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Tag: extracurricular

  • Finding Your Perfect After-School Activity

    Finding Your Perfect After-School Activity

    Extra-curricular activities help give you valuable experience, keep you active, and provide a myriad of benefits. As more and more options become available, it can be difficult to decide which activities to take on. After all, there are a limited number of hours available, and knowing that you are choosing one activity while sacrificing another can lead to feelings of regret. There are a number of things to consider as you decide what to pursue.

    Before you start looking into activities that are available in your area, write down a list of your interests. This can be a point-form list or a journal entry, depending on how you like to organize your thoughts. Also, write down what you want to get out of the activities you choose. Ensure that you take this step before looking at what is out there. This way you are avoiding any biases or impact on your thought process from what you read. By going into the decision-making process with a clear goal and mindset, there is far less chance of confusion and regret later.

    Make sure to weigh the benefits of the activities you find. Upon selecting potential picks for programs you can enroll in, write out the positives and negatives for each one. Take into account your schedule, the mental and physical energy involved, and the short-term and long-term benefits. Certain activities may not be worth their strenuous nature, especially physical ones. On the other hand, ones that may not seem like an immediately good choice could prove to provide long-term benefits, such as work experience that will shine on your resume.

    Finally, do not be afraid to take risks. Children and adults alike tend to stick to habits and the things they know. Instead of choosing an activity you have done before and are well-versed in, it might be worth stepping outside your comfort zone. Take a look at the options available with as open a mind as possible. There are many sites to visit as you investigate your potential picks. There are many possibilities to consider, and thoroughly examining your options will make sure your ultimate decision is one you will be happy with.

    It can be a lot to take on choosing and participating in these activities on top of your usual schoolwork. By taking the time to analyze what you enjoy and want to get out of these pursuits, as well as extensively reviewing your options with an open mind, you are ensuring that what you undertake will be well worth your time. Although you are restricted to certain classes during the school day, extra-curricular activities help you in taking the first steps towards independence and building the life you want to have as an adult.

     

  • Entering High School: Why You Should Join Extracurriculars

    Entering High School: Why You Should Join Extracurriculars

    If you’re worried about trying to find the place you belong in the confusing high-school landscape, joining extracurricular groups is a great thing to do. These groups can range from sports teams, cultural clubs, interest clubs, and beyond.

    Joining these groups allows you to meet new people who share the same interests that you do. They also provide you with the opportunity to make new friends and become closer with the teachers who lead the groups. Developing relationships with teachers is important because they make awesome academic references for job applications as well as university applications down the road. Together, with your peers and teachers, you can explore these interests and satisfy your curiosities.

    Participating in extracurricular groups also looks fantastic on your resume and university/college applications. Employers and post-secondary institutions like to see that you are participating in groups outside of the classroom. Joining these extracurricular groups makes students seem well-rounded. It shows that you have interests that go beyond academics and make you stand-out. In a job interview, leveraging similar interests as the person interviewing you or showing passion for an interest outside of academics makes you a more memorable candidate.

    Through participating in extracurricular groups you can gain valuable skills. These include teamwork skills which you develop through working co-operatively with other members of the group. You may also develop leadership skills by leading a group project or inspiring and motivating others in the group. Both of these skills are very valuable in the work environment and the post-secondary school environment.

    Joining one of these groups will give you a sense of belonging. They can also be an outlet for stress from your academic life. You may even try out a new activity and discover that you really enjoy it. If you don’t end up enjoying it, no harm done – you now know more about yourself. There are definitely many more positive outcomes than negative outcomes from getting involved in extracurricular groups. They can make your overall high-school experience more enjoyable!

  • Club Counselling: How Extracurriculars Can Help You Succeed

    Club Counselling: How Extracurriculars Can Help You Succeed

    I’ve always been someone who is eager to get involved. Academics are extremely important to me, but upon entering high school I started to realize the value in expanding my learning beyond the classroom. Over the years I’ve tried my hand at concert band, orchestra, choir, yearbook, newspaper, model UN, peer tutoring and more. Through this process, I found the things that really worked for me. There are so many ways you can participate in your school community. From my personal experience, taking part in these extra-curricular endeavours will be one of the most rewarding parts of your educational career.

    Extracurriculars are a fun way to connect with people who share your interests. Whether you’re running laps around the quad or bonding over molecular compounds, not only are you learning, expressing yourself and having fun—you’re doing it with like-minded and motivated peers. You might find that it’s quite easy to make friends when you have so much in common with the people around you. Oftentimes you click so well with these people that your friendships continue long after the club comes to a close.

    It is always important to focus on academics, but if you’re looking to get a balanced and entertaining experience out of your education, it is a must to make room for extracurriculars in your schedule. An academic club is a great way to expand your knowledge and learn from the people around you. And even if it’s not directly related to what you’re studying in school, any club serves as an excellent outlet for relieving stress—not to mention it can teach you other invaluable skills, like how to think creatively or be a team player.

