<p>From the Common App:</p>
<p>“Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below or on an attached sheet (150 words or fewer).”</p>
<p>Is this meant to be written like a very short essay, where your voice should still shine through - should all the achievements, etc. gotten in a particular EC be listed in a resume instead? Or is this meant to be a laundry-list of what one’s done in an extracurricular activity?</p>
<p>Thanks :).</p>
<p>I’s stay away from the laundry list. I think 150 words should be more like a “mini-essay”, where your voice shines through.</p>
<p>“please elaborate on ONE”</p>
<p>there’s your answer 
</p>
<p>Make sure you talk about what you’d do in college to continue this EC.</p>
<p>^^ I think OP knows it’s only one EC they’re asking applicant to write about.</p>
<p>I believe OP was asking if s/he should include *all the stuff that goes into doing the EC <a href=“i.e.%20the%20laundry%20list”>/I</a>, or rather more of a wordy mini-essay about the EC.</p>
<p>For example, if you work in an AIDS clinic, you could say “I sign in, I review the list of clinicians, I take the names of the patients, I give them the expected timing, and I file their insurance forms.” This would be the laundry list.</p>
<p>OR, rather than laundry listing your tasks, you could “mini-essay” it as Lucy said, and let your voice shine through about helping others, working for a cause, etc., and keep it to 150 words.</p>
<p>I agree with Lucy — no laundry list. I don’t care if you work at a rodeo riding bulls as you cure cancer while tying a cherry stem in your mouth. Task-type laundry lists are B-0-R-I-N-G.</p>
<p>So I’m going to write it in “mini-essay” style. That should be fun :)… should I also talk about how I might continue it in college, as suggested?</p>
<p>One Ivy college admission head told us that college look at the short answers more then the big essay, because so many students get outside help on the big one. They are looking for passion and indications of who you really are.</p>
<p>No laundry lists. Show skills and life lessons you’ve learned.</p>