Are you planning and preparing for your college? If yes, you are probably looking for ways to increase your chance of getting accepted into your chosen university. One of the things you need to consider is the best extracurricular activities for college applications. How many extracurricular activities are enough for college? Well, this depends on the university’s requirements. However, most universities will look into these extracurricular activities, which reflect your passion, skills, and talent as a student.
In this article, you will find out the significance of college extracurricular activities and the activities you may engage in.
How Important are Extracurricular Activities for College?
How Important are Extracurricular Activities for College?You may need to learn the extracurricular activities benefits for college. These activities will give you the positive impression needed for your college application. The enrollment officer will determine your passion and interest in your chosen field of expertise in college by looking into your extracurricular activities. Thus. These can be your edge against the other applicants.
Your extracurricular activities will also show how versatile you are as a student, particularly when you have different activities aside from your major field. However, there may be a lot of applicants too. That’s why you must carefully choose the best extracurricular activities for college applications by looking into several factors.
5 Benefits of Joining Extracurricular Activities
No matter how introverted you are, you need some extracurricular activities to continue in college. There are many benefits that you can enjoy, and some of these are the following:
1. Many colleges accept students who are academic achievers. Aside from that, most colleges receive a lot of students’ applications, which is why they narrow down their choices. One of the factors that help them choose the right applicant is extracurricular activities. That’s why these activities can help you stand out from the rest.
2. These extracurricular activities send a message to the enrollment officer about what you love doing and how versatile you are as a person since you don’t only focus on your chosen field. These activities will also allow the officer to determine your interest and commitment to your chosen course. For example, if you want to enroll in an engineering or accountancy course, being an active math club member will serve as your advantage.
3. The world’s most significant universities, like Harvard, will examine your credentials and extracurricular activities. By having an outstanding and impressive resume, your extracurricular activities may even make you accepted in Harvard University or other great schools. In the US and even in the UK, most colleges do not accept students who don’t have extracurricular activities.
4. The enrollment officer will also check how you can be an asset to the college once accepted. For example, if you are great at sports, you can be chosen as a representative, bringing the school’s name to a sports competition among other schools.
5. On a personal note, having extracurricular activities will mold your skills and your personality. You will become more confident, particularly when you meet different people. It will help you discover your interest and enhance your skills.
5 Best Extracurricular Activities for College
When choosing your extracurricular activities for college, you need to be careful. Choosing the wrong one may prevent you from getting accepted by your preferred college. Below are some of the extracurricular activities that you can choose from:
1. Academic extracurricular activities
When choosing your extracurricular activities, you need to determine what you love doing. Aside from that, you must also know more about your personality and preferences. These activities may be relevant to your future degree. Do you think you excel more in concepts rather than in basic skills? If yes, then you may consider participating in extracellular academic activities from the following groups:
- English National Honor Society
- Math Honor Society
- Science National Honor Society
- History National Honor Society
- Physics Club
2. Community service activities
Do you love serving other people? Do you want to meet other people and know more about them? You may want to volunteer in a medical mission and promote health to different ethnicity. Choose a community service that will add value to your resume by making sure that you have an impact to the community you serve. The church might facilitate a youth group activity. You can participate in different community services from these organizations:
- American Heart Association
- American Diabetes Association
- American Cancer Society
- Breast Cancer Awareness Club
- Community Outreach Club
3. Hobbies activities
What activities are you passionate about? Is it taking pictures, designing, or singing? You can choose extracurricular activities, which are your hobby. It will not only help you in your college application, but you will enjoy doing the activities. Plus, you are developing your skills and knowledge in these activities. You may engage in some of these activities like the following:
- Photography
- Calligraphy
- Biking
- Baking
- Cooking
- Fashion styling
- Drama club
- Choir Group
- Dance Club
4. Sports activities
Do you have a particular sport where you do best? If yes, you can join any club or team where you can play your favorite sports and consider it as your extracurricular activity like the following:
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Tennis
- Badminton
- Soccer
- Volleyball
- Taekwondo
5. Summer programs
During summer, you may spend time doing an activity you like instead of just staying inside the house. You may join one of the following:
- Bank of America Student Leaders Program
- Leadership in the Business World
- NASA High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS)
- National Mathematics Summer School
- The Summer Science Program
How Many Extracurriculars Should You Do?
There is no exact number of extracurricular activities that you should do to be accepted into college. Some would say at least eight to ten. It may sound unattainable to others. However, according to Michaela Schieffer, a College Counselor, it doesn’t matter how many extracurricular activities you should do.
She admires those students who only had one activity but took many steps in developing their skills and knowledge. She gave an example where a student only had website building as her extracurricular activity. However, that student learned different programming skills and built new websites that several community groups used.
Quality over quantity is the most crucial factor you need to consider. A single activity that changed the lives of many or greatly impacted the community may excel more than those many medical missions, leadership camps, and summer activities.
How Do Colleges Evaluate Extracurricular Activities?
Although extracurricular activities are just one of the factors that the college admission officers will look into, it still plays an essential role in accepting or rejecting students’ application.
There should be consistency between your profile and your chosen activity. For example, suppose you presented in your profile that you are an exemplary student but did not contribute to other people or the community. In that case, it may be difficult for you to be accepted. However, suppose you are not an academic achiever. In that case, your chances of getting accepted are still high when you have shown that you have an impact on the community in your extracurricular activity.
Officers usually preferred versatile students. They want to see the students involved in a wide range of activities. They may think you can handle multiple areas efficiently that may be useful in the college. It would be best if you also conveyed to them how excellent you are both physically and intellectually.
Your extracurricular activity should also present your commitment and determination. Your resume will look impressive if you have been doing the activity for many years. It is strengthened when you present how it brings positive outcomes to others.
You can be the president of a club or the founder of an organization advocating for change in the community. The officers will look into how you can change the world. They need to look at the academic performance of the students. They look at the applicants holistically by examining their academics, community services, and personality. They prefer those students who have leadership skills.
Wrapping Things Up: How Many Extracurricular Activities are Enough for College?
How many extracurricular activities are enough for college? There is no exact answer. You can choose more than one activity. Just make sure that you love what you are doing; it changes you and others and contributes to the community. It is more on quality over quantity. It would help if you created an impressive profile that will catch the attention of the enrollment officer. It would help if you also considered many factors when choosing the activity. It must be the one that you are passionate about. You should also check your chosen course in college and make sure that your activity is aligned with your major program.
By knowing how the college officers look into your resume, you will also know how to prepare for it. Remember that they will look at your commitment, dedication, interest, and strength. Make your profile an impressive one. Show them what makes you unique and why you deserve to be accepted into the college.