    Aside from the skills you acquire along the way, clubs also give you the chance to put yourself out there for the people in charge, whether they are teachers or upper-year students. This is why it’s crucial to get involved in extracurriculars right off the bat: if you stick around long enough, you’ll start to make your way up the ranks. Leadership positions are hard to earn, but totally worth it. If you work at it, the payoff could be more rewarding than you ever imagined, including a wonderful sense of responsibility, the respect of your fellow peers and often an impressive title on your resume. As you can see, a mere dabble in the extra-curricular of your choice could turn into a real-world asset.

    I’m off to university next year, where I definitely plan to make extracurriculars one of my priorities. I know for a fact that the skills I’ve obtained through my involvement will come in handy in the future and working my way up to leadership positions in these fields has given me the confidence I need to succeed. Take initiative: check out what’s going on in your school community and put yourself out there. Get involved in what you’re interested in and I guarantee it will be worth it.

     

  • Joining Extracurricular Activities

    Joining Extracurricular Activities

    Whether you’re in middle school, high school, university, or college, getting involved with extracurricular activities is a great way to engage yourself outside of the classroom. It also serves as a great way to network, makes some new friends, and explore any interests you may have. On top of all of this, extracurriculars often make for some great resume and application material. If you’re overwhelmed with all of the choices offered at your school, check out some of the tips listed below:

    •If you’re unsure about where to start, why not try an interest-based club? This could be something fun, religious, artistic, or perhaps something you’ve always been curious about exploring. These types of clubs and organizations serve as great stress-relievers when work starts to pile-up.

    •Career-based extracurricular are those that relate to whatever field of work you intend to purse in the future. It could be anything from the Pre-Medicine Students’ Society to the Model UN. Joining these types of clubs is a great way to network with like-minded students and access helpful resources that the club-coordinators may have. There are often many upper year students involved in these career-based clubs and they’re usually willing to offer up advice on how to succeed in your classes, which courses to take, and those that should be avoided at all costs. These extracurriculars definitely have their academic merits but they can also help you rediscover your passion for the career path that you’ve chosen.

    •Joining clubs that have humanitarian agendas is a great way to make use of your spare time. These clubs may be part of a larger, global organization or they may be focused on community outreach. Simple choose an issue that you`re passionate about out (i.e. poverty, homophobia, human trafficking) and find a club that works closely with that issue. If it just so happens that you`re passionate about various issues, don’t be afraid to join more than one!

    There are likely to be dozens of clubs operating at your school so be sure to have a look at all of them. However, it’s important to pay attention to how much time you’re devoting to these extracurriculars. Before you officially join anything, be sure to ask about the time commitment. Find out how long meeting usually run and how often you meet. Depending on the nature of the club, you may also want to ask if you’ll be required to do anything that will add to your work load. This is especially crucial if you intend to join several clubs.

    Keep in mind that you’re not limited to the clubs offered at your school. There are dozens of youth organizations within your city that may serve your interests. Stepping outside of your school is an excellent way to get involved with your community and perhaps gain some leadership experience in the process. If you still can’t find anything that suits your interest, don’t be afraid to start your own club! The process might be tedious but it’ll definitely be worth it when you’re doing what you love with people that share your passion.

  • Getting Involved with School Clubs

    Getting Involved with School Clubs

    During your first year of post-secondary education, youʼre going to want to experience different things, gain new friends, harness your academic and social skills, and perhaps get your mind off all that schoolwork.

    One of the best ways of doing this, outside of your classes, is by joining one of the many clubs on campus. There is bound to be a club that suits your needs and interests, and it may be as simple as going online to see what is available for you.

    A club is an excellent way to have fun while learning new skills that are relevant to your career path, and sharing your passion with other like-minded people.

    In my time at Brock University I joined three clubs.  One of them was the writers club – where students would join up after their classes to share poetry and prose. In a small seminar room, usually with under 20 students, we would discuss each others work in turns, pointing out our strengths and weaknesses.

    Sharing my work with others and receiving their criticism helped me grow as a writer. But clubs are not limited to just seminar discussions.

    Another club at Brock, called Guinness Brock,  is based around trying to break world records. If you need volunteer hours to put on your resume or application form, you may benefit from a club like this.  Being part of a club also helps out with scholarships, since most look for a candidate with strong extra-curricular achievement. Last year Guinness Brock broke the world record during their freshmen week for most people air soloing. They also attempted to break the record for worldʼs largest dodgeball game.

    More than just being rewarding, joining a club can help lead to other opportunities.  For example, the previously mentioned Guiness Brock club helped Brock student Sohail Ahmed climb his way to the top of Brock Universityʼs student council, becoming the acting president for the upcoming semester. Sohail founded Guiness Brock, not only to create a club that he would enjoy, but also to create something that would allow him to gain management experience that could lead him to other opportunities on campus. As a result, Sohail not only created a lasting impact in Brockʼs club society, he also created an opportunity for himself.

    As much fun as clubs can be, try and select clubs you’re interested in wisely and make sure they fit your academic schedule. Happy clubbing – and yes, there are probably dance clubs as well!