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At high school, extracurriculars looked great on your college applications. At college, they have even more advantages, including for your future career. Whether you decide to practise a sport, join an academic club, volunteer through a community service group, or do something else entirely, you’ll gain benefits from extracurriculars that you won’t find elsewhere.

1. Teamwork

Something all extracurriculars have in common is that they involve working closely with other people. You’ll all share a passion for the same activity or cause — but other than that, you may all be from different backgrounds and have diverse personalities. By being part of an extracurricular, you’ll learn how to become part of a team of people working toward the same goals. Sometimes, this may go smoothly. Other times, you may need to resolve conflict, which could mean being willing to compromise or looking for solutions to problems.

2. Relationships

You’ll likely meet people at your extracurriculars whom you would otherwise never have met. Some of these people may become valuable contacts, helping you form a network you can use for employment and other opportunities in the future. In the best case scenario, some of the other students may become your lifelong friends.

3. Communication

Working in a team effectively means communicating well. The communication skills you develop may range from discussing ideas in small groups to giving presentations and writing letters. As well as active communication, you’ll improve your listening skills as you take others’ opinions on board and strive to find solutions together that suit everyone.

4. Leadership

Every team needs a leader — or even several people in leadership positions. You may like to take a back seat when you first join a new group, but it’s common to decide to become a leader later during your time at college. Depending on the extracurricular, leadership positions may be informal and just based on experience or (especially in organizations) formal and chosen through elections.

Taking a leadership position will teach you all sorts of skills that will be useful later in life. For instance, you may need to delegate tasks, mentor new members, or find new opportunities for your group.

5. Confidence

All the above will improve your confidence. You’ll see that you’re able to achieve things you may never have thought possible and push yourself out of your comfort zone to see success. Receiving positive feedback from your coach or other members of your club will be a major boost to your confidence.

6. Time Management

College tests your time-management skills, as it forces you to create your own schedule for classes and make time to study. When you add extracurriculars to the mix, time management becomes even more important. This is a good thing for teaching you how to meet the demands of a busy schedule.

It’s easier to become involved in extracurriculars when you don’t live far from campus — but this doesn’t mean you need to live on campus. You’ll be much more comfortable in student rentals. Barrie has the ideal accommodation at Arcadian Students. Our brand-new community is less than a 10-minute walk from campus. As well as your own room in a five-bedroom apartment or townhouse, you’ll have some great amenities to enrich your college life further, including an in-suite washer and dryer, high-speed internet, and study rooms. Contact us for details about leases.