College prep expert ranks how 17 common extracurricular activities affect student applications

Prepping for college is a daunting task for kids and parents alike, and it can be difficult to know exactly which submission strategies will actually help prospective students stand out to their dream schools. Take extracurricular activities, for example. According to Kate Stone, founder of Kate Stone Prep, some extracurriculars will add exponentially more value to an application, while others…not so much. In an Instagram reel posted in November 2025, Stone ranked a handful of popular high school activities—from instruments to prom-planning—from one to 10. See how each fared below: Newspape...