Why Extracurricular Activities are so Important

When high school students apply to college, they hope their grades and SAT scores will reap college acceptance. In their Youtube video titled, “Why Are Extracurricular Activities So Important?” a speaker from Mycollegetimeline.com, explains why extracurricular activities are invaluable.

Video Source

Types of Extracurriculars

The narrator describes 4 types of extracurricular activities:

*School-related – such as sports, choir, and student government

*Community – such as local clubs, community theater or Little League

*Work – such as a part-time job or an internship

*Volunteer – such as tutoring, Special Olympics or raising money for charities

Why They’re Important

If you’re wondering why extracurricular activities are so influential, the video suggests a student’s choices of activities will cause them to stand out. These activities provide insight into what the student is passionate about. This insight can be the deciding factor in a college admission decision.

When college officials seek students with responsibility and maturity, they look for students who had a job while maintaining good grades. Ultimately, there’s no specific activity that guarantees an Ivy League admission. College admissions officers evaluate each student as a whole.

While preparing your college application, remember: most colleges get thousands of applications. Of those, many have high grades and SAT scores. To narrow down the crowd to those who are accepted, a college will be carefully looking for extracurricular activities.

While it’s recommended to begin extracurricular participation in the ninth grade, it’s never too late to start. If college is in your future, an after-school activity should be on your current schedule.