Families across the country are looking to gain the competitive advantage that will lead to a certain admission to college. Not just grades, test scores, and course selection are key factors, but extracurricular activities can play an important role in the college admissions process.

While there is no secret formula that will lead to automatic admission to the school of your choice, there are a few tips to keep in mind when considering extracurricular activities:

• Don’t choose activities just because they’ll look good on your college applications. It is a good idea to be strategic about how to spend your time and energy, but it is a mistake to choose an activity solely for its perceived value to colleges. If you don’t like government, politics, or international affairs, don’t join Model United Nations because you think it will give you a head start when it comes to applying to school. Most likely, you are not a valuable contributor to that group and your membership will be more of a burden than an asset to everyone involved.

• Don’t burden yourself with activities during the last two years of high school. Universities can easily see through that charade. Better to choose a couple of activities that interest you deeply and play a leadership role in those organizations.

• Different schools assign a varying level of value to extracurricular activities. However, what is consistent is that your membership in clubs and activities cannot compensate for mediocre to poor grades. So if you have a decision to make, study instead of joining another organization.

• If you are applying to competitive schools, typical community service will not impress them easily. For example, volunteering at the local homeless shelter is a noble and worthy gesture. However, students who have impressed selective schools have built a homeless shelter in their backyard and are feeding residents homegrown vegetables that they have grown organically using all recyclable materials (see the difference? ).

While it’s okay to consider college admission when choosing high school extracurriculars, don’t get so caught up in the college-prep frenzy that you miss out on getting involved in what could become your lifelong passion. . There is great value in many different types of clubs and organizations. Being true to yourself is always the best strategy.