Choosing the Right Extracurricular Activities
Many students come to us asking: Which clubs should I join? How many hours of community service do I need? These questions are ultimately asking: What looks best to colleges? But these are not quite the right questions to focus on. Instead, students should be asking themselves: What activities do I wake up for on weekends? What am I curious about? What is the one thing I wish I could be good at? These are the types of questions that help students build on their strengths and interests. This is critical because engaged students tend to do better in life, especially if they enjoy and care about what they do.
In fact, according to research from Gallup, “Engaged students are 2.5 times more likely to say that they get excellent grades and do well in school, and they are 4.5 times more likely to be hopeful about the future than their actively disengaged peers.”
To get started on exploring and choosing extracurriculars, here are some questions you can ask yourself:
What do you want to learn?
This can include general ideas, such as “learn more about airplanes,” or more specific skills, like public speaking or business development. Choose at least 2~3 items and start learning.
In what areas do you want to grow?
Maybe there’s something you wish you were really good at, like feeling at ease with striking up a conversation with a stranger or becoming more efficient by learning how to create formulas in Excel.
What are you curious about?
Let your mind wander and be curious about why and how things work the way they do. Have fun with crazy questions: will AI take over the world? Or how can we prevent war?
What kinds of experiences do you enjoy most?
Do you prefer working one-on-one, in a small group, or in a large group. Do you think well alone or with friends as sounding boards? Do you like thinking things through or get hands-on?
What level of impact do you want to make?
Do you prefer making an impact on a one-on-one basis, or on a larger scale? Knowing the type of interaction and level you’d prefer is critical when looking for volunteer opportunities.
Some students naturally have something they care about and take initiative in learning more without additional encouragement. Others may prefer to spend time on their phones, and do not have a strong interest in any particular area. Cultivating interests takes time and effort. It’s okay if you don’t know where to start. Here are three steps to kick-start the process.
Observe how your time is actually spent
When students say they don’t have interests, what they really meant to say is “I don’t have an interest that’ll lead anywhere.” So for those who are struggling, start with observing how time is really spent. What are you already doing on a regular basis?
Brainstorm activities that align with how you like to spend your time
Brainstorm potential ways to do what you already enjoy doing, but with a slight twist. For example, if you enjoy watching youtube videos, and are interested in cars, going to car shows and documenting those trips through a blog or series of videos could be a cool project.
Pat yourself on the back for willing to try something new
Not all activities will be fun, but it’s okay. Besides, this is a great moment to reflect on why the activity did not work for you. Was it too time-consuming? Was it not social enough? Once you find out the issue, you can adjust and find opportunities that better align with your interests and needs.
Exploring new and existing interests, developing new skills, and learning more about yourself are critical to college application down-the-road. Your unique experiences will play a prominent role in your essays, resume, and activities list.
To learn more about how colleges evaluate extracurricular activities, check out “What is a Spike and How Can You Develop One?”