What are you most proud of at your school? What are your stand-out programs? Does your school offer amazing extracurricular activities that your students especially enjoy?
I Know About the Sports and Music Programs, But...
Where I live, there are several high schools within a 15-mile radius. They are all fine schools, and I know that if a student has a special interest in excelling in sports, one or two of the schools might be a better choice for them. Students who are deeply passionate about developing their music or fine arts skills would benefit from a couple of the other high schools.
What About Other Extra Curriculars?
What I don't know is what extracurricular activities the schools offer.
None of my children were into school sports, and only one of my kids wanted to continue music after junior high school. But, as many high school students, they had great aspirations to be competitive in the college admissions process, so they needed solid extracurricular activities to help build their resume.
Self-driven students are constantly on the lookout for good extracurricular activities that will positively impact their college applications.
Volunteer Opportunities
A couple of my kids took advantage of the academic clubs and school clubs that included excellent community service or volunteering opportunities our local high school had to offer as well as other outside organizations such as the Boy Scouts.
One of my kids pursued other opportunities with competitive teams outside of the high school environment to help build his college application.
Help Them Build a Strong Portfolio
A self-driven high schooler who wants to pursue a college degree after high school will scour your school website extra-curricular activities for the unique extracurricular activity that interests them as they work to build a portfolio that will appeal to their colleges of choice.
What does your school offer? And are those offerings well-represented on your school website? Let's discuss some of the popular activities and more creative activities your school might provide.
Extracurricular Activities
Many schools offer similar extracurricular activities. These are popular clubs that offer a high school student camaraderie and belonging or great service opportunities in the local community. Does your school offer some of the following fun and traditional clubs and activities?
- Art
- Cooking
- Dance
- Drama
- Foreign Languages and Cultures
- Future Farmers of America
- Honors Society
- Photography
- Robotics
- STEM
Online Courses
During the worldwide pandemic over the last couple of years, many schools developed online extracurricular activities. Before the pandemic, only an online school offered these online courses, but now, after some trial and error and finding some amazing success, many of these online extracurricular activities are here to stay.
Students continue to make great impressions on the college admissions committee by learning practical skills and new skills via their school's online extracurricular activities.
Online Activities for High School Students
Here are some great examples of fit-to-impress online extracurricular activities for those who want to pursue the college dream.
- Graphic design
- Yoga
- Art
- Entrepreneurship
- Improve your writing skills
- Learn a new language (a native language speaker can improve their skills)
- Learn a new skill (a musical instrument, calligraphy, beauty tips, cooking, etc.)
- Learn a new sport (basketball, volleyball, bowling, etc.)
