Essay guide · 2026–27 cycle
The activity essay
The school already has your activities list. This essay is the story behind one line of it. The job is depth: what you actually did, what was hard, and why it mattered to you beyond the title. Most of these are short, 150 to 250 words, which leaves room for one moment told properly.
No card. Paste a draft and Admitify reads it line by line against the question it has to answer. It never writes for you.
What the question is really asking
Depth on one activity: what you actually did, what was hard about it, and why it mattered to you beyond the title. The school already has your activities list; this is the story behind one line of it.
Re-listing the activities list in prose, or choosing the most prestigious activity rather than the one you can say something true about. Starting with "I joined X in ninth grade."
Start inside a specific moment of the activity. Explain one problem you solved or one thing you built, with detail only a participant would know. Close on what it changed in how you think or work.
How to write it, in order
Choose the activity you can say something true about, not the most prestigious one. The thing you understand from the inside beats the thing that sounds best.
Start inside a specific moment of it. Not “I joined X in ninth grade” but the day something went wrong, or the thing you were trying to build.
Explain one problem you solved or one thing you made, with detail only a participant would know.
Say what it changed in how you think or work. One sentence is enough.
Do not summarise the whole arc. Four years in 150 words is a list; one afternoon in 150 words is an essay.
Before you submit
- The first sentence is inside a moment, not a date.
- There is at least one detail a non-participant would not know.
- The activity's name and your title appear at most once.
- No other activity is mentioned.
- The last sentence is about you, not the activity.
Every school that asks it
14 schools, 20 prompts. Click a school for all of its supplements, word counts and a prompt-by-prompt guide. Schools marked with a cycle year show last year's wording; the 2026–27 version was not yet published when verified.
- Harvard Universityup to 150 words
“Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are.”
- Stanford University3-50 words
“How did you spend your last two summers?”
- Stanford University3-50 words
“Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family.”
- University of Chicagono stated word limit
“The Olympics have long celebrated the pinnacle of human athletic achievement. But what if they expanded to honor the mundane? Imagine a new Olympic event built around an everyday activity like speed dishwashing or competitive grocery bagging. How is it scored, officiated, and judged? Why is it a worthy addition? – Inspired by Ewan Smith, Class of 2028”
- Cornell Universityup to 650 words
“What kind of business student are you? Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should convey how your interests align with the school to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (the Dyson School or the Nolan School).”
- Cornell Universityup to 100 words
“What is one activity, club, team, organization, work/volunteer experience or family responsibility that is especially meaningful to you? Please briefly tell us about its significance for you.”
- Cornell Universityup to 650 words
“Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should show us that your interests align with the ILR School.”
- Georgetown Universityup to 250 words
“Briefly discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved.”
- Colorado Collegeup to 300 words
“One of the benefits of Colorado College's Block Plan is the opportunity to immerse yourself fully in a single subject for 3.5 weeks. We see this as the luxury of focus — the joy and value of directing your full attention to one thing. Tell us about a time when you experienced this kind of deep focus in an academic or extracurricular setting. What were you doing and how did it turn out?”
- Washington and Lee Universityup to 250 words
“Please describe an aspect of your life outside of school that is important to you, such as an extracurricular activity, a job, or a family responsibility. How has your involvement shaped your personal qualities and growth, and how has it impacted those around you?”
- University of Florida100-250 words
“Please provide more details on your most meaningful commitment outside of the classroom while in high school and explain why it was meaningful. This could be related to an extracurricular activity, work, volunteering, an academic activity, family responsibility, or any other non-classroom activity.”
- University of Floridaup to 250 words
“Do you have any employment or family obligations that limit your participation in extracurricular activities? If so, please describe.”
- University of Texas at Austin250-300 words
“Think of all the activities — both in and outside of school — that you have been involved with during high school. Which one are you most proud of and why?”
- University of Central Floridaup to 250 words
“Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.”
- Pennsylvania State Universityno stated word limit
“This is your opportunity to share something about yourself that is not already reflected in your application or academic records. Please tell us something about yourself, your experiences, or activities that you believe would reflect positively on your ability to succeed at Penn State.”
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Instituteup to 300 words
“Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.”
- Cornell Collegeup to 650 words
“What kind of business student are you? Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should convey how your interests align with the school to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (the Dyson School or the Nolan School).”
- Cornell Collegeup to 100 words
“What is one activity, club, team, organization, work/volunteer experience or family responsibility that is especially meaningful to you? Please briefly tell us about its significance for you.”
- Cornell Collegeup to 650 words
“Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should show us that your interests align with the ILR School.”
- University of Colorado Boulderup to 250 words
“What do you hope to study, and why, at CU Boulder? Or if you don't know quite yet, think about your studies so far, extracurricular/after-school activities, jobs, volunteering, future goals, or anything else that has shaped your interests.”
Common questions
- Should I write about my most impressive activity?
- Write about the one you can describe in the most detail. Readers already saw the impressive line on your list; they want to see whether you were really there.
- Can I write about a job or family responsibility?
- Yes, and most prompts say so explicitly. Working a shift or looking after siblings often produces better essays than a club, because the problems were real.
- How do I fit anything into 150 words?
- One moment, one problem, one change. Cut the setup. Readers can infer that you joined the club from the fact that you are in it.
Prompts verified September 2026 against each school's published application. Browse all schools A–Z. Spotted a change? Tell us.