An extracurricular activity is an extra activity someone participates in outside of school.

These activities can be extra academic classes, sports, or cultural activities. Participating in extracurricular activities is not mandatory, but they help students build teamwork, communication, and relationship skills. They allow children to feel a sense of belonging and help them to develop socially.

Extracurricular activities are suitable for social skills and benefit students academically.

Research conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics found that participating in extracurricular activities positively correlates to students’ attendance, GPA, expected goals in education, and test scores. Taking academic courses outside of school at a higher and faster level allows students to be confident in their ability to learn in school since they’ve already reviewed the material being taught. Participating in an activity like sports will enable students to chase their dreams in pursuing a career but also gives them a sense of belonging while being in a team. Colleges also appreciate applicants with meaningful extracurricular achievements. Even though it’s not an essential thing colleges consider before accepting students, it is necessary out of the “soft factors” that colleges do look at. Extracurricular activities can allow students to explore their interests and see if they might turn them into a career or not. For example, all sports start as an extracurricular, but as people get better and begin developing a passion for their sport, it can turn into a career. This doesn’t mean you should start stressing about finding an extracurricular activity to participate in if you aren’t in one. Extracurricular activities are just a fun and social way that may help you in the future.