Tips & Resources

Extracurricular Activities Boost Students’ Skills, at University and Beyond

As Arab university students get busy with their academic lives, they should keep in mind that participating in extracurricular activities can boost their soft skills, help them develop latent talents, and benefit their lives at school and after graduation.

Whether you intend to enter the job market or go on to higher studies, the experiences and skills you gain through extracurricular activities can be just as important as academic ability in showing a future employer or graduate admissions dean that you would be a valuable addition to their team.

In this regard, Prospects, a U.K.-based career and higher education recruitment consultancy, lists on its website examples of extracurricular activities in several areas that can help you develop valuable skills while doing things you enjoy. Some of those areas are:

Sports and Social Clubs

When your academic schedule is not busy, you can join a sports team or social club around a shared interest, on campus or in the wider community, regardless of whether you have been practicing those activities since childhood or are seeking a new experience.

Through participating in sports or social clubs, you may gain strong long-lasting friendships and expand your circle of acquaintances in unforeseeable ways. These activities can help you develop your organisational, time-management and problem-solving skills, which in turn will provide post-graduation professional benefits because you will have a résumé abundant with diverse experiences.

“Part-time work is an important extracurricular activity that provide undergraduate students with a sense of independence and brings them closer to professional life.”

You can scale up your involvement by running for a leadership position in your club, which will further advance your leadership skills. If you do not find an organisation that matches your interests and abilities, do not hesitate to establish your own society or club, with the help of the Student Union or student groups at your university.

Volunteering in Charities

The British firm’s website also recommends volunteering with a charity or other nonprofit organisation as another way for students to develop skills that complement their academic studies. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to explore new life aspects, which can prepare you to better define what you want to do in your personal and professional life.

The value of volunteering is not limited to the benefits you give to a community or civic organisation you donate your time to. Volunteer work also develops your decision-making skills, enhances your self-confidence, and gives you a sense of life meaning in general.

Part-Time Work

Part-time work is another important extracurricular activity that can provide undergraduate students with a sense of independence and brings them closer to professional life. It also helps them gain a more accurate picture of a profession and its requirements, which makes graduates more qualified when applying for jobs.

Of course, the time allotted for this work should not affect your academic studies, so as not to disturb a healthy balance between study and personal and social life. When talking about your past part-time work at job interviews, it will be better to describe the tasks that were entrusted to you in some detail, instead of just listing them.

Arts and Cultural Activities

Regardless of previous talent, you can probably find an artistic group at your university. Such activities are a great way to express yourself, unleash your creativity, and develop a fertile imagination, capable of creating exceptional solutions to the problems you may encounter. This entails all arts, such as music, drawing, photography, acting, and others.

Regularly attending performances, festivals and other events that celebrate other cultures is another life-enriching extracurricular activity. It opens a window for you to explore other people’s civilizations, helps you build a good foundation stone for a rich culture, and makes you able to understand cultural differences. These skills will set you apart in your personal and professional life.

How to Discover Activities That Suit You

Not sure which extracurricular activities are best suited to you? The test-preparation company Prepscholar offers an online guide with hundreds of examples of extracurricular activities, organized into categories. To help you navigate the list, it suggests the following steps:

  • Discuss with people close to you the activities you can join in order to better express your interests.
  • Learn about the available ways to practice your favourite activity. For example, if you want to practice a particular sport, you can get special training, join the university team in this sport, or enroll in a nearby club.
  • Find out the activities available on campus or in your city. If you don’t find what you want, look for colleagues who share the same passion.
  • Try as many activities as possible. This will help you discover interests you did not know before. You can then choose your favourite activity and give it more attention and focus.
  • Upon choosing an activity, make sure it provides you with opportunities to make a meaningful impact, in terms of competitiveness and suitability for beginners, and that you possess the necessary capabilities to make a difference.

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