Become a Well Rounded Person

Extracurricular Activities

All colleges and universities will tell you that it is important for students to get involved in extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities build skills necessary for the educational or working world.

What are extracurricular activities? 

Extracurricular activities include anything from playing a sport to community service. If you are thinking about attending a college or university in the future, your involvement in extracurricular activities is one of the major factors that colleges evaluate in the admissions process. Colleges and universities ask you to itemize and describe all of your extracurricular involvement in high school (grades 9-12). The admissions office recognizes that some of your talents might reside outside your academic classes, and therefore ask for extracurricular participation as a means to fully evaluate you.

What are the actual fields that constitute extracurricular activities?

Regardless of the extracurricular activities you decide to participate in, keep a record of all the things you do while in high school. The five major categories that constitute extracurricular activities include:

• Honors and Awards
• Activities (i.e. church, clubs, sports, band)
• Community Service
• Special Programs (i.e. UFC's College Readiness Program)
• Employment

Whatever your extracurricular activities are, colleges and universities are looking for the following:

•  Initiative
• Responsibility
• Committment
• Continuity
• Leadership

Since institutions understand that students have different interests, talents, and abilities, choose and participate in activities that are right for you. Colleges and universities want to see your involvement in things that interest you today or disciplines that might become potential career goals. Exploring a field or something that interests you now can also be included as an extracurricular activity.

Acceptable Forms/ Types of Involvement:

Extracurricular activities include what you do before class, during nutrition, during lunch, or after school. There are some special programs and activities that are a part of your class schedule which are considered extracurricular activities such as Band, Drama, ROTC, or any sport. Activities that you do on the weekend or at home, such as attending religious programs, activities or a special ceremony, babysitting your little siblings or a grandparent, playing in a club sport, or involvement in a community program also count.