100 Impressive and Unique Extracurricular Activities You Can Do at Home
Kate Sliunkova
AdmitYogi, Stanford MBA & MA in Education
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6 min read
Introduction
Extracurricular activities play a vital role in showcasing your skills and interests to colleges, but participating in traditional extracurriculars can be time-consuming and involve travel. However, there are plenty of extracurricular activities that you can do from the comfort of your own home, which not only save time but also allow you to explore your interests more deeply. These activities are known as self-driven activities, and they can demonstrate initiative, creativity, and independence to college admissions officers. In this article, we have compiled a list of 100 awesome and productive self-driven activities that you can pursue from home. Whether you are interested in music, art, sports, science, or community service, there is an activity on this list that is perfect for you. So, let's dive in and explore some fun and beneficial extracurricular activities that you can master from home today!
Our List
Arts and Creativity
- Create a short film using stop-motion animation.
- Design and sew your own clothing collection.
- Write and record your own original music.
- Develop a virtual reality game or experience.
- Participate in online art exhibitions and showcase your work.
- Create a virtual museum exhibit on a topic of your choice.
- Create and publish your own graphic novel or comic book.
- Participate in online screenplay writing competitions.
- Design and create your own board game.
- Develop a 3D model of a building or city using CAD software.
Sports and Fitness
- Train and compete in virtual athletic challenges, such as stair-climbing or rowing.
- Participate in online parkour courses and challenges.
- Develop and record a freestyle dance routine.
- Create and maintain an online fitness blog, tracking your progress and sharing tips.
- Learn to play a new sport, such as ultimate frisbee or quidditch.
- Develop your own bodyweight exercise routine, complete with progress tracking.
- Participate in online boxing or martial arts classes and competitions.
- Create your own virtual reality workout experience.
- Participate in online esports tournaments and competitions.
- Develop a yoga or fitness routine specifically designed for people with disabilities.
Science and Technology
- Design and program your own mobile app, complete with a business plan and marketing strategy.
- Create and maintain an online science journal, documenting your experiments and research.
- Develop a virtual reality simulation of a scientific phenomenon or experiment.
- Participate in online AI and machine learning courses and competitions.
- Develop your own computer game, complete with code and artwork.
- Create your own video game walkthroughs and tutorials.
- Develop a new and unique algorithm for solving a specific problem.
- Participate in online coding bootcamps and hackathons.
- Create a virtual museum exhibit on a scientific topic of your choice.
- Develop and record a series of science tutorials on a topic of your choice.
Volunteering and Community Service
- Create and run your own online fundraising campaign for a charity of your choice.
- Develop and publish your own cookbook, with proceeds donated to a food bank or charity.
- Create and run your own virtual community service project.
- Organize and run an online debate club, discussing and debating important social issues.
- Participate in online mentorship programs, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters or Girls Who Code.
- Create and run your own online tutoring service, providing academic support to students in need.
- Develop and implement an online recycling program for your community.
- Organize and run your own virtual charity walk or run.
- Create and run your own online campaign promoting awareness for a social issue of your choice.
- Participate in online political campaigns, promoting the candidate or issue you support.
Education and Learning
- Create and teach your own online course, complete with syllabus and lesson plans.
- Write and publish your own online book, complete with illustrations or multimedia elements.
- Participate in online math and science Olympiads and competitions.
- Develop and implement a virtual peer mentorship program for students.
- Participate in online quiz bowl and trivia competitions.
- Participate in online debate and public speaking competitions.
- Create and maintain an online language-learning blog, tracking your progress and sharing tips.
- Develop and implement an online learning program for underprivileged students.
- Participate in online academic conferences.
- Develop and publish your own academic research paper on a topic of your choice.
Entrepreneurship and Business
- Create and run your own online store, selling unique and handmade products.
- Develop and implement a virtual financial literacy program for students.
- Create and run your own online marketing campaign for a product or service.
- Participate in online business plan and pitch competitions.
- Develop and implement a virtual small business consulting program for local entrepreneurs.
- Participate in online negotiation and contract drafting competitions.
- Create and run your own online advertising campaign for a product or service.
- Develop and implement a virtual leadership and management training program.
- Participate in online entrepreneurial incubators and accelerators.
- Create a software startup that gets acquired (learn more about the software startup acquisition process).
Writing and Communication
- Create and publish your own online magazine or literary journal.
- Participate in online speech and debate competitions.
- Develop and implement a virtual public relations campaign for a cause or organization.
- Participate in online journalism and writing competitions.
- Create and publish your own online travel blog, documenting your adventures.
- Participate in online short story and poetry competitions.
- Develop and implement a virtual social media marketing campaign for a product or service.
- Participate in online copywriting and content creation competitions.
- Create and publish your own online newsletter for a cause or organization.
- Participate in online public speaking and presentation competitions.
Miscellaneous
- Create and maintain an online personal finance blog, tracking your spending and investments.
- Participate in online investing and trading competitions.
- Create and maintain your own online personal brand, complete with a portfolio and resume.
- Develop and implement a virtual leadership training program for young adults.
- Participate in online fashion design and styling competitions.
- Create and maintain an online DIY and crafting blog, sharing your projects and tutorials.
- Develop and implement a virtual etiquette and protocol training program for young adults.
- Participate in online cooking and baking competitions.
- Create and maintain an online gardening and landscaping blog, sharing your tips and projects.
- Participate in online home renovation and design competitions.
Conclusion
There you have it, 100 unique and impressive self-driven activities you can do from home that will help you stand out to college admissions officers. Remember, the key to success with these activities is to choose ones that truly interest you and allow you to showcase your skills and passions. With these activities, you can demonstrate initiative, creativity, and independence, all while having fun and learning something new. So go ahead and choose an activity or two (or ten!) to pursue from home today.
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