If You Have Stellar Grades But No Extracurriculars, Read This
Extracurricular activities refer to any kind of activity not covered by a school, college, or university curriculum. They are usually voluntary, social, or philanthropic activities that involve other participants of the same age.
Most students take up extracurricular activities to engage in a particular hobby (e.g. drama club if you’re into theater), to develop certain skills (e.g. public speaking club if you want to become more charismatic), or to gain specific experiences (e.g. marketing club to learn how to work in a team).
However, extracurricular activities are much more than just hobbies. Studies have shown they are particularly important for teenagers and young adults because they help:
Develop a stronger mind
Extracurricular activities can help you develop their brains in different ways than an academic curriculum. A student who does sports, for example, will learn resilience in the face of intense physical and mental difficulty.
Learn professional skills
Different extracurricular activities can train you in different professional skills.
Create a wider social circle
Extracurricular activities allow you to meet other people their age that share similar interests.
Learn time management
Balancing schoolwork with extracurricular activities can help you learn to manage your time better, which is a highly-valuable skill later in life.
Explore new interests
Extracurricular activities are how you can identify your non-academic interests and explore other potential career paths.
There are hundreds of extracurricular activities out there and, chances are, you don’t have the time or energy to try them all out and see what sticks. To help you out, below are some of the most popular extracurricular activities, organized into categories to make it easier to find the right choice for you.
Let’s get started!
Instruction: Markup at least five activities from the list below.
You won’t have to try all of them, but it would be nice to step out of your comfort zone just a little bit. Who knows? You might find some of the activities more interesting than you initially thought.
This list is not exhaustive, but it’s a good place to start. If you have something you’d like to try, but cannot find it in the list, feel free to go do it anyway.
Academic
Academic activities are based on an academic subject and include clubs and competitive teams. Clubs discuss and practice a specific subject, whereas competitive teams usually participate in competitions on all levels, from local to international.
Clubs
Architecture Club
Astronomy Club
Biology Club
Chemistry Club
Economics Club
Electronics Club
Engineering Club
English Club
History Club
Life Sciences Club
Literature Club
Literary Magazine Club
Math Club
Peer Tutoring
Poetry Club
Physics Club
Psychology Club
Robotics Club
Trivia & Quiz Club
Web Design Club
Coding Club
Writing Club
STEM Outreach
Drone Building
Hackathon
Competitive Teams
Art
You can never know your artistic potential unless you practice your art skills and get feedback from others.
Animation
Anime / Manga Club
Art Club
Drawing / Painting
Cartooning
Drama Club
Fashion Design
Graphic Design
Jewelry Making
Photography
Sculpture / Pottery
Sewing
Theater
Video Game Development Club
Woodworking
Calligraphy
Photography
Cultural and Language
These activities are some of the best ways to expand your horizon and hone your communication skills.
American Sign Language Club
French Club
German Club
International Food Club
Latin Club
Russian Club
Spanish Club
Japanese Club
Culture Festival Coordinator
Community
These activities allow you to get involved with your community. You can help a non-government organization clean your neighborhood, bring food to homeless people, organize town festivals, and more.
Community Festivals
Government and Leadership
These activities can be essential in honing your interpersonal and problem-solving skills, as well as teaching you what it takes to make a difference through policy.
Community Youth Board
Student Council
Student Government
Community Government
Peer Leadership Group
Media
Maybe you’ve always wanted to become an award-winning journalist … whichever the case might be, there are tons of activities you can do to start learning about the media industry.
School or local magazine / journal
School or local newspaper
School or local radio station
School or local TV channel
School or local website / social media
Yearbook Committee
School Blog Contributor
Podcast
Magazine Articles
Music and Performance Art
They can help you explore the world of performative art, develop your skills, build confidence, and get a glimpse of what a future career in the field might look like.
School Chorus / Choir
Community Chorus / Choir
Church Chorus / Choir
Concert Band
Singing Lessons
Marching Band
Jazz Band
Orchestra
Solo Music
Start your own band
Comedy / Improv Club
Choreography
Classic Film Club
Dance
Miming
Puppetry
Slam Poetry Club
School Theatre Club
Acapella
Social Activism
Social activism can touch upon the many issues the world is facing today, like animal rights, women’s rights, pollution, and many more. Check your school and community for any of these clubs and/or organizations that support different social causes.
Amnesty International
Animal Rights Club
Breast Cancer Awareness
Cancer Foundation
Environmental Club
Fair Trade Club
LGBTQ+ Advocacy Group
Anti-Bullying
Climate Change
Tree Planting Initiative
Recycling Awareness
Compost Initiative
Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)
Special Interests
Some activities don’t fall under any particular category. If you have a special interest in something that you can’t find a local group or school club for, you can simply create one.
Boy Scouts
Chess Club
Equestrian Club
Entrepreneurship Club
Horticulture Club
Quilt Making
Gardening
Bird Watching
Book Club
Meditation
Mental Health Advocate
Go-Karting
Car Washing
Speech and Political Interest
If you want to learn more about how politics interact with our lives, some of the activities below might give you the chance to do just that.
Debate Club
Foreign Affairs Club
Forensics Team
Mock Trial Club
Model United Nations
Speech Club
Sports
Nothing can help you further develop your determination, work ethic, and team spirit like organized sports can.
Baseball and softball
Basketball
Bodybuilding
Cheerleading
Rock Climbing Club
Cycling
Dance Team
Fencing
Football
Golf
Gymnastics
Hiking Club
Intramural Sports
Lacrosse
Martial Arts
Ping Pong
Skate Board
Soccor
Swimming
Tennis
Track & Field
Ultimate Frisbee
Volleyball
Yoga
Water Polo
Archery
Badminton
Kayaking
Volunteering
If you’re looking to make a difference for a cause you’re passionate about, consider volunteering. Not only can volunteering be good for your health, but it also looks great on your resume and college applications.
Animal Rescue
Church Outreach
Hospital Volunteer
Mentoring
Tutoring
Animal Shelter
Park Restoration
Book Drive
Work with a local charity
Work with a local soup kitchen
Final Thoughts
Extracurriculars are a powerful way to showcase your unique strengths, interests, values, and skills. However, with college admissions being so competitive and too many activities to choose from, I’d recommend:
Explore the available options around you first
Focus on what you enjoy doing (and not what looks good to colleges)
Quality over quantity because your well-being is just as important
Activity types should be coherent and related to academic interests
Prioritize leadership opportunities if you can
For more tips on extracurriculars and college application, read Choosing The Right Extracurricular Activities and How to Upgrade Your Activities List in Two Steps .