What makes Extracurriculars so Important?

When applying to universities, you need to make sure you have more on your application than just your academic achievements to showcase. Yes, we’re talking about the extracurricular activities you pursue in your leisure time. They make up a pivotal component of your application.

Getting involved in extracurricular activities helps you pursue a hobby of your liking and adds value to your candidature while applying to universities. Universities look for well-rounded students who are not only academically qualified but also possess a range of skills, experiences, and qualities that can add value to the community at their campuses.

The admissions offices have a better chance of knowing you through extracurriculars than just your quantitative test scores. It gives them an insight into your personality from your likes and interests.

Benefits of Extracurricular Participation

Now that we’ve emphasized the importance of extracurriculars, it’s time to delve deeper into the benefits they have to offer:

• Extracurriculars teach you important life lessons that you might not learn academically.

• Group activities enhance your interpersonal skills and the ability to work in teams.

• They help you hone your time management skills.

• They help you learn transferable skills.

• They teach you important life lessons – building friendships, performing in front of audiences, communication skills, leadership, etc.

• They provide a space for learning and growing outside the classroom.

• They help you manage and better your emotional intelligence.

• They add value to your college application.

• Often, these activities are linked to superior academic performance.

How do Colleges Evaluate your Application?

Admissions Officers evaluate your profile based on commitment, motivation, accomplishment, leadership, and perhaps most importantly, passion.

The activity you choose to pursue speaks volumes about your personality to the Admissions Officers. Despite getting involved in as many disparate activities as possible to impress the Offices, focus more on the activities that reflect your interests and talents.

These activities also help the Admission Offices gather their thought about your level of commitment and your determination to learn. Of course, the longer you’ve been pursuing an activity, the better it conveys your commitment to it. But that certainly doesn’t make your degree of participation weigh any less.

For the reasons mentioned above, extracurricular activities might play a decisive role in your admission, especially when they have a striking contrast and upper hand over other applicants. This makes it crucially important to pick suitable extracurricular activities. Here are some to get you thinking:

• Athletics – Sports and athletics rank high on the list of extracurriculars because they demonstrate hard work, teamwork, commitment, and much more.

• Academic clubs – Being a part of academic clubs shows your commitment to subjects and your quest to delve deeper, which could add to the relevance of your application. If there are researches you’ve conducted or papers you have published for the same, it adds to your candidature.

• Internships/Job Shadow – Internships/Job Shadows are the best way to demonstrate your dedication to the chosen field. They provide you with a competitive edge because of the practical, hands-on experience that comes with them.

• Creative pursuits – Apart from extracurriculars that are more relevant to the field you want to pursue, it is always a good idea to mention activities related to your creative pursuits. You can talk about activities that capture your interest, what makes you curious about them, and how they might be helpful in your life on campus.

• Community Service/Volunteering - Community service makes up an excellent extracurricular given the passion behind it and the development of interpersonal skills.

The list is only illustrative and not exhaustive. You can find ways to turn your hobby into an extracurricular activity and make it stand out on your application. Make sure you pick something that demonstrates your interest, passion, and skills.