Extracurriculars: How to Choose and Manage an Essential Part of a Student’s Life
By Suchita (Sushi) Thepakanjana
Nowadays, there is a lot more to being a student than getting good grades. The traditional memorization, essays, and exams are simply not enough to prove the worth of a student anymore. What, as it seems, has risen to be just as important as academic performance are extracurricular activities, which show that this particular student has made efforts to go beyond the classroom. However, with such a great variety of choices for extracurriculars, it may get very overwhelming when considering what to invest your time in, which is why we’ve put together a brief guide to choosing and managing extracurriculars.
Courtesy of / thecollegesolution.com
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How Effective Are Extracurriculars?
Extracurricular activities are just as effective as they are given credit for, especially in raising the impressiveness and level of academic performance of a student. According to data by National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS), 30.6% of high school seniors who participate in extracurricular activities have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, compared to only 10.8% of those who do not. Moreover, 68.2% of the extracurricular participants plan to get university degrees, while only 48.2% of non-participants do.
Selecting Extracurriculars
When deciding on extracurricular activities, it’s wisest to consider all choices, do some research, and maybe even create your own, before committing. Keep in mind how much time you have and are willing to spend on it. Since there is a big variety of choices, think about what you will be able to contribute to each and what you will gain as well. Most importantly, choose what you feel you would enjoy the most because you will be more eager to put in more effort and participate enthusiastically. It is also just as important to make sure that you can see a future with your extracurriculars. If it is something you may decide to drop somewhere along the way, perhaps it isn’t the right extracurricular for you. Try to select one that will both challenge you and help you grow as a person even years into the future.
Managing Extracurriculars
Of course, it’s very difficult to juggle eight hours of school, a pile of homework, tutoring, and activities that require even more hours of commitment. This is why learning to prioritize and set schedules is essential. Realistically, there will be even more events on top of these pre-existing commitments that will complicate your time management, but it really is a matter of being organized and practicing good habits until they come naturally.
Extracurricular activities are a vital component of student life, and it is a complex thing to manage, indeed. However, with this guide, practice, and other help along the way, they will become more enjoyable and by the end of it all, you will feel content that you were able to handle them.
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—Copy-Managing Editor Suchita (Sushi) Thepkanjana can be reached at suchitat23@rism.ac.th. Follow her on instagram @suchitaaa.
