High school is about much more than courses and grades. It’s also a time to try new activities and explore interests. Exploring, joining, and creating activities helps students build a sense of community. Students develop/improve important life skills like planning, responsibility, healthy competition, and cooperation.
Many high schools provide opportunities to join activities in areas such as:
Fine arts (music, dance, studio art, etc.)
STEM (robotics, engineering, etc.)
Athletics
Student government
Speech/debate
Service/volunteering
Military (JROTC) and other career (Future Business Leaders of America, Future Educators of America, etc.)
Other special interest areas (books, environmental awareness, LGBTQIA+, foreign language/culture, etc.)
Some extracurricular activities occur outside of school as well, such as community service, part-time work, home responsibilities (caring for younger siblings or an ailing relative, for example), and interest areas (horseback riding, rock climbing, 3-D printing, etc).
When students apply for college, their extracurricular activities will be an important part of the application. Here are some tips for building an extracurricular resume that has value to the student and to colleges:
Consider continuing something you enjoyed before high school. Starting with something familiar is a great way to get started. If you enjoy running for example, try out for the cross country team.
Try something new. It’s ok to stretch a little and take some risks. Will you like debate? Maybe, maybe not- but it’s worth a shot if it sounds interesting.
Expect that some activities won’t work out. It’s ok if an activity isn’t a good fit…trial and error is part of the process.
If it doesn’t exist, create it. You may not have an interior design club at your school, but if it’s an interest area for you, find out how you can start the club.
Grow and develop in the activities you love most. Colleges prefer depth over breadth, so building upon the foundation of an activity and demonstrating growth, commitment over time, and/or leadership are important. Titles are far less valuable than what you contribute. Being the Vice President of the Spanish club is great, but what do you do in that role to add value to the club?
Remember that extracurriculars don’t have to have an official organization to be significant. If you repair/build computers at home in your spare time, that has value. If you babysit your younger siblings every day after school, that is definitely an extracurricular activity.
Prioritize balance. Extracurricular activities can be fun and rewarding, but they can also be time-consuming and a source of stress. Be sure to consider your mental and physical well-being and leave time in your daily schedule for relaxation.
At Growing2College, we assist students and families with extracurricular planning, as well as with maximizing the Activities section of the Common App. Request a free 20-min consultation to learn more about how we can be helpful.
Kate Pedigo, M.Ed. NCC is an Independent Educational Consultant and founder of Growing2College. Join us on social media for college planning updates, tips, and resources: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn
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