Colleges around the country rolled out their applications for the new admissions season at the beginning of August. Many made adjustments to their essay prompts, given that students are still free to discuss their experiences with race even under the Supreme Court ruling. Others made announcements around dropping early decision policies (Virginia Tech) and legacy admissions (Occidental College).
In a unique move, Lafayette College announced that they would only consider up to six extracurricular activities, versus the maximum of ten that the Common Application allows students to list. In explaining the decision, Lafayette’s president Nicole Hurd noted that first-generation and low-income students often have challenges amassing a high number of activities, and are unaware that valuable experiences like caregiving or working can be listed. Hurd was the founder and leader of the College Advising Corps before coming to Lafayette, giving her deep insight into the barriers affecting the admissions process.
Dr. Julie Park
Extracurricular activities were not mentioned in the Supreme Court opinion, nor were they discussed at length during trial. However, like the essay, extracurricular activities are a way for students to showcase their experiences beyond academics. Both are highly relevant as SAT/ACT scores are not required at over 1,800 institutions.
At surface level, activities seem like a way to level the playing field. In theory, anyone can sign up for a club or join the band. However, many are “pay to play,” requiring significant investments of time, money, and resources from an early age, from music lessons to travel sports. A recent study found that activities like athletics are a key part of the admissions advantage experienced by the most wealthy students.
Inequality is pervasive in extracurricular activities, but how does it actually show up on college applications? Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, our research team studied extracurricular activities listed in 6 million college applications. We were curious to see if some students listed more activities than others, as well as how students described their involvement. For example, do more affluent students describe themselves as leaders more often? Do they list more prizes, honors, and awards?
Overall, we found that white, Asian American, private school, and more affluent students listed more activities and top-level leadership positions like president, founder, and CEO. They also reported more activities listing awards, honors, and distinctions. Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students reported fewer activities, but they had similar levels of top-level leadership roles as their white and Asian American peers. These students often have less opportunity to try (and pay for) extracurriculars. When they are able to join, they often excel. Inequality was especially prominent in sports, where public school, Black, Asian American, and low-income students reported notably fewer leadership roles.
