Hi! I know the standard for extracurriculars here is quite high, but if I play a musical instrument/ sing for instance, at what level of qualification would that be deemed sufficient as my primary extracurricular?
My ECs:
I completed ABRSM g8 singing, and am preparing for my FRSM singing diploma (around masters level), should be done before July 2026 (application year 2026-2027).
I also play guitar (2years) and piano (9years).
I won a county (similar to state?) singing competition and got to meet royalty which was cool.
I did LAMDA g8 public speaking if that means anything to you?
I’m planning to enter into the KMPG Young Economist of the Year competition (a respected nationwide economics competition) since I want to major in economics.
I did a passion project on the cost of living crisis?
Next year I’m going to to run the annual inter-school charity concert, raises around 3000USD (conversion) for local hospitals.
I run a choir at school.
I’m trying to find wex/ internships BUT IM TOO YOUNG HERE.
Is there anything else I should do to make me stand out?
Yes your singing and instrument playing are a fine EC.
To stand out, do things you love and are passionate about.
Quality, not quantity.
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Thank you for the reassurance! There aren’t many competitions where I live, so I can’t enter many more. I was just worried about whether this would be at a high enough level for colleges to consider me a worthy applicant, since US unis place so much more prominence on it.
You don’t need competitions. You need activities - at school, in the community - maybe it’s walking dogs at the shelter. Or a part time job. You want tenure and impact.
You be the best you that you can be. Competitions and awards aren’t a must.
Finding a passion and making an impact are key.
Good luck.
I’m tutoring a kid I’m friends with who’s struggling at my school if that counts? Also planning to start volunteering locally when I find the time (post GCSE probably - summertime).
I go to current affairs club at school (it’s basically debate), run one choir and go to like 4 
. I helped organise a concert last year that’s entirely student led. I’m also in a band- we don’t perform original songs but we’ve had a few concerts, sold collectively around 600 tickets? Ive busked in local malls with them and I’m going to run a charity concert next year (as mentioned above).
I’m planning to teach younger kids voice lessons aswell soon if that helps?
Congratulations on your achievements.
At T-20 schools it is often reported that the majority of applicants are academically qualified to attend. Consequently, extracurriculars are an important differentiator as part of the holistic review process.
You should of course pursue activities that you are passionate about but also consider how you will incorporate these activities into your personal narrative that will be your application. You want the reader of your application to have a sense of who your are, what you care about, do you take on leadership roles, excel at what you do and or do you influence change.
Almost all of the students at T20 schools I have met had near flawless academic and test qualifications plus something else that made them stand out from a very talented crowd.
I know lofty stuff for a HS student and not accessible to everyone but that is the reality of the lens through which you will be evaluated by T-20 schools. I share this not to discourage you but allow you to consider and prepare accordingly.
Good luck.
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The general advice is to do what you love, and as intensely as you enjoy doing it. So having music (both instrumental and voice) as your primary EC is fine. BTW, while the acronyms that you cite are, I am sure, very familiar to you, they are not familiar to most people, and may not be familiar to admissions committees.
When are you planning on applying? Depending upon how soon you are applying, you may or may not have time to “shape” your ECs in order to curate your application.
In general, some schools like to admit performing artists because they hope that they will contribute to a vibrant performing arts scene on campus. Other schools have an associated conservatory or school of music/performing arts, and so are less inclined to give preference to amateur performing artists.
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Thank you for your response! I really do appreciate all of them 
My academic record is, in UK results, pretty much blemish free. Predicted all/ 11 9s at GCSE and should go on to do equally well at A level, where I will be taking Maths, Further Maths, Econ and Geo (4 total).
As for linking them to my personal development, I think that’s some food for thought. Thank you!
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I apply in the year 2026-27, currently the equivalent of a high school sophomore, so still time to add things!
Sorry about the acronyms I totally forgot since they are pretty commonplace here in England, here’s a rough breakdown of what they mean:
The ABRSM is the national royal (and primary international) board for music examinations, and the FRSM is a fellowship of the Royal Schools of Music - equivalent in qualification to a masters/ postgraduate degree.
