WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ON YOUR EDUCATION
Extracurricular activities are an integral part of student life. One day, when you look back on your school and college days, what will you reminisce about? The lectures or the fun times you had with your peers and friends participating in extracurricular activities? The answer is clear.
But extracurricular activities go beyond making fun core memories. From developing your cognitive abilities to honing your interpersonal skills, extracurricular activities play a huge part in whom you become as a person and a professional. They also help you get into good colleges and universities. No wonder, the best schools in the world have strong extracurricular activities programs.
Most extracurricular activities are aimed at developing your physical and mental capabilities. Now, you might think that sports-related extracurricular activities only develop your physical abilities and academic-related extracurricular activities only develop your mental abilities. But there’s a lot more to it. You can experience all-around physical and mental development in most extracurricular activities.
Most sports-related extracurricular activities require using your mental abilities like ideation, strategy, teamwork, confidence, mental toughness, cognitive abilities, and more. This fact is proved by the best sportspersons in the world who tend to have amazing mental abilities as well. Similarly, in academic-related extracurricular activities, you also need to develop physical abilities like stamina, speed, posture, body language, physical fitness, and toughness. A healthy body is a must for peak mental abilities. Therefore, most extracurricular activities take you towards complete physical & mental development.
What’s common in most extracurricular activities? Teams! In school or college, the occasions to be a part of a team are far and few. There are cliques and favouritism that kill any desire to be a part of the team. Even in group projects, there’s rarely any teamwork. People do what they need to and move on. But in extracurricular activities, you have to be a part of a team, communicate, lead, and work towards a common goal.
Since you join a club or group because you love the activity, the motivation is already there. You want to be there. Plus, the people you are with share your interest, so meeting them, learning to communicate, and being a team becomes a lot easier. You also get handle roles like a captain, leader, coordinator, and organizer. These roles develop your leadership skills and help you discover your confidence.
This is one of the primary reasons why most students indulge in extracurricular activities – to unwind. Schoolwork can at times feel like a never-ending cycle. It’s worse whenever exams are nearby. But these activities are a welcome break from school and college work and help students indulge in something that they love. They take a lot of the mental stress away and help you remain calm and happy.
Doing something different from the usual and breaking the routine is a great way to keep things fresh. You will also find yourself more mentally relaxed which will only help you become a better student. So, do take part in extracurricular activities and unwind the right way.
During extracurricular activities, you meet like-minded people. They share similar interests and are more likely to become good friends and acquaintances. This helps you expand your horizon, acquire social skills, develop a larger network, and gain a sense of community. The people in this group become your people, your tribe. Everyone is chasing that sense of belonging and you get it through extracurricular activities.
Also, ask any professional how important is a network. Having a strong network and support is one of the best things. Such networks are helpful when you are searching for jobs and business opportunities. Just ask any of your family members, relatives, or friends, someone will have a story of a network member helping them out in some way or the other. Better yet, you also get the opportunity to help someone back.
The need for interpersonal skills cannot be stressed enough. These are the skills that truly take you far in life. Interpersonal skills are skills that show how you interact with others and how others’ behaviours can affect you. Interpersonal skills are a blanket term that covers many skills like critical thinking, honesty, work ethic, commitment, confidence, empathy, helpfulness, etc.
Now that we know more about these skills, they can be singled out and worked upon, but it is much easier and more effective to partake in extracurricular activities and work on them unknowingly. When you indulge in extracurricular activities, you directly or indirectly, work on all these skills and develop to be a well-rounded person. You’ll be more personable, likeable, and trustworthy.
The academic world and the real world can be quite different, and your exposure to extracurricular activities is like a glimpse of the real world. The social settings in extracurricular activities are quite different from the social settings of schools and colleges. You don’t have your teachers and parents protecting you. There are glaring differences and they force you to adapt and learn some real-world skills.
At the end of the day, this is a direct result of partaking in extracurricular activities. Some students do go for extracurricular activities for academic and professional advantages, while others do it for completely different reasons. The common thing here is that extracurricular activities do help you in your studies and career. You gain a plethora of skills, you develop unique abilities, and you gain self-confidence. And all this works in your favour.
Extracurricular activities are important. They open up a world of opportunities for education and self-development. So, if you are in school, start taking part in extracurricular activities now. If you are looking to enrol in a college, look for a college that has strong extracurricular programs and encourages students to partake in them. You are bound to get more than mere education here.
