What extra-curricular activities do you do, and why?
In this post, we’ll explore the importance of extra-curricular activities for university admissions and offer some tips and resources for students looking to boost their profiles.
Extra-curricular activities are an absolute must-have if you want to get into the best universities in the Canada & USA. This applies to Harvard, MIT, UBC, the UofT and also to the McGill, McMaster. Any university ranked in the US and Canada top 50 in the QS rankings will expect you to have a wealth of activities to rely upon. But what are they? And where can you find them?
Extra-curricular activities simply mean things that you do outside of your normal school routine that compliments your school studies, develop your skills and crucially show admissions officers that they should choose you to study at their university. Now, this doesn’t have to mean that you do these outside of school, many top schools in the Canada or US will offer classes like this as standard. All you have to do is remember to opt-in!
For students seeking admission to top North American universities, extra-curricular activities are especially important because they help differentiate you from other high-achieving candidates. The average successful applicant at UBC or UofT in a sciences subject will have straight A* grades at A Level. This leaves you less space to differentiate yourself from others and so it’s only in your personal statement and potential interviews you’ll be able to make yourself stand out. In those moments, you need more to talk about than just your school studies… because everyone does those. You need something unique, or at least uniquely good. That means either studying something, carrying out an activity that no one else has done, or doing something better than anyone else. That might mean winning an essay prize or scoring a gold award in a competition, but more on that later.
SA Associates’ Career Corner as always is a font of knowledge and information about what you could take on so make sure to check out this thread for ideas. So, how can you find extra-curricular activities that will make a difference in your university application? Here are some suggestions:
1. Academic
2. Community
3. Work Experience
4. Volunteer
For further ideas and tips check out the blog section on our website where you can find further information and ideas about which competitions to enter. At SA Associates, we offer a range of expert consultancy and tuition services designed to help students achieve their goals and stand out in the highly competitive US and Canada university admissions process. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you succeed.
Hotline: 01755-227766 Direct call : 01750037770 to 74.