6 Extracurricular Activities To Join This Year

Whether you are in school, college, or university, extracurricular activities are beneficial to both your resume and your personal growth. Extracurricular activities can be either academically intensive, physically strenuous, or culturally enriching. Most schools and universities offer a wide range of activities throughout the academic year. Many also offer special classes during vacations. Students also have the option of joining activities offered through other organizations, such as music and dance classes, various sports teams, and even community involvement activities.

So, as the school and university terms start this academic year, it is a great time to pick up a new extracurricular hobby. Here’s a list of 6 extracurricular activities we recommend for students everywhere.

1. Debate

Debating is a great way for students to develop persuasion skills, increase their command of the language and boost their confidence. It also provides students with many networking opportunities. Many prestigious competitions are hosted by companies and organizations that also offer internships and large prizes to winners. There are various inter-school, inter-university, national, and international debate competitions held all year round. Similar competitions and conferences are hosted by universities, schools and colleges worldwide, like Harvard World Model United Nations and Taylor’s Model United Nations.

2. Sports

Joining a sport has many benefits. Sports keep you active and fit. They have also been shown to increase your sleep patterns and ability to concentrate; this would be great for university students who are adjusting to living independently and managing their routine. Playing a sport on the national or school team also gives you an added advantage when applying to university, especially if you are the team captain. There are also several scholarships available from universities and foundations for athletes.

3. Volunteering

Giving back your community always leaves you with a sense of satisfaction. If you harness your community pride and concern for various causes to benefit others, you can often see the changes you make. You can go big and start your own NGO or social movement, or start small and volunteer at a soup kitchen or tutor kids from a local school. This is looked upon favorably by universities and employers. Everyone wants more good-hearted, committed citizens.

4. Language

While learning languages is difficult, it gives you versatility, especially if you want to study or work abroad. Bilinguals are taking over the world: Mandarin, English, French, and German are some of the most wanted languages universities and employers are looking for, especially as companies and startups expand into new regions and cultural environments.

5. Gaming

Video games can help develop fine motor skills and strategic thinking. If you want to get into the gaming industry, experience from the user-side is very beneficial. Students can also work as part-time video game testers or put their skills to test and enter various competitions. If the cash prizes and fame weren’t enough motivation, it is always an interesting topic to write about in college essays.

6. Start your own club

Many students already have a hobby or passion they enjoy in their free time. Taking the step to turn your hobby into an activity for others or a business proves your leadership abilities. Everything from outdoor activities like mountain climbing and rollerblading to mathematically and financially intensive interests like stock markets and robotics. Many people have turned their interests in knitting, baking, and dance into profitable businesses or popular youtube channels. This shows universities that you have passion, commitment, initiative, and the courage to take risks.