Extracurricular Activities for High School Students: Examples by Category and How to Choose

Last updated: October 28, 2026

Extracurricular activities for high school students are anything you do outside your regular classes: clubs, sports, arts, jobs, volunteering, family responsibilities, independent projects and research. Colleges read them to learn who you are outside the classroom. This guide gives more than 50 examples by category, explains what counts and what colleges actually look for, and shows how to turn one activity into the strongest part of your application.

Looking for an extracurricular that shows real depth? See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

What counts as an extracurricular activity?

More than most students think. The Common App's Activities section asks about clubs and sports, but also about family responsibilities, jobs, internships, volunteer work and hobbies. If you spend regular time on it and it matters to you, it probably counts.

The College Board groups extracurriculars into four types:

1. School-sponsored activities: teams, clubs, band, student government, the newspaper.
2. Community activities: volunteering, local clubs, community arts groups, political and advocacy groups.
3. Independent activities: online courses, hobbies, learning a new skill, a podcast, a small business.
4. Work experience: full-time, part-time or freelance jobs.

The College Board also notes that more than 80% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 take part in at least one extracurricular activity, and roughly one in three high school–age teens has a job at some point in a year. Having activities is normal. What you do with them is what stands out.

Examples of extracurricular activities

STEM and research

• Independent research project with a mentor
• Science fair or engineering fair project
• Science Olympiad
• Robotics team (FIRST, VEX)
• Math competitions (AMC, math league, math circle)
• Coding club, hackathons, building an app
• Citizen science projects (Zooniverse, iNaturalist)
• Astronomy club or amateur observing
• Lab or research internship
• Computer science or data science online courses
• Writing a research paper or submitting to a journal for high school students
• Building and testing a hardware project (drones, 3D printing, electronics)
• Tutoring younger students in math or science
• Starting a STEM club at your school

Research with a PhD mentor from a top-20 university is an extracurricular you can do from anywhere. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

Academic and competitive

• Debate or speech
• Model United Nations
• Mock trial
• Academic decathlon or quiz bowl
• History Day
• Spelling bee, geography bee or language competitions
• Writing competitions
• Economics or business competitions
• Online courses in subjects your school doesn't offer

Leadership and service

• Student government
• Class officer
• Founding or leading a club
• Volunteering at a hospital, food bank, animal shelter or library
• Organizing a fundraiser or drive
• Peer tutoring or mentoring
• Youth advisory boards for your city or school district
• Environmental clean-ups and conservation projects
• Religious youth groups and service trips
• Advocacy or political campaign volunteering

Arts and media

• Band, orchestra, choir, jazz ensemble
• Theater, including acting and technical crew
• Dance
• Visual art, photography, film
• Creative writing, poetry, literary magazine
• School newspaper or yearbook
• Podcast, YouTube channel or blog
• Graphic design for local organizations

Athletics

• School sports teams
• Club and travel teams
• Individual sports (running, swimming, martial arts, climbing)
• Coaching or refereeing youth sports
• Team manager or statistician

Work and family

• Part-time job
• Summer job
• Family business
• Caring for siblings or relatives
• Translating for family members
• Running a small business (tutoring, lawn care, crafts, reselling)

Cultural and personal interests

• Cultural or heritage clubs
• Language study outside school
• Cooking, baking or gardening
• Chess
• Woodworking, sewing, car repair
• Gaming clubs or game design

None of them is automatically "better" than another. A student who works 20 hours a week to support their family can show more responsibility than a student who joined ten clubs.

What colleges look for in extracurriculars

Colleges do not publish a scoring sheet, but they say clearly what they value.

• Interest, not prestige. The College Board advises students to focus on the activities that match their interests "rather than joining many different groups or the most prestigious clubs."
• Commitment over time. The College Board notes that long-term participation can demonstrate commitment and work ethic, and that starting early gives you time to earn a leadership role.
• Excellence in something. Harvard's guide to preparing for college says it is "interested in students who excel in one or more extracurricular activities."
• Making the most of what you have. Harvard also writes that "most of all we look for students who make the most of their opportunities and the resources available to them." A student at a school with three clubs is not expected to have the same list as a student at a school with fifty.

For more, see what colleges look for.

A research project is one of the few extracurriculars that produces something colleges can read. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

How to choose extracurricular activities

1. Start with what you already do in your free time. That is the most honest signal of interest.
2. Pick one or two to go deep. Depth means years of involvement, more responsibility each year, and a result you can point to.
3. Add a variety of one or two others. A sport or art, a job or family responsibility, or service.
4. Look for a result. A competition result, a finished project, money raised, people taught, a paper written.
5. Drop what you don't care about. An activity you resent will not help your application or your life.

How to turn one activity into a standout

Most strong applications have one activity that goes much further than the rest. It usually has three features: the student started or built it, it lasted, and it produced something real. Some ways to get there:

• Start something. A club, a tutoring program, a website, a small business.
• Do original work. A research project or engineering build where you ask your own question. See passion project ideas for high school students and research topics for high school students.
• Compete at a high level. Move from your school's competition to regional and national rounds.
• Teach it. Explaining your work to others, through tutoring, workshops or writing, shows mastery.
• Find a mentor. An expert can help you set a goal that is ambitious but realistic. Our guide on how to find a research mentor in high school explains how.

Admitted students set a research question with a PhD mentor from a top-20 university by week four. Learn how the program works →

How to list extracurriculars on your application

The Common App lets you list up to ten activities, but it says you do not need to enter ten. For each one, you report your position, the organization, a short description, and the hours per week and weeks per year you spent on it. The space is short, so every word counts. Our guide to the Common App activities list explains how to fill in each field.

Frequently asked questions

What are good extracurriculars in high school? The ones you care about and stick with. Colleges value depth, growing responsibility and real results more than any particular activity.

What counts as an extracurricular activity in high school? Clubs, sports, arts, jobs, volunteering, family responsibilities, internships, independent projects, online courses and hobbies that you spend regular time on.

How many extracurriculars should I have? There is no required number. The Common App allows up to ten and says you do not need to fill all ten. Two or three deep activities usually say more than ten shallow ones.

What are some examples of extracurricular activities? Debate, robotics, Science Olympiad, student government, band, theater, sports, volunteering, a part-time job, caring for family members, a research project and starting a club.

Do colleges care about extracurriculars? Yes. The College Board says admissions officers like to see school-sponsored activities because they show interest in a field beyond the classroom, and Harvard says it is interested in students who excel in one or more extracurricular activities.

Is it too late to start extracurriculars as a junior? No. The College Board says it is never too late to get involved. Choose one activity, commit to it, and aim for a result before applications are due.

Sources

• Common App, Approaching the Activities section
• College Board, Extracurriculars Matter: To You and To Colleges
• Harvard College, Guide to Preparing for College

About the STEM Research Program

We look for students who are curious, self-motivated and ready for independent work. Prior research experience is not required. Each admitted student works one-on-one with a PhD mentor from a top-20 university, online, for 12 weeks, and sets a research question with their mentor by week four. Students finish with a completed research paper, a written evaluation from their mentor and a one-on-one college counseling session.

Start your application to the STEM Research Program → · Questions about eligibility? Contact us →