Help on which extra-curricular activites to pick!

Question

I am just pulling together the answers for the data entry part of Harvard's application and am struggling with which extracurricular I should take from my resume and expand on here.

Not sure how part-time work/side hustles or internships look in terms of extracurriculars or are they just considered additional work experience?

From undergrad:
- Sorority (all four years)
- varsity sports team (two years and already mentioned this in my essay)
- internship at the university department of athletics (unpaid - two years)
- internship at the collegiate athletic association (two summers -both before and after graduation)

Postgrad:
- Created my own food blog and recipe development site
- Avid writer with various writings available online (some of the published writings were completed during my summer internship at the Athletic conference so thinking maybe combining those two)
- Freelance essay tutor and career planning specialist (this is what I work most of my out-of-work time on but the problem is it has primarily been paid. I recently started helping with a friend's entrepreneurial venture of a virtual assistant firm and work kind of as a consultant for her for any career guidance/resume/ interview support for her her clients. I want to write about this but am worried that because it is paid it will look bad in adcom's eyes...).

Any advice would be amazing!

pintukr · Answer

Team building focussed extra-curricular activities should be highlighted with due emphasis in the Resume. All the Best.

bb · Answer

Hi. Basically yes is the quick answer.
I just checked one of the applications from a successful HBS Admit from the MBA App Store https://gmatclub.com/mbaappstore/hbs-ap ... on-18.html
Looking at that app, the extracurriculars were not duplicative in the description. If in resume they had numerical achievements, in the extracurricular section, it was more qualitative.

They have listed some of their extracurriculars from the resume and then an additional one from college which they did not really have on the resume.
I think the choice really depends on how impressive it is, relevant, and does it add to your overall application.

I would probably not duplicate what you had in the essay since you do have more substance than space. If you had more space than substance, I guess repeating would work too.

Admissionado · Answer

hollykellner :

If you have years of full-time work experience, internships would not carry much weight. AND, if they're not on your resume already, it probably indicates they're not that important. If they are on your resume, it's duplicative. So, that probably takes them out.

The sorority is something I would probably not include unless you held a leadership position or were very involved in community-based activities.

The three post-grad activities seem legitimate and interesting. I would lean towards those.

I'm indifferent about the sports. If it were only for two years and you weren't THAT into it (or followed it up in some capacity after college), it probably won't matter much. It might come off more or less as a hobby.

Hope that color helps,
Admissionado

hollykellner · Answer

Hi Admissionado, thanks for your comment - it's really helpful. Do you think I can still add the tutoring/career guidance even though some of it was paid? Just not sure the best angle to go down regarding it being kind of a side hustle....

Admissionado · Answer

hollykellner :

Our pleasure.

It's totally fine to include it. You don't need to emphasize the paying aspect of the role. In fact, I would leave it out entirely. Why is it relevant? Unless the application asks if this were a paid position (which I don't believe they do) just focus on what you did functionally, how much time you put in, and any results or milestones. That's really all the AdCom cares about at the end of the day.

The ONLY way it MIGHT come up is during your potential interview. Even then, I seriously doubt the AdCom will spend the precious 30 minutes they have to clarify if this side hustle were a paying position. It's just not THAT significant (not to diminish your achievement!)

ARINGO · Answer

The good news is that there isn’t a “right” or a “wrong” extracurricular activity or organization. Instead, select charities and activities that are genuinely interesting to you, or those that align with your goals. Keep in mind the traits business schools are seeking such as leadership, teamwork, and creativity, and look for opportunities to demonstrate these skills, much like you are at work. A common example I share with future candidates is the animal shelter example: as an animal lover I hope that many people will volunteer to help care for the animals, however look for ways that you can uniquely contribute to the organization.
Admissions committees want to see that you are using your education and experience to contribute not only to your employer, but to society. As an entrepreneur, could you join the board of a local young entrepreneurs club and donate your time to coaching future business owners? As an accomplished college basketball player, could you now coach a basketball team for underprivileged youth on weekends? Don’t worry about the name brand or specific activity; instead focus on how you can contribute, on an ongoing basis.

For more info on extracurricular activities and their contribution to your MBA application, please visit: https://aringo.com/extracurricular-acti ... plication/

Help on which extra-curricular activites to pick!

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