Extracurriculars

Ranked by Impact on College Admissions

01

Bronze I

· 85%+ participation

Standard school involvement, aim for a couple as a baseline

Club Member
National Honor Society
National Merit Commended
Beta Club
Honor Roll
Department Award
Key Club Member
Interact Club
Light Volunteering
Personal Website
JV/Rec Sports
School Science Fair
Personal Blog
Family Volunteering
Career Day Attendee
02

Bronze II

· 50% participation

Shows dedication, good to have a few

Founder/President of school club
AP Scholar
Honorable mention in art show
Active in religious youth group
School peer tutor
Lifeguard certified
CPR / First Aid certified
Active club member (non-leadership)
Band/choir participant (no solo)
Finished online coding course
Local essay contest win
Founded a casual club
Varsity Letter
Summer camp counselor
Cashier or server job
Helped in local fundraisers
Wrote for school paper
Volunteered <100 hrs
Community Theater
Local community service award
Scout (non-Eagle)
Attended MUN conference
Generic summer programs
YouTube/blog with low reach
History Day participant (regional)
Scholastic Art & Writing Honorable Mention
03

Silver I

· 40% participation

Strong local achievement and leadership roles

Local Science Fair Winner
All-County Music
Eagle Scout
National Merit Finalist
Varsity Letter (multiple years)
100+ hours volunteering
Part-time job for 1+ year
College courses (e.g., community college)
People to People Ambassador
Skill camps (e.g., coding, debate)
Organize Food Trucks, Festivals, or Events
Scholastic Art & Writing Regional Silver Key
04

Silver II

· 25% participation

Competitive Regional/State Honors

Science Fair Regional Winner
Science Olympiad State Medal
Science Bowl Nationals
Perfect Scores in Language Exams (Multi-Year)
State Music Awards
Published in Magazines/Journals
Academic Decathlon Event Golds
MUN Gavel
Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Key
Top 5 FTC Regional
Quiz Bowl Regional Champ
Pit Orchestra
TSA State Medal
Student Body/Class President
05

Gold I

· 15% participation

Complements a Strong Application

USAAAO
USNCO Semifinalist
USABO Semifinalist
AIME
All-Eastern/All-Regional Music
State History Day Top 3
Top 5 FTC in State
FRC Regional Winner
SkillsUSA Nationals
State Science Fair Winner
Academic Decathlon State + CA Event Gold
ARML State Top Scorer
HOBY State
FIRST Dean's List Finalist
Top 5 FIRST Super Regionals
Boys/Girls State Delegate
RYLA Participant
Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)
Ross Mathematics Program (ROSS)
Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS)
National Language Exam Golds
Certified WFR or EMT in HS
Governor's School
Student Gov President
Congressional Award Gold
Model UN Head Delegate
Editor-in-Chief of Literary Journal
Iowa Young Writers Studio
Kenyon Young Writers Studio
M&TSI (UPenn)
Stanford SUMaC
Canada/USA Mathcamp
Summer Science Program (SSP)
Simons Summer Research Program
06

Gold II

· 5% participation

Nationally competitive achievements

USAPhO Semifinalist
ISEF Finalist
Science Olympiad Nationals Qualifier
HOSA ILC 1st Place
AMC 10 Perfect Score
Congressional Award Silver
FBLA Nationals
Science Bowl/NAQT Winner
TSA Nationals
Scholastic Art & Writing National Silver
Academic Decathlon (CA) Top 3
MathWorks Challenge Top 10
State Poetry Out Loud Champion
ACDA National Honor Choir
Congressional App Challenge State Winner
PEYA Regional Winner
Braille Challenge State Winner
NCWIT Aspirations National Winner
Model G20 Best Delegate
Scripps Spelling Bee Top 50
Duke TIP High Honors
National Shakespeare Winner
Poetry Society of America Top Winner
Ocean Awareness Gold Award
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Internship
Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES)
We the People Nationals
Gloria Barron Prize Winner
CMU SAMS Completion
Milken Scholars Program
07

Diamond I

· 1% participation

Elite national recognition and prestigious programs

Science Olympiad National Medals
ARML Tiebreaker
YES Competition
USAMTS Gold
History Day Nationals Participant
Scholastic Art & Writing National Gold
NSDA Nationals Breaker
USAMO Qualification
TOC Breaker
USAJMO Top Winner
Bennington Young Writers Contest 1st Place
IPPF Top 64
NYAS Junior Academy
HSMC at Texas State
Telluride Association Summer Program in Critical Black Studies (TASP-CBS)
Life of the Mind (UChicago)
NHSMUN Best Delegate
Coolidge Senator (Finalist)
LEDA Scholars
CyberPatriot National Top Scorer
Aspen Music Festival (HS division)
Perry Outreach Program
Julliard Pre-College Program
MIT Lincoln Lab LLRISE Program
NSLI-Y
08

Diamond II

· 0.1% participation rates

Top-tier national achievements and recognition

USAPhO / USNCO / USABO National
Siemens Semifinalist
ISEF 1st–4th Place
Regeneron STS Top 300
AMC 12 Perfect Score
Top 5 at FIRST Worlds
Google Code Jam R2/3
Facebook Hacker Cup R2/3
MIT PRIMES
IPPF Top 32
All-National Band/Orchestra Performer
Boys Nation Participant
National High School Musical Theatre Awards Finalist
IPPF Overall Winner
EFL Top Participant
NYT Student Editorial Winner
JFK Profile in Courage Essay Winner
George S. & Stella Knight Essay Winner
National Young Composers Challenge Winner
National History Day 'Best in Nation'
Carnegie Hall Youth Programs (NYO-USA)
The Concord Review Published Author
U.S. Physics Team (Top 24)
National Latin/Greek Exam Perfect Scores
Adroit Prizes Winner/Finalist
09

Platinum I

· <0.1% participation

Near-Guaranteed Admission

Division I Athlete
Mathematical Olympiad Program (MOP)
ISEF Best of Category
NSDA Nationals Winner
Tournament of Champions Winner
NCFL Nationals Winner
Research Science Institute (RSI)
National Student Poet Program
Broadcom MASTERS Top Prize
Tanglewood Music Center (as HS student)
USACO Training Camp (~25 finalists)
National Science Bowl Winners
National History Olympiad Champions
Music Teachers National Association Finalist
International Thespian Festival Main Stage
CyberPatriot National Finalist
VEX Robotics World Champion
EGOI Team
10

Platinum II

· <0.01% participation

Guaranteed Admission

International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) Medalist
International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) Medalist
International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) Medalist
International Biology Olympiad (IBO) Medalist
International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) Medalist
International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) Medalist
International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) Medalist
International Young Physicists' Tournament (IYPT) Winner
International Geography Olympiad (iGeo) - Gold
International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) - Gold
Poetry Out Loud National Champion
Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) Top 10
Siemens Competition National Finalist
International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Grand Prize Winner
Google Science Fair Winner
National History Day National Winner
International Competitor in a Sport
Boys/Girls Nation President
All American High School Film Festival Winner
Individual National Champion (swimming, golf, tennis, etc.)
Olympic Development Program Selection
YoungArts Grand Prize Winner
Stockholm Junior Water Prize - International Winner
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Note: The vast majority of applicants at top schools only have extracurriculars from the first five categories. Even at Yale, anything above a 6 is exceedingly rare. The best extracurriculars are those you're genuinely passionate about.