4 Tactful Tips for Teens to Navigate and Succeed in High School Extracurriculars
By: Charlene Wu
24/7 Writing and Communications Superstar
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Ever wanted to lead your own team? Make a difference in your community? Gain experience and knowledge outside of the classroom?
Colleges want to see that from you as well! Learning material in a classroom can only go so far in expanding your knowledge and skill set to prepare you for the world. True leadership and intrapersonal skills come from taking initiative in your high school career to delve deeper into interests outside of the curriculum. The world is diverse, with opportunities, ideas, and problems that you could help solve! We know this is daunting to explore, with so many doors that could lead you to new career paths and hobbies. When navigating what extracurriculars you could be interested in joining and how to grow and succeed within them, keep these aspects in mind:
How do you enjoy passing the time now?
Finding an enjoyable extracurricular activity could stem out of your current hobbies. Imagine this: you have all of spring break free, you don’t have any homework or responsibilities. For one day, what do you want to do?
For example, maybe you thought of cooking. With an interest in cooking, you could find or create a cooking club, or take a part-time job at a small restaurant. You could even volunteer for a nonprofit that provides free meals to the community. The key part is to take your root interest then make a more meaningful impact to your community. Extracurriculars don’t always have to be academic or pre-professional, the important part is finding a space in the community for you to grow.
What interest, service, performance, competition clubs do your school/ city offer? Who can you reach out to?
Some schools have student councils in charge of student-led organizations. Be on the search for any club directories, club fairs, or people you can reach out to discover more about clubs at your school. If there aren’t any that interest you, look for local newspaper articles featuring nearby events or organizations that you could get involved in.
What is a weakness you wish to improve on?
What a lot of people forget about is that extracurriculars are not just meant to develop your interests. Their underlying benefit is that they allow you to experience leadership and real-world applications for careers. Think about a weakness you have that you wish to improve on. Maybe it’s writing, public speaking, intrapersonal skills, or test taking? Think about what organizations can help you improve on these. Joining a creative writing club or your high school newspaper could help you develop your writing skills with other students. You could join the debate club or student council to work on public speaking. Consider service clubs or a service job for intrapersonal skills. Even trying out a competitive academic club like Science Olympiad could teach you some test taking skills! Joining a student organization to improve these skills not only provides a meaningful experience, but a supportive environment of students and faculty to guide you.
What are your strengths that can support a leadership role?
It’s important to mention here that not all leadership roles require you to be a president or founder. There are many ways to increase your participation in a club or community without needing to be the face of the club. Many other critical positions that students can go for include publicists, secretaries and treasurers.
Take a moment to consider skills you’re good at when completing a project. Some aspects include: one-on-one communication, writing, design, creative brainstorming. These are all great skills that can be further developed in a club and later on, a leadership position. Let’s take design for an example. Maybe you like to doodle in your free time and your creativity shines in creating the visual appearance of projects. Many clubs need posters, social media posts or brochures to help publicize. Reaching out to help or applying for a publicist position would be greatly beneficial for your interests and professional growth.
Starting a leadership position in a club can seem daunting, but to put into perspective, many students have done it before. There are probably many peers you could talk to within your organization or even your classes that can speak on their experiences. This can help you evaluate which positions are beneficial to your time and skills, what the real workload will be and how you can handle it.
In the end, have fun! It may seem daunting, but the main goal in finding extracurriculars is pursuing a path that works best for you and your passions. It is possible to grow in any environment you are put in, and you will find your place eventually. High school is meant to be a time of exploration, feel free to try a little of every club your school has to offer. Or, create your own! The opportunities are endless if you set your mind to it.
Extracurriculars can be a tough aspect of your high school career to navigate alone. Need extra personalized guidance? Look into 24/7’s college counseling boot camps and informational programs.
The best time to start preparing for college is right now. If you are ready to start and have questions, set up a free strategy call with one of our 24/7 College Admissions specialists and learn everything you need to create a successful college application plan for yourself or your teen.
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