College · College Success · Applications

Ten slots.
150 characters.
Make them count.

Draft every activity in the exact shape the application wants. The counters catch a description that runs over before the form cuts it, and the hours show what you gave the most time.

Build the listWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the College application season kit, $29 for 16 items.

The activities list builder

The worked example is an example student with five activities. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

College · College SuccessAlso for College · Family Resources$5

What you finish with
Up to ten activities written within the limits, each with its total hours, a suggested order and a clean printout to paste from. It also downloads as a spreadsheet.
Who it is for
High school students applying to college, the families helping them, and school counselors reviewing drafts.
Format
Browser tool for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints the list; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the College application season kit ($29) and the Caveat Suite pass ($299). Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The College Success space in Caveat College; also listed for Family Resources (families helping with applications).
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. List everything first: sports, clubs, jobs, family duties, faith and volunteer work.
  2. Write each description with verbs and numbers, not adjectives.
  3. Fill in years, hours a week and weeks a year honestly.
  4. Reorder by what mattered most; hours are a first guess.
  5. Print the list and paste each field into the application.

Build the list

How the list is checked

The application’s own limits and one line of arithmetic.

The worked example: the first of five activitiesHours a week12cross country× Weeks a year16the season× Years4grades 9 to 12= Hours768over high schoolThe worked example: the first of five activitiesHours a week12cross country× Weeks a year16the season× Years4grades 9 to 12= Hours768over high school
Every activity gets the same arithmetic, so a season sport and a year-round job compare fairly.

The limits

The Common App allows up to ten activities. For each, the position or leadership line holds 50 characters, the organization name 100 and the description 150, counting spaces and punctuation. Text past a limit is cut off, so the builder stops on any line that runs over and says by how much.

Hours and order

Total hours are hours a week times weeks a year times years. Readers see the list in the order you give it, so the table suggests an order by time committed; move up anything that mattered more than its hours show, such as a leadership role or a family responsibility.

Sources

  1. Common App. First-year applicant guide and the Activities section instructions (commonapp.org).
  2. Common App. Application requirements and resources for counselors (commonapp.org/counselors).
  3. National Association for College Admission Counseling. Guide to the college admission process (nacacnet.org).
  4. U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid. Preparing for college: planning checklists for high school students (studentaid.gov).

The worked example’s student and activities are an example. Limits can change from one application year to the next; check the current applicant guide. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.