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Did you know there are over 350 clubs and organizations you can join as a Tufts student? Surprisingly, that is actually not an exaggeration. You could easily spend four years at Tufts and still not have enough time to learn about all the opportunities available within our vibrant community! From community service organizations like the Leonard Carmichael Society, to club sports like fencing, Ultimate Frisbee, and Quadball, there are almost too many ways to meet people at Tufts who share your favorite activities and interests. 

The active community that exists here at Tufts is also one of the reasons admissions officers consider how you have been spending your time in high school. The extracurricular section of your application can tell us what is important to you and how you have prioritized your time outside of school, homework, and studying. Of course, we know everyone who applies to Tufts is a student first, but we also want to know what makes you a vibrant community member and a unique individual with your own curiosities, interests, and goals.  

Any activity done outside of the classroom can be described as an extracurricular, but there are some limits on what you should list in the Activities section of your application. Read below to see if it counts! 

Jobs – Yes! Have you spent your evenings as a shift leader at Dunkin’? Maybe you sacrificed sleeping in over the summer to be a swim coach every morning at your community pool. Whatever the paid employment, jobs give you a new perspective, a new set of skills, and can even instill a newfound interest. 

Sports & School Clubs – Absolutely. Have you been on a sports team all of high school and made captain senior year? Maybe you saw an opportunity to start a new club at your school and created a new space for connection and learning. How you took advantage of, and maybe even led, of your school’s clubs, activities, and/or athletics offerings is helpful for us to understand. 

Visual & Performing Arts – Definitely. Whether you are the first chair in your school’s orchestra, never miss an audition for the spring musical, or spend each day looking forward to your next pottery class, we are glad to hear about how you have expressed yourself creatively in high school.

Religious Life – Share it! Are you active in your religious community? Making time for your religious life outside of formal class hours can be an important commitment and a valuable way to seek and build community.

Family Responsibilities – Count them in! Caring for family members, helping with household chores, or even providing language translation support can be time consuming. Let us know if any of these have been part of your routine!

Volunteering – For sure. Do you have an elderly care facility that you visit every week to provide friendship and support to older adults? Maybe you have enjoyed volunteering at your local hospital. Sharing how you have worked to positively impact an organization or community is a meaningful thing to include in your application.

Internships & Research – Tell us! Maybe your professional or intellectual curiosity motivated you to seek out an internship position or a research opportunity. If you were fortunate enough to secure an internship or get involved in research while in high school, we would like to hear about it.

Hobbies & Self-Directed Projects – 100%. Are you a curious coder teaching yourself different programming languages from YouTube tutorials? Perhaps you are Dungeon Master for your weekly Dungeons & Dragons group. Maybe you have a DuoLingo streak of which you are especially proud while learning a new language! Tell us about it, whatever your hobby or investment.

Screentime – Probably not. Everyone loves a good Netflix binge sometimes. Maybe you like to spend an hour playing video games to connect with friends. Need to scroll through Instagram to unwind? We get it. While screentime can offer a much-needed break, it may not be the most useful information to share about yourself in this space.

While we hope that these ideas help inspire what you might (or might not) include in your Activities section, please do not stress if some of the examples we provided don’t sound exactly like you. We know that every student who applies to Tufts has lived a completely one-of-a-kind life, so if there is something you feel is important to share that is not captured in this list, we invite you to do so. Ultimately, admissions officers want to get to know your interests and achievements as best we can, and your extracurricular engagement can be a valuable way to share more about what makes you, YOU. So, we thank you for sharing your experiences with us and we wish you much success in your college process!