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Extracurriculars for economics majors

An economics application reads best when it shows three things: genuine curiosity about how markets work, the technical depth to compete in something rigorous, and the initiative to build something that serves others. These six activities trace that path from your school's econ club to competing nationally and finally to founding an organization that outlasts you.

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Trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange

Start or lead your school econ club

An economics club that runs debates about current monetary policy, organizes guest speakers, and works through problems together is far more interesting to an admissions reader than a club that exists only on paper. Running for president or founding one where none exists turns passive interest into demonstrated leadership. Use club meetings to practice the kind of quantitative reasoning that shows up on the National Economics Challenge.

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Students in a finance seminar learning about investing and portfolio management

Join an investment or personal-finance club

Stock market simulations like the Stock Market Game, run by the SIFMA Foundation, let you manage a virtual $100,000 portfolio against other schools while learning to read a balance sheet, interpret earnings calls, and argue for or against a thesis in front of teammates. The skills transfer directly to the quantitative coursework econ majors face in college. Placing in state or national rankings of a simulation gives you a concrete result to point to.

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Strategist

Compete and get noticed

Compete in the National Economics Challenge

The National Economics Challenge, run by the Council for Economic Education, starts at school and regional qualifying rounds and advances state winners to a national semifinal and final. The exam covers micro, macro, international, and current-events questions at a level that genuinely tests AP Economics knowledge and beyond. Reaching the national round is a named, verifiable credential that signals depth in the subject to any economics admissions committee.

See the National Economics Challenge
Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington DC

Do economics research with a professor

Cold email three or four economists at nearby universities, read one of their working papers beforehand, and reference a specific finding in your message so it does not read as a mass send. Aim for a poster at a local undergraduate symposium or a data analysis section you can describe in your activities list rather than promising a co-authored publication. If cold outreach stalls, the Fed Challenge is a structured alternate route: teams of three to five students analyze Federal Reserve policy and present to real Fed economists as judges.

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Mythic

Build something exceptional

Students participating in a financial literacy workshop on budgeting and housing costs

Found a financial-literacy nonprofit

Building an organization that teaches budgeting, credit, investing, or entrepreneurship to underserved students is the clearest demonstration that you understand economics as a tool for equity, not just as theory. The strongest versions start with a pilot at one school, collect data on outcomes, and then document chapter growth and the number of students reached. A named nonprofit with a website, measurable reach, and a clear founding story is one of the most compelling things an economics applicant can show.

Find funding and programs to support your nonprofit

Compete at the International Economics Olympiad

The International Economics Olympiad combines theory, creative thinking, and business case rounds and selects national teams through domestic qualifying competitions. Representing your country at an international Olympiad is the rarest academic credential an economics applicant can hold. Even reaching a national training camp signals that your quantitative and analytical grasp of the subject is well beyond what a transcript alone can show.

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Questions, answered

Extracurriculars for economics majors, explained

What are the best extracurriculars for an economics major?

The strongest economics extracurriculars combine analytical depth with something built or competed. Starting with an econ or investing club, competing in the National Economics Challenge or Fed Challenge, and then doing original research or founding a financial-literacy nonprofit is the arc that reads most naturally to admissions readers at LSE, Chicago, Princeton, and similar programs. Generic business clubs with no competitive or research component are less compelling.

Is the National Economics Challenge worth doing?

Yes. It is one of the few high-school competitions with a named national finals round that directly tests economics knowledge, making a top placement a verifiable credential. Qualifying for the national semifinal or final demonstrates subject-matter depth in a way that AP scores alone cannot. The preparation process, working through micro, macro, and international economics problems, also builds genuine fluency that transfers to college coursework.

Can I do economics extracurriculars without a background in finance?

Absolutely. Economics is broader than finance, covering public policy, development, behavioral economics, and environmental questions. Starting with a school econ club or a personal-finance simulation requires no prior background. The subject rewards curiosity and logical reasoning more than it rewards prior exposure to Wall Street concepts.

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