Which Extracurriculars Actually Matter for Admission to College Humanities Programs?

If you love writing, analyzing artwork, or poring over historical documents, crave deep discussions about the meaning of life, or wish to better understand the human experience, you may be leaning toward a degree in the humanities. This broad area of study includes majors in history, philosophy, religion, and language arts, and aims to equip graduates with valuable skill sets in writing, critical thinking, analysis, communication, and problem-solving, all of which translate well into a vast array of workplaces and graduate programs.

In high school, you can start sharpening these same skills by engaging in extracurricular opportunities that provide writing or public speaking experience, interdisciplinary exploration, and collaborative environments. Let’s dive into what that could look like.

DURING HIGH SCHOOL, HOW CAN I SET MYSELF UP FOR SUCCESS DURING THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS?

While maintaining a strong academic record is most important, your extracurricular involvement can help signal your interest in a humanities path. However, this doesn’t
mean that you need to sign up for anything and everything humanities-related! Instead, you should aim for deep involvement—or involvement that showcases long-term commitment, growth, and impact—in 2-4 activities total, including 1-2 pursuits directly related to your interests in the humanities.

Ideally, these humanities-related pursuits will:

1. Provide opportunities to build skills in writing, speaking, and critical thinking.
2. Provide interdisciplinary exposure and exploration.
3. Teach you how to collaborate and communicate with others.

WONDERING WHERE TO BEGIN? WE RECOMMEND CHOOSING SEVERAL ACTIVITIES ACROSS THE FOLLOWING TIERS:

1st Tier: Competitive activities that result in a tangible award, publication, public accolade, or other special distinction in your area(s) of interest. Attempt to engage in at
least one 1st tier activity if possible.

2nd Tier: Activities that allow you to earn college credit, demonstrate mastery of relevant skills, accrue relevant job experience, and/or assume a leadership role or significant responsibilities over tasks that are directly related to your areas of interest.

3rd Tier: Activities that ultimately do not result in an award or leadership position, but that still allow you to accrue knowledge, skills, and/or experiences that have some
connection to the field(s) you are considering. Though not as impactful as first or secondtier activities, these pursuits can still yield admission-related benefits.

1ST TIER ACTIVITIES:

• Compete in regional, national, or international academic or debate competitions, such as: Academic Declathalon or the National History Bowl.
• Enter work into regional, national, or international writing or arts competitions, such as: Scholastic Art & Writing Awards or YoungArts National Arts Competition.
• Try to get published at a regional or national level by submitting your writing to magazines, newspapers, or journals.

2ND TIER ACTIVITIES:

• Take a college-level course in a subject that directly relates to your interests but is not offered at your high school, such as poetry, philosophy, comparative religion, Middle Eastern history, etc. If you opt to take a course, keep in mind that the prestige of the college matters far less than the course’s alignment with your academic interests. Therefore, don’t hesitate to prioritize course offerings that are affordable and convenient. Institutions offering college-level courses to high school students include: ASU or Tufts University Pre-College.
• Join a well-established club at your high school (ideally with a number of chapters throughout your state or the U.S.), such as newspaper, literary magazine, debate, Model UN, Academic Decathlon, National History Day, or Junior Classical League, with intentions to pursue a leadership role over time.
• Run for a class officer position or join student government/student council. Aim to pursue a leadership role over time.
• Find an internship or volunteer position where you can develop relevant skills while building relationships within your industry of choice. Examples include publishing houses, magazines, local newspapers, film festivals, theaters, historical societies, public libraries, political campaigns, media companies, museums, and marketing/advertising agencies.
• Pursue/demonstrate foreign language proficiency by taking one more national foreign language exams (e.g., National Latin Exam, National French Contest, Seal of Biliteracy, etc.)
• Apply for a docent position with a museum or historical society.
• Participate in a competitive and/or research-based summer program that culminates in college credit or a paper and/or project that can be submitted for publication or conference presentation, such as: Telluride Association Summer Programs.

3RD TIER ACTIVITIES:

• Write for your school’s newspaper or literary magazine.
• Volunteer with an advocacy, civic, or community outreach organization.
• Join a school club that enables you to build skills in critical thinking, public speaking, and/or writing and analysis, such as Creative Writing Club, Classics Club, Drama Club, your school’s student-run news channel or radio station, etc, regardless of whether you plan to pursue a leadership role.
• Apply for a position in your high school’s writing center.
• Tutor peers or younger students in language arts or history. Opportunities can often be pursued through your school or at your local library.
• Participate in a humanities-focused summer program, such as: Summer@Brown or Iowa Young Writer’s Studio.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Strong humanities applicants stand out by showing sustained intellectual curiosity, thoughtful engagement with ideas, and a clear commitment to developing their voice as thinkers and communicators. By investing deeply in a small number of writing-, research-, or discussion-based activities, students can demonstrate both academic readiness and a genuine passion for understanding the human experience. Admissions officers value depth, reflection, and impact far more than a long list of loosely connected pursuits.