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Importance of Extracurricular Activities for the
USA College Admission
Extracurricular activities give students a way to
express themselves outside of the classroom.
Activities like sports, art, music, volunteer
work, and more allow students to engage in
creativity that bring them joy, challenges,
social stimulation, and more. While
extracurriculars land on the middle rung of the
importance ladder and cannot substitute for good
grades and solid test scores, several studies
indicate that students who participate in
extracurriculars have better attendance, achieve
higher test scores, and have higher GPAs than
students who opt out of after-school
activities. When evaluating college applications
forms, admissions officers are looking at many
different things, from grades and test scores to
essays and, yes, extracurricular activities.
Extracurricular activities are one of the most
important soft factors that colleges consider,
so students need to be thoughtful and strategic
about their extracurricular involvement. Some
Extracurricular Activities for College
Admission Academic activity If you want to get
into humanity programs, you could be working for
your school newspaper. A math major could
participate in the Math Bowl or some other
competitive form of the subject. A future medical
student may have volunteered at the local
hospital. Service activity Develop empathy
and accountability, such as serving on Youth
Court if youre interested in criminal justice or
get involved in some community service.
Leadership activity Leadership activities are
some of the most important ones to put on your
college application. Many colleges look for
leadership skills or leadership potential in
college applicants. Whether youve been the
president of a high school club or other
organization or the captain of your sports team,
these activities provide colleges with evidence
that you have what it takes to be in a leadership
position. Personality activity Highlight
your individuality. Join clubs like dance,
theater, music, etc. any activity which you like
to do as a hobby or which you enjoy and relaxes
you. Internship Internships are a great way
to show colleges that you have already gained
some experience in your chosen field. For
example, business students might do an internship
with a local company in their marketing
department or another department, which should be
included in a college application. The tech or
stem student can do summer jobs summer tech camps
or in companies. Research Students can also
get into college research programs or work with a
professor who is involved in research example
Physics, Math, biology, etc. Athletic
Participation Playing team sports, such as
football or basketball, also lets colleges know
that youve been able to function as part of a
team. Athletic participation generally takes up
quite a bit of time and requires significant
effort to develop skills. Technology Skill
Technological skills are another important
extracurricular activity to include in your
college application. While colleges generally
expect students to have certain basic skills,
such as typing skills, online research skills,
experience with commonly used software programs,
and knowledge of online etiquette, other skills
can help you stand out.
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Now that you understand the importance of
extracurricular activities, it is time to choose
one (or more). Of course, this can be a difficult
choice. One way is by considering your career
goals extracurricular activities should reflect
who you are as a person and what you value in
life. Extracurricular activities are important
that does not mean that you sign -up or have a
big list of activities. One or 2 activities are
more than enough. Any activity you pick should
demonstrate your persistence, passion, and
commitment. If you select Soccer in sports try to
get into the school team and participate all 4
years of high school, it applies to any activity.
College programs are challenging and they do
require good time management, commitment, and
passion. Your college application and resume
should demonstrate that you are ready to accept
the college challenges and will be successful in
the program you are interested in.
If you are preparing for SAT, ACT, PSAT, etc.
check out Socrato's YouTube channel to learn
about test-taking strategies and how to score
practice tests.