Discover remote and online extracurricular opportunities you can do from anywhere, including virtual internships, online courses, and remote competitions.
Yes. Top colleges — including Ivy League schools — have explicitly stated that virtual and online extracurriculars are viewed the same as in-person activities. Admissions officers evaluate commitment, rigor, and impact, not location. A virtual research program at a top university is just as impressive as an in-person one. The shift to remote opportunities has also expanded access, which colleges recognize and value.
Top virtual programs include MIT PRIMES (online math and CS research), USACO (competitive programming, conducted online), RSI at MIT (partially virtual), many university online research programs, online creative writing workshops (Iowa Young Writers' Studio offers a virtual session), Khan Academy tutoring, and various online competitions. Many programs that were previously in-person now offer hybrid or fully virtual options.
Potentially — but be careful about overcommitting. Unlike in-person programs, virtual ones eliminate travel time but still require focused attention and participation. Two concurrent programs can work if they have different time requirements (one intensive, one ongoing). Three or more programs running simultaneously often results in shallow engagement with each, which is less impressive than deep commitment to fewer activities.
Demonstrate depth and outcomes. For a virtual research program, highlight publications, presentations, or specific discoveries. For online competitions, highlight results — placing in top percentiles, qualifying for finals. For virtual volunteering, document concrete impact numbers. Letters of recommendation from supervisors or mentors who observed your virtual work can powerfully validate your engagement level.
Virtual programs are particularly transformative for students in rural areas, eliminating the geographic disadvantage. Online competitions (USACO, AMC, NSDA online tournaments), university virtual research programs, remote internships, online creative writing programs, virtual Model UN conferences, and online courses from platforms like Coursera and edX are all accessible regardless of location.