Do you think having just a good GPA or a good test score enough to get into a top ranking university? The answer is no! Extra-curricular activities might just be as important for your application to be accepted. In this post, we try to answer why.
Almost all applicants at top ranking colleges have excellent academic record!
At highly selective schools, almost all applicants have a reasonably good GPA as well as good test score. The university obviously can’t admit all of those applicants who are equally good academically. It is here that extra-curricular activities can help draw a distinguishing bar. Selective colleges are attracted to students who are curious, active and eager relative to their peers.
Universities want to build diversity in their classrooms
Many a times, universities look for other details beyond a strong academic record so that they can create diversity in class. Thus, you would at times see some applicants who might not be academically extremely stellar being selected to top ranking universities – it is the right mix of their extra- curricular activities and beyond classroom engagements in a relevant area that gets the ball rolling for such applicants. Therefore, if you have got the right mix of extra curricular activities to showcase, that might just cover up your not so stellar grades.
Extra-curricular activities speak a lot of things about you!
Admissions committee get to know a lot about your personality with the kind of extra curricular activities you have on your profile. For example, if you have initiated a club in your college, it conveys the admissions committee of your confidence, leadership, initiative, team work and networking skills. Universities specifically value activities wherein you have showed leadership and created an impact. After all, they want that their campuses give birth to future leaders in business, academia or research.
Finally – It’s not about quantity, but about quality!
This is a word of caution. While extra- curricular activities are important, they are not the by all and end all for your admission. Scores do matter, and of this, there is no doubt. Extra-curricular activities act like the icing on the cake of your application and make your application look appealing to the admissions committee. So, rather than flooding your profile with a deluge of different extra-curricular activities, it is better to narrow down your domain to 2-3 areas (say, community service, or, literary club, or soccer club , or research club, or anything that you are passionate about) and have your extra curricular activities revolve around those areas. This will help you convey a ‘narrative’ about yourself to the college admissions committee.
Thus, to conclude, while your GPA and test scores, do matter, extra curricular activities are the cherry on the top of the cake, and they complement your academic profile. The catch is maintaining the right, relevant mix of extra curricular activities on your application which can convey a robust, dynamic impression of your personality to the admissions committee.
About Skill Maestro
At Skill Maestro, We guide prospective students about the entire application process as well as suitable universities as per their profile/test scores. We have consulted dozens of prospective students for MIS across the globe. We have a physical presence in Indore where we also help students prepare for GRE, GMAT & SAT
