Why Extracurriculars Matter
American universities are going to look at your grades and test scores before they look at any other parts of your application. If your GPA and exam results meet their requirements, then they’ll start to evaluate who you are and what you’ve done outside of the classroom. Extracurriculars help to show your own unique abilities, as well as the ways in which you like to get involved with your community.
Participating in school clubs, sports, volunteering, and other organizations all distinguish you from other applicants. To figure out which extracurriculars to involve yourself in, think about what you’re most passionate about. It can be anything big or small, but there are some activities that really help you to stand out in the crowd. We’ll go through the five best extracurriculars
- Volunteering
Giving back is important. If there’s something in your community that you think needs changing, you should try to find a way to get involved and make that change yourself. Working hard to make a difference shows that you’re willing to spend your valuable time in service to others, and universities love to see that kind of commitment and drive. Volunteering can also provide a healthy boost to students’ self-confidence, self-esteem, and general life satisfaction; doing good for other people can provide students with a natural sense of accomplishment.
Choose a long-term project or organization to volunteer with, rather than one that you’ll do only a single time. Teaching rural area students, leading a donation team that collects and distributes books, and protecting the environment are all great efforts in community service.
- Sports
If you’ve always been athletic, or if you’ve recently developed a passion for a certain sport, stick with it! Participating in organized sports shows that you’re hard-working, self-disciplined, willing to cooperate with others, and deeply committed. All of these are very important traits for an application.
Achieving success in sports isn’t totally necessary—just showing up and being a dedicated team player will serve you well. But gaining a leadership role, or earning a trophy or other award can demonstrate your leadership skills, self-confidence, and management abilities. You can also write about any memorable events in your athletic career for your application essays.
Most universities offer clubs and intramural sports, if you want to take your passion with you to college. You could also gain a scholarship to a top school if you really push yourself to become a top-ranked athlete. Many colleges seek out the best players of a certain sport to boost their own teams’ performances. Succeeding at a sport can give your application a major boost among certain schools.
- The Arts
The visual arts—painting, drawing, sculpting, graphic design, or even fashion design—can help you learn to think in visionary ways. If you’ve always been artistic, you should keep up the skill in high school; it will provide you with a great creative outlet, and if you work your way up to the completion of a full portfolio, you can demonstrate your skills to the colleges you’re interested in.
Music, too, can be a major asset for your application, and will also help you to think in novel and interesting ways. Many musicians find that continued practice helps them understand other subjects, like mathematics, even better. It’s also exciting to develop and advance your skills in any instrument, and can be a major source of personal pride.
Participating in the performing arts, like acting or dance, can show an admissions office that you’re confident and disciplined. Many schools and communities have theater organizations that put on plays several times a year. Performing in a show can help you to discover different sides of yourself. It also takes a lot of practice, discipline, and commitment, all of which will be assets for you in applying to college.
- Internships
If you’re applying to a specific program or college, relevant internships can be a powerful element of your application. You can take your interest in scientific research and connect with any organizations or companies that do work in a field you’re curious about. You could look into publishing, nonprofit work, photography, or some other creative area that offers internships for high school students, and try to get involved in their program.
Completing an internship requires a strong work ethic, which a college admissions office will definitely appreciate. You’ll also show that you have knowledge beyond what’s been provided to you in your coursework, and that you take very seriously the field or discipline you want to pursue in college.
- School Clubs
Activities like Model Business Competition, Chess Club, Model United Nations, Key Club, TedX, or other interesting clubs offered by your high school all demonstrate that you’re interested in learning beyond what’s offered in class. By focusing on clubs that complement your main coursework interests—like Model UN if you’re passionate about politics, or a coding club if you want to pursue computer science—you can show an admissions office that you’re serious about your chosen field.
School clubs also require time and energy, and this will make you a more dedicated and diligent student. The commitment required of certain clubs is also an attractive quality to show on a college application. Perhaps most importantly, participating in a club, big or small, shows that you value teamwork and collaboration. Working well with other people will always help you to get far in school and in life.
