The top reasons why you should consider engaging in extracurricular/sports activities at your university

Extracurricular activities are activities that fall outside of your academic course. They can be anything, from sports to dancing, singing, painting, etc. These form an inseparable part of any student’s life, and one must nurture this more during university life.

Why?

Well, that is because when you are out there looking for a job, you need a lot more on your CV or resume than just your academic accomplishments. Inclusion in any extracurricular activities helps you build a good impression of yourself in the eyes of your employer. It makes you a better candidate, as employers often look for people who are all-rounders and team players.

Moreover, participating in sports clubs, societies, volunteering, and part-time work becomes a great way to meet and interact with new people and build solid networking for your career goals. You also get some time off your academic schedule and strike a healthy balance between your university stress and social life. Therefore, extracurricular activities become an essential element of the university experience.

Let’s discuss why one should consider engaging in extracurricular/sports activities at their university!

Stand out from the crowd

Every university has a club and society of three types: sports teams, subject-based groups, and social clubs of varied interests.

When you get actively involved in any of these clubs, you become more impressive to your employer, looking for students and graduates with diverse skills, personal qualities, and experience that may be productive in the workplace.

Participating in these clubs also helps you build long-lasting friendships and connections, meet and interact with students from diverse backgrounds, and get inspired by them in different aspects. This may enrich your skills such as communication, planning, delegation, execution, teamwork, problem-solving, and time management. It will also improve your confidence and ability to express yourself in the corporate world.

Volunteering Benefits

When you become a volunteer, you give your time to noble causes for free. This becomes another way to enhance your skills and build your networking ecosystem with potential employers.

Becoming a volunteer will also improve your knowledge of a particular type of work and provide you with ‘real-life’ experiences, making you industry ready. Apart from this, volunteering also creates a positive image of you and grabs the instant attention of employers. You learn new life skills and gain immense experience in real-life scenarios.

You could volunteer with a charity or non-profit organization, government schools, government or trust-based hospitals, rural help centres, traffic management, local community centres, etc. Although you can dedicate time at your convenience, you should be realistic and ensure it doesn’t interfere with your university or any other significant commitments.

Improved Academic Performance

Some students believe that participating in extracurricular activities can deviate from their school work and affect their grades. However, it is quite the opposite. Inclusion in extracurricular activities can improve your overall outlook on school!

When you spend your time doing something that you like or are passionate about, it increases your brain function and helps you focus and manage your time better, thus leading to greater academic productivity.

For example, engaging yourself in high-endurance sports will give you better stamina and strength to fight intense situations. All of this gives you an advantage in studying and taking exams.

There is a lot of research on this aspect, where it has been demonstrated that a link between academics and extracurricular activities improves grades and instills positive learning attitudes and higher academic aspirations in students.

To sum it up, we can say that extracurricular activities are immensely helpful for a student’s career. They help them develop critical problem-solving skills and enhance their communication skills. They can come out of their shell and make friends with different individuals. The students learn the art of teamwork, and it also creates a good impact on their academic performance. Participating in extracurricular activities also improves and enhances your application portfolio and makes you industry ready.

Always keep in mind to include your experience and skills learned in extracurricular activities in your CV. The way you present your experience and learning directly reflects the skills you have learned. This is what can make all the difference!