Ask any student what the “right” extracurricular activities are and you’ll probably hear some similar themes: sports, clubs, service, leadership, etc. Press for anything more specific though and students’ interests will shine through: “I’ve played this particular sport for a few years so that’s a good one.” “I’ve always been curious about this club so that would be a good one to join.” This applies to what you do during the summer as well—countless high school students use that time not only to relax, but also to participate in activities ranging from internships to college visits to volunteering. Here are just some of the things that many applicants do during their non-school time:
- Summer jobs
- Internships
- Extra classes
- Camps (either as a participant or counselor)
- College visits
- Volunteering
- Extracurricular activities
- Sports
In truth, there is no “right” extracurricular activity or set of activities to pursue.
No one activity is going to be the magic one that gets you into college (although if magic is something you enjoy, absolutely join or start a club about it!). Similarly, there’s no mix of activities that look especially good to the deans. Colleges, and UVA in particular, are more interested in seeing what’s important to you and how you like to spend your time!
Choosing Extracurricular Activities
When it comes to choosing your activities in high school, only you know what you want to do. Maybe there’s something you’ve been doing for years and you want to continue doing. Or perhaps your religion is important to you and you want to get involved in service that way. Or maybe there’s a completely new and random club that looks like a fun way to spend a few hours after school. After you choose your activities, it is once again up to you how involved you want to be. It’s hard to be a captain or president of every organization you’re involved in, so again, it is completely up to you what you want to do.
People’s interests change. Maybe you’re burnt out from years of soccer, or you don’t want to memorize another fun fact for your trivia team. It’s ok to switch to other activities. That’s a great opportunity to explore something else you’ve been wanting to try. At the end of the day, you’ll be a lot happier if you follow your passions instead of sticking with certain activities because you think it looks good.
Most students, when asked about their activities, list about three or four things they do, and that’s totally ok! Other students want to get involved with lots of organizations and that’s also ok! However you choose to spend your time, it’s important that you spend it doing things you enjoy.
Choosing How to Spend Your Summer
Similar to choosing your extracurricular activities, there’s no “right” ways to spend your summer. Maybe you’d like to continue practicing a certain skill or pursuing an activity you already enjoy. Or perhaps you try that one thing you’ve been thinking about for years. But maybe after a long year of classes, you’re ready to kick back and enjoy traveling or time with your family.
From a college perspective, your summer activities are another way to show off what’s important to you and give another dimension to your application. Interested in the School of Nursing? Consider volunteering at a hospital or local nursing home. Experiences in fields you hope to go into can be helpful not only as something to discuss in an application essay but it can also help you decide if you want to continue pursuing that field. On the other hand, just because you’re interested in the School of Architecture doesn’t mean an internship at an architecture firm is the only thing you should consider doing. There are lots of other ways to spend your time and expand your worldview.