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Hi Adaanists, welcome back to our step-by-step journey through exactly how to fill out the Common App so you can apply to U.S. colleges with zero confusion.
This is it - the final part of our Common App series.
If you haven’t read Part 1 (Profile & Family) and Part 2 (Education & Testing) yet, go check them out first so you’re fully ready to bring it all home.
In this last stretch, we’re covering the sections that show colleges who you are beyond grades and scores:
Activities
Responsibilities and circumstances
Writing (personal essay + additional info)
1. Activities
You can list up to 10 activities that you’ve done during high school. These can be clubs, sports, work experience, hobbies, volunteering, research, or anything else meaningful that took your time and energy.
For each activity, you’ll be asked to provide:
Activity type – Choose the category that fits best.
Position/Leadership description – Be specific (“President,” “Lead Violinist,” “Cashier,” “Research Intern”). Max 50 characters.
Organization Name – The official name of the group, team, company, or club.
Description – What you did and the impact you made. Focus on action verbs and measurable results. Max 150 characters.
Participation grade levels – The school years you were involved.
Timing – During the school year, during breaks, or all year.
Hours per week and Weeks per year – Give your best estimate.
Future participation – Yes or no for continuing in college.
Example:
Activity type: Community Service
Position: Event Organizer
Organization: River Cleanup Crew
Description: Led monthly cleanups, coordinated 25+ volunteers, and removed over 500 lbs of trash yearly.
We’ll talk later about how to make this section Ivy-level and turn those 150 characters into something unforgettable.
2. Responsibilities and Circumstances
Here you can share major responsibilities outside of school that take at least 4 hours per week. Examples include:
Caring for siblings, children, or elderly family members
Working a job to support your household income
Helping with transportation, translation, or finances
Contributing to a family business
You can also indicate if you’ve faced circumstances such as:
Long daily commutes
Housing or food instability
No consistent internet or utilities
Living independently
This helps colleges understand the context behind your achievements.
Balancing AP courses with a 20-hour workweek is impressive, make sure they know about it.
3. Writing Section
This is where you write your personal essay - up to 650 words, minimum 250. You choose one prompt from the provided list, or write on your own topic.
For now, remember:
Hook the reader early - make them want to keep going.
Tell a story only you can tell - no generic “I learned hard work pays off.”
Show reflection and growth - explain how you’ve changed.
We’ll do a full, separate guide on how to write a killer Common App essay, from picking the right topic to editing it for maximum impact.
4. Additional Information
There are two short-answer spaces here:
250-word box - for challenges or disruptions that affected your education (e.g., health issues, family responsibilities, community crises).
300-word box - for anything not covered elsewhere that you think matters (e.g., unusual grading policies, school changes, additional activities and honors etc).
When describing challenges, be clear and focus on both what happened and how it affected you:
“During my junior year, my father was hospitalized for three months. I took over sibling care and household errands, which limited my activity participation but taught me time management and resilience.”
Bottom line:
And that’s a wrap!
With Parts 1, 2, and 3, we've gone over the entire Common App together in Parts 1, 2, and 3; there are no ambiguous buttons or guesswork, just clear instructions. To ensure that every detail in your application is correct, go back and review Parts 1 or 2 if you skipped any of them.
Now all that’s left is to keep crafting and take a deep breath - you’ve put in the work, and you’re ready.
Best of luck out there, Adaanists. You’ve got this!