Activities

How do we use this when we review your application? The Activities section helps us see how you spend two of your most important (and limited!) resources: your time and energy. It gives us a glimpse into what you choose to devote those resources to, as well as what demands might be made of your time and energy (like family responsibilities or work).  

Why does this matter? It helps us round out our understanding of you. Do you love a subject so much that you devote all your free time to it? Do you have personal commitments that show us you are responsible, but may not have much free time to explore other interests? Do you like to try lots of new and different things?  

Here’s the thing: you don’t need to have everything figured out. When we review your activities section, we’re not looking for a specific list of pursuits or accomplishments that show us you’ve already landed on a singular passion that you want to follow for the rest of your life. (If you have, that’s okay too! But we hope you’ll be open to upending that at Penn. There’s so much more to discover about yourself and the world!). We mean it when we say there’s no specific list of activities we’re looking for. 

Instead, the Activities section helps us get a sense of three important things that we are looking for throughout your application: 

1. How do you like to learn, and how do you engage with the things you are learning? This isn’t limited to academics! Maybe you’re learning to lead, or cultivate discipline, or focus on your own wellness! 
2. How do you organize your time towards the things that matter to you? Where are you spending your time outside the classroom, and how might that connect to your pursuits in the classroom? 
3. How do you contribute to the communities you are a part of? What roles do you play? What impact do you strive to have? 

The Activities section is also a great place for us to see where you may have taken initiative, and how you might have used that energy. Where have you collaborated with others, and taken opportunities to build bridges? What are things outside of yourself that you’ve taken an interest in? 

A few tips as you complete the Activities section:

• Be yourself. We’re not looking for a specific, pre-determined list of activities for each major or academic program. We simply want to know how you spend your time. And remember, a well-rounded student can contribute just as much as a “pointy” focused student. Your contribution is uniquely yours.  
• You can list a variety of experiences. School-related experiences, part-time work, family responsibilities, summer activities, community experiences, and more all count as activities, and are all things we want to hear about. And, it’s worth saying: we don’t value one kind of activity more than others!  
• Give us a sense of scope. The amount of time you dedicate to each activity, the nature of the activity, or the size will give us insight into the depth of your involvement and a sense of the impact you’ve made. Your contributions may be more 1:1, self-development focused, or feature working with large groups. All add valuable perspective. 
• Spell out any acronyms. Sometimes an admissions officer won’t know what your club’s acronym stands for, so be sure to spell out the whole thing in the description if possible.   
• Include specific responsibilities for each activity. We want to learn more about the ways you've contributed, so include details about your role whenever possible.  
• Let the real you shine through. The more information you provide, the better we will understand who you are, what’s important to you, and the positive impact you’ve had on those around you. 
• Be intentional about how you use your limited space. You only have so many characters to tell us about each activity. Think about how what you include helps us paint a fuller picture of who you are. That might be understanding how you spent your time, the impact you had, how you’ve grown, the scope of your responsibility, etc...