Lots of studies have been conducted on the relationship between extracurricular activities and academic performance, and they all show that students who participate in them have higher grades, more positive attitudes toward school and higher academic aspirations.
Before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s take a deeper look at the definition of extracurricular activities. The word extracurricular is a combination of the prefix extra, which translates to “on the outside” and curriculum, which translates to “a running course/career.” Extracurricular activities are activities that fall outside the scope of your regular curriculum.
Completing extracurricular activities means you are going above and beyond your school requirements. However, simply playing soccer with your friends on the weekends for fun isn’t actually an extracurricular activity, even though it has nothing to do with school. Extracurricular activities require a regular time commitment and initiative such as being on a sports team, forming a student newspaper, playing the violin in the local orchestra or taking an online course on robotics.
The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities
1> Improved Academic Performance
Some students worry that participating in extracurricular activities may take away too much time from their schoolwork, thus hurting their grades; however, extracurricular activities can actually improve your grades and their outlook on school in general!
Participating in activities you are passionate about can increase your brain function, help you concentrate and manage your time better, all of which contribute to higher grades.
High endurance sports, for example, will train you to focus and build stamina in the face of intense difficulty. This gives you an advantage when it comes to studying and taking exams.
Lots of studies have been conducted on the relationship between extracurricular activities and academic performance, and they all show that students who participate in them have higher grades, more positive attitudes toward school and higher academic aspirations.
2> Explore Interests and Create Broader Perspectives
When you participate in multiple different activities, you’ll get the opportunity to explore a range of interests and unlock passions you never knew you had! Plus, diversifying your interests subsequently broadens your world view.
3> Higher self-esteem
The more you achieve success through activities you’re passionate about, the more your self-confidence will improve.
For example, let’s say you’re really good at Math and your teacher encourages you to get involved in competitions. You join the school team and start training for the National Math Olympiad. During the process you realize how fun Math can be and how talented you actually are, which gives your confidence a massive boost.
Working hard and mastering new skills in a fun, relaxed – and sometimes competitive – setting allows you to be successful without the pressure of getting a good grade. Also, once your confidence improves, you’ll be more open to taking risks in all aspects of your life, not just in Math Olympiad.
4> Social Opportunities
Let’s be honest, making friends can be hard but one of the easiest ways to make friends is through extracurricular activities! Each extracurricular activity you engage in provides you with another
opportunity to expand your social network, which will also come in handy when you’re looking for a job.
5> Productive Breaks
Extracurricular activities give you something fun to do aside from school. It also gives you the chance to explore your passions, to discover things you may be interested beyond academics while taking some time off hitting the book.
Take the much-needed break, you deserve it!
6> Essential Life Skills
On top of all of the benefits of extracurricular activities we already talked about, one of the greatest advantages extracurricular activities give you are “real world” skills. These skills include (but are not limited to):
- Goal setting
- Teamwork
- Time management
- Prioritization
- Problem solving
- Analytical thinking
- Leadership
- Public speaking
The more you push yourself in your extracurricular endeavours, the more you’ll develop these skills. If you’re passionate about coding, you might join the school coding club, where you’ll develop teamwork, problem solving and analytical thinking skills. But you could take that passion even further and create your own coding club, where you’ll develop goal setting, time management, prioritization, leadership and public speaking skills.
Phew! That’s a lot of responsibility. Each and every step will teach you a new skill you can use for the rest of your life.
7> Resumes
Without much previous work experience, one of the only ways hiring managers can assess your ability and work ethic is through your extracurricular activities.
For example, if you were on a debating team, the manager would know that you work well with others, can argue a point professionally and have public speaking experience – all awesome skills to have in the workplace!
Final Thoughts
Although you probably already participate in activities outside of school, take the time to think about the benefits of extracurricular activities and how to maximize your passions. The lessons you’ll learn from participating in meaningful extracurricular activities will help you with everything from getting a job, to applying to universities overseas, to just living your life.
So, go join a club, start an online class or volunteer. What are you waiting for?!
Roopa Sengupta