype, a real project), that is a vacation, not an extracurricular. Richard’s version: Debate Team President (11-12) | Led

You assume “President of the Science Club” is always better than “Founder of the School’s First Fishing Club.” Wrong. Impact beats title. A passionate leader of a niche activity outshines a passive member of an elite society.

Let’s dismantle the confusion. Before we discuss what to do, we must eliminate what hurts you. Most students fall into three traps.

No. You have 18 months. Pick ONE activity. Go deep. Launch a podcast. Start a tutoring service. Compete in one serious competition. Depth in one year beats breadth across four. Part 9: The 10-Month Action Plan (Richard’s Timeline) Month 1-2 (Discovery): Quit 3 activities you hate. Choose your spike. Do the Personal Inventory.