Benefits Beyond the Classroom: The Importance of Extracurriculars

“Go play a sport!” “Go find hobbies!” “Stop doing nothing!” You’ve most likely been told that you need to find extracurricular activities, but why are they so important? Extracurriculars often are unfairly forgotten about. However, they provide people with valuable life skills, aid with self discovery, promote good mental health, and of course, they look good on college applications.

First of all, extracurricular activities are activities one participates in outside of school, including sports, community service, academic clubs, cultural clubs, internships, hobbies, owning Youtube channels, out of school classes, jobs, and more. Choose activities that you enjoy and want to explore; it could be something related to a career field you are interested in or a hobby you like.

Skill Refinement

Extracurriculars can help you refine a multitude of talents and skills. In general, any extracurricular will teach you how to properly manage your time as you must balance academics with other activities. For instance, you may have a small business that you need to make products for. You will learn to manage your time properly in order to maintain a successful business.

Similarly, they also teach responsibility, as you have to make proper decisions to not let yourself, teammates, friends, or whoever else is in your activity down. For example, you might have mathletes competitions that require practice. Making yourself prepare teaches responsibility. In an internship, you may have a boss that assigns you work that is required to be done by a certain date. In iUP, we are thankful for our flexible schedules, but flexibility is not always available outside of school. Avika Taneja, founder of BiOWLogy and Studyriffic Owls, says, “Being a leader helped develop my presentation skills as well as my ability to make projects quicker and more appealing. It also helped me build relationships with my teachers and fellow students.”

Outside of school activities, especially sports, other team based activities, internships, and jobs, enhance communication and listening skills while educating on teamwork and relationship building skills. Freshman Garrett Bouldin explained “Target Team taught me how to be a better team player. I’m currently Flight Sergeant in Civil Air Patrol, and it’s taught me to be a leader rather than a follower.” A fellow owl replied, “Playing the violin has taught me how to read musical notes, as well as improve my hand eye coordination and hearing comprehension.”

Ninth-grader Evelyn Cook , who participates in 4-H activities, states, “Mentally, it developed me as a person, so that I can easily converse with peers and possible bosses.”

A student reported that Boy Scouts taught them “life skills such as cooking, how to make a fire, how to clean different types of wounds and identify them, etc.”

Mental Health Benefits

Whether a club, nonprofit, internship, or sport, participating and excelling in an activity makes you feel good about yourself, boosting many aspects of life. According to the National Library of Medicine, studies have shown that, “sport and non-sport organized activities may offer opportunities for children and adolescents to develop relationships, engage in activities that increase their confidence, competence, character, caring and connectedness,” furtherly resulting in improved social health along with deepened mind-body connection. These traits also support better academic standing. One owl responded, “Mentally, [volunteering] made me feel clearer, knowing that I helped someone. It reinforced the importance of connection and showed me how small acts of kindness can create a meaningful impact.”

Yasir, a freshman, reported, “Extracurricular activities allow me to relax my brain and actually play outside.”

Online schooling comes with its limitations, especially regarding socialization. Although there are in person events, not all of them are accessible. Participating in extracurriculars nearby allows you to see other people frequently and fosters budding friendships. One student stated, “Boy Scouts… allows me and my troop to bond with each other and create lots of memories.”

Self Discovery

Something as simple as a sports team, summer job, or school club can inspire people to pursue careers. One owl reported, “Volunteering helped me realize that I want to become a speech pathologist. While working with kids, I saw how important communication is and how some struggle with it… this experience inspired me to help others overcome those challenges.” 

 They also clarify what people dislike and would like to do in the future. Evelyn Cook, from ninth-grade, said that thanks to 4-H, community service, and short-term internships, “I have been able to slim down what I want to do as a job to a handful of options.” An anonymous student also said, “After taking and completing the cooking merit badge for Boy Scouts, I realized I had a passion for cooking, so I started to learn how to cook, and I eventually started to get really good at it.” 

Extracurriculars can serve as a reason to pursue interests in the present. They inspire and force you to make time for things you can do right now. Avika Taneja replied, “I’m very interested in biology, and I am considering majoring in it and building a career in it, so I decided to make BiOWLogy Club! Not only do I inform others of cool biology topics, I also get to learn new things with them and develop my understanding of what I’ve already learned.”

College

According to CollegeBoard, “Colleges want to know an applicant as a person … Extracurricular activities show a personal side.” The activities you are involved in outside of the classroom provide colleges with an idea of what you want or like to do outside of academics. Make sure to put your best effort into the ones that matter the most to you so that colleges have a clear image of you. 

iUP has a wonderful selection of clubs (located on the Virtual Vine) to showcase your school involvement, and they can serve as a gateway to competitions and scholarships, so pay attention to announcements! DECA has many competitions year round, and many winners are awarded big scholarships. Winners of NHD also receive scholarships, and projects that meet certain criteria may earn additional small prizes. Some colleges offer scholarships to students who excel in esports. 

Additionally, forming organizations, earning leadership roles, or awards will further highlight dedication, responsibility, time management, and passions. Here at iUP, students can easily form their own student lead clubs. At the beginning and end of the year, consider filling out a club proposal form. 

Benefits Await

Do you like structured arguments? Join debate club. If you’re into engineering, join Owlsome Engineers. Are you a historian; if so, join the NHD competition. Love running? Find a track team. Engage in what you enjoy by signing up for extracurriculars; you will gain skills, improve your mental health, make self discoveries, and develop your college application.

References

Boelens, M., Smit, M. S., Raat, H., Bramer, W. M., & Jansen, W. (2021). Impact of organized activities on mental health in children and adolescents: An umbrella review. Preventive Medicine Reports, 25, 101687. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101687

The benefits of extracurricular activities. (2019, November 4). Retrieved October 9, 2024, from Collegeboard.org website: https://blog.collegeboard.org/benefits-extracurricular-activities