Despite there being a wealth of extracurricular activities for students to participate in, the natural choice for most students is to attend their regular classes and go home. There is nothing inherently wrong with this choice, however, with power hour being built into the middle of the day, students should not hesitate to participate in extracurricular activities.

A benefit of activities other than school is that they often stimulate new friendships and are a great social opportunity. The bond created between students for something such as playing a sport can last a lifetime due to the vast amount of time spent together practicing, playing games, and celebrating. Along with friendship, this gives students involved in such activities a support group to fall back on.

Extracurriculars can also improve a students’ academic ability and grades because certain extracurricular activities involve the use of school-related skills. UIL academics is involved in about every subject, and a student who competes in such an activity will oftentimes improve skills that will transfer over to their regular classes. Writing essays, doing calculations, criticizing literature, etc can all benefit a student in the classroom.

Activities that are out of the classroom are also extremely important for things like scholarships and college admissions. Colleges especially want to see that a student not only does well in the classroom but participates in other activities to make them a well-rounded individual.

Now those opposed to participating in extracurricular activities may argue that most activities outside of school are boring or a waste of time. Now they are probably right, that some of these activities are boring, however there are numerous activities and most students are bound to find something outside of school that they can enjoy and benefit from. Whether it be a sport, academic competition, or club, there’s something for everyone.