EX-tracurriculars

What makes you the perfect applicant?

Story by Rebecca Wang

Design by Yitao Wang

In high school, I started volunteering at my local hospital, ran a one-day blood drive, and joined the Health Occupations Students of America — all for the sake of enhancing my college application. Based on my impressive efforts, I’ve recently been appointed as an admissions officer for nuAZN University. After careful consideration, I’ve decided whether the following staff members have been admitted into this prestigious institution.

In my freshman year of high school, I joined a friend’s nonprofit that was supposed to have students teach dance for free to neighboring kids who could not afford lessons. We had so much fun picking out the name “PersisDance” and the color palette for branding. We even made an Instagram page for it and a “Meet the Team” post. We never even held a single class.

— Esther Lian

Decision: Accepted! Nonprofits are the crème de la crème of extracurriculars from nuAZN University’s perspective. Even though the kids didn’t get any dance lessons, at least they got to enjoy the creativity of a perfectly color-paletted Instagram page.

I joined speech and debate in high school because I was told it would “look good for college,” especially given the program’s history of sending students to Ivy League schools. However, I’ve never enjoyed confrontation, and the highly competitive atmosphere felt uncomfortable. Tournaments often felt like I had to sell myself in ways that didn’t feel authentic. But while debate itself wasn’t the right fit, the constant exposure to news and arguments taught me so much and helped me tremendously in journalism, an activity I absolutely loved.

— Annie Jiang

Decision: Accepted! Just like synthesizing a source in AP Lang, you used your debate experience to support a new argument. nuAZN University will certainly benefit from your witty debate comebacks in your future publications!

My Common App made me do a lot of things — but nothing was quite as out there as building an entire magazine around my three greatest hobbies. Roping my ex-girlfriend into being my co-Editor-in-Chief (messy, I know!), we organized an initiative to celebrate food, writing and design. Behind the smoke and mirrors, all we really wanted to do was search for new restaurants and collect recipes. And though it had some of the highest turnover rates of student staff I’d seen, it was undoubtedly the most fun thing I dedicated myself to for the sake of getting into college.

— Jackie Li

Decision: Accepted! NYT Cooking wishes they had your resourcefulness and artistry. This is a standout leadership role on your application, and nuAZN University (and every other institution)

While participation in these extracurriculars may have been motivated by college applications, each staff member gained valuable experience, a new skill, a fun passion project — and, of course, acceptance into nuAZN University. Let these three applicants act as your “how-to” guide for admission into this prestigious institution. Who knows, maybe you’ll see one of them on campus next year?