Inside Higher Education | Extracurricular Activities and College Admissions

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"Extracurricular Activities and College Admissions" references a review conducted by Associate Professor of Student Affairs Julie J. Park and colleagues, which found that white, Asian American, private school and more affluent students not only reported more activities, but they also reported more top leadership roles and more activities with associated honors, distinctions and awards.

The findings suggest that using extracurricular activities in the college admissions decisions may present the same problems as standardized test scores: bias in favor of white and Asian applicants and wealthier applicants.