The Application Process

As the title says, I would like some guidance on these areas.

The awards part is pretty simple - I have several appreciation awards from my last job. My senior design team in undergrad also won best design project. Do these all count?

For extracurricular activities, what counts as such has always been vague to me. For example, I work at one startup and run my own startup on the side, meaning I spend a lot of time at networking and regional VC events. Does this count? Would running a business count as a line under employment, extracurricular activities, or both? What about being a certified Yoga instructor and active participant in the local yoga community (though I haven't "led" a class or event in some time)? Or volunteering for a local animal rescue? (mostly by means of being a foster home, but we participate in fundraising events as well).

In short, I am not sure how official these items need to be for them to count in the eyes of someone reviewing my application.

Thanks in advance!

I too am seeking advice on this. If you've already noticed, they ask for 3 extracurriculars and 3 awards in order of importance to you. This might be the best advice in terms of what examples to use. Regarding "how official" your items should be, I would suggest using those with the biggest credibility or where you made the biggest impact, but not let this criteria precede the former advice, how important the item is to you.

My question is whether or not certifications and exclusive memberships could count as awards/recognitions, and I'm starting to think that anything could suffice. It is your application after all.