LAMDA is the London Academy of Music, Drama and the Arts, and they offer qualifications such as public speaking.
KPMG is a company that sponsors the nationwide economics competition every year I don’t actually know what that stands for but it’s not very relevant.
Oh and wex is work experience (we don’t have internships here until the last year of undergraduate study).
This is great as are all your other things.
Congrats - keep doing well (don’t stop the activities so you can build tenure) - and life will work out for you fine.
Where you can quantify accomplishments - raised x $ or moved to 1st chair…whatever it is…take notes so you can sell your achievements later.
Best of luck.
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Since this hasn’t been posted here yet, I’ll go ahead and post it. It’s a great read:
It is about MIT, but the advice applies to any T20/competitive university.
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I think a highly developed performing arts talent, usually at least at what is sometimes called the conservatory level, can be a way of standing out to the most selective US colleges, assuming your academic qualifications are also excellent. As I understand it, to credit that sort of talent level they will usually expect an appropriate arts supplement demonstrating what you can do, which they will then likely send to a relevant faculty member to evaluate.
And then short of that, it is still a good EC–mean a good way of spending your time, showing a variety of good character traits, and so on.
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Thank you! Just out of curiosity with an arts supplement would it be better to choose a piece with a higher technical level or something that you connect with emotionally more? I say this because most high level voice pieces tend to be older classical songs/ arias in German or Italian, but let’s say I was particularly intrigued by the accapella scene at Yale. Would it be more beneficial to find/ put together my own arrangement of an existing song as an accapella group with friends and send that instead to show my interest? Or should I stick with singing the high difficulty solo pieces to show my virtuousity?
I am aware this is a rather specific question but any answer would be a helpful one
So I really do not know what it takes to have a successful music supplement for Yale, other than that I know the standards are high.
I do know, though, that participating in a capella groups at Yale does not necessarily require conservatory-level talent. So this is speculation, but I would guess a faculty member from the Department of Music might be a little more interested in possible auditions for other performance opportunities.
If it helps, here is a page about that:
https://yalemusic.yale.edu/performance-opportunities
A capella is mentioned, but there is so much more.
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Follow instructions for supplemental material submission, it is supposed to be you performing - with collaborative pianist or without, but your own performance will be evaluated by the music program faculty members.
There are many vocal ensemble and vocal performance opportunities at Yale and those vary by level and intensity of rehearsals. Some of the groups have very competitive audition process.
My D23 reviewed her Yale admissions file last year and found out that her music portfolio was reviewed by the Yale Concert Band director and his feedback was surprisingly detailed, according to her. She is a flutist.
3 minutes, some technical, some lyric.
I am a big fan of the “applying sideways” blog that @worriedmomucb posted above. As I understand it, the point is to do what is right for you, whatever you do do it very well, and treat people with kindness or at least fairness. This approach helped to get me into MIT, but also helped to get other family members into other different universities. Also what each of us did was very different. We each just did what was right for us personally.
@ConfusedBritishKid I think that your ECs are very good for “top 20” schools in the US. It sounds like you have similarly done what was right for you.
One thing that your post reminds me of: When I was at MIT, the MIT student orchestra and the MIT a capella group might not be quite on the level that you might have expected from The Berklee College of Music, but MIT’s student music groups were really good for a school that pretty much no one would go to just to study music. Sometimes ability in math and ability in music go together, and some students had gotten into MIT with music being their most important EC.
Tutoring is also a good EC.
In terms of ECs I think that you are doing very well.
Whether the top universities in the USA are worth the difference in price compared to the top universities in the UK is a completely different question.
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In the big picture a UK student’s ECs aren’t going to be compared to those of domestic students. AOs know that ECs are different, as is the culture surrounding them, outside the US. I agree with much of the advice you’ve already received. Do the activities you most like and pursue them consistently, and take them as far as you can. Part-time jobs and family responsibilities are also valuable ECs, so make sure to include those in your activities if you have them. Good luck.
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