Colleges want well-rounded students who not only excel academically but have other interests that reflect their ability to work with others and/or take leadership roles outside of the classroom.
Find an activity that you like and get involved. Check with the Guidance Office to get a list of school activities available. You may be able to even start your own club if one does not exist at your school.
Make sure that whatever you choose to get involved in you enjoy and that you do not overload yourself. It is important to have a good balance between academic and extracurricular activities. The following is a list of activities you can get involved in:
SCHOOL ORGANIZATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Academic Clubs - Academic clubs can focus on a particular subject and offer challenging activities. Examples of academic clubs include the science club, debate team, and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).
Student Leadership - Student Leadership organizations focus on assuming leadership skills and roles. Examples are organizations like the Student Government Association (SGA) and Student Council.
Service Clubs - Service clubs provide a service and/or educational information to the school and community. Some examples of clubs that serve the community are Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) and the American Red Cross.
Honor Societies and Merit Based Organizations - These organizations require students who participate to meet a set GPA and/or conduct code. There is usually an application and/or induction process. Examples include the Key Club and the National Honor Society.
Athletic Clubs and Teams - Athletic clubs can be competitive or just for fun. Most high school teams require you to try out to participate. There also are athletic clubs that do not require participants to try out.
Special Interest Clubs and Organizations - There are clubs for students who have particular
interests and talents. Examples of special interest clubs include the choir, the band, the drama club, and art club.
COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
There are a number of community groups that offer volunteer opportunities. If a group or cause interests you, inquire about how you can get involved. Some examples of community and volunteer activities you can participate in are the 4-H Club, Girl and Boy Scouts, church related community service, volunteering time to spend with children in a shelter or senior citizens who live in a nursing home.
SPECIAL INTERESTS AND TALENTS
There is no doubt that you probably have interests and/or talents that are related to school. What are your hobbies? Do you like to dance, paint, play an instrument? Make sure that you stay involved with your interests. Activities like these may set you apart from other applicants when it comes time to apply to college.
INTERNSHIPS AND JOBS
Internships and maintaining a part-time or full-time summer job show teamwork and leadership ability. If you can get an internship related to a career interest that you have, that is valuable experience that will help you make an more informed decision about what you may want to pursue when you get to college. Even a job not related to a career you are thinking about shows that you can handle responsibility and work with others.
RESOURCES
- A Better Chance - www.abetterchance.org The mission is to increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society.
- CLEO – Council on Legal Education Opportunities – www.cleoscholars.org In 1968, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) was founded as a non-profit project of the ABA Fund for Justice and Education to expand opportunities for minority and low-income students to attend law school. In 1998, Congress passed the Higher Education Amendments Act, creating the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program, which they deemed be administered by CLEO.
- College Board – www.collegeboard.com The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board is composed of more than 5,700 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations.
- Youth Change – www.youthchg.com/ Youth Change and Director Ruth Herman Wells, M.S. have been training youth professionals throughout North America for almost 20 years. We provide information-packed general session, on-site and recorded workshops. We also publish many books, ebooks, and DVDs, all designed to deliver the newest and fastest solutions for the "worst" kid problems.
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