What extracurriculars help for University of Washington computer science admissions?

For University of Washington computer science, the most helpful extracurriculars are the ones that show sustained interest, technical depth, and real impact, not just a long list of CS-related activities. Coding clubs, personal projects, hackathons, research, tutoring, internships, and leadership can all help, but only if they show commitment and growth.

Personal projects are often especially valuable because they prove initiative. A useful app, a game you built and updated, an open-source contribution, or a tool that solves a real problem tends to stand out more than simply attending a club.

Coding clubs and competitions can help, especially if you took on leadership, organized events, taught others, or made a measurable contribution. Hackathons are good supporting activities, but by themselves they usually matter less than long-term work. A few meaningful hackathon projects are stronger than attending many events without much substance.

Research can be impressive if you actually contributed in a concrete way, but it is not required. Internships also help if they involved real responsibility, though admissions will understand that access to internships varies a lot by high school and location. Teaching coding, mentoring younger students, or starting a program at your school can be especially strong because it combines CS interest with leadership and service.

In your application, the key is being able to explain what you built, why it mattered, what challenges you faced, and how the experience shaped your interest in studying computer science at UW.