Your parents don’t pressure you to get involved in school just to get you out of the house; there are actually tons of reasons to get involved in high school! High school can be a bad time, an okay time, or an amazing time. If you want to push into that last tier, you’ll need to get involved in high school!
One of the most important reasons to get involved in high school is that you’ll make a lot of friends! Freshman and sophomore year, I got involved in clubs here and there, but during junior year I finally got involved in my school’s choir and writing club. Each group became like a family to me, and I’ve forged relationships I wouldn’t be the same without, all because I got involved!
Entering my junior year, I knew I liked to write and sing, but how much? And which did I love more? Getting involved in extracurriculars on campus helped me to figure out who I was and what I wanted to do with my future. They’ll do the same for you as long as you keep an open mind and try lots of new things!
The college application process today is the epitome of difficult. I don’t know a single person who considered getting into college “easy”. Because college is so competitive, what is going to set you apart from other qualified applicants is your extracurriculars. Colleges will look at your qualitative and quantitative involvement in outside of academic affairs, meaning that you should be deeply involved in multiple clubs, sports, and organizations.
On TV, high school is one big party, and everyone always has something to do, somewhere to be, and someone to see. But let’s be honest; most of the time teenagers sit at home watching Netflix and scrolling through Tumblr. A better way to kill your time is getting involved with various groups on or off campus. They’ll keep you busy and out of trouble, and you’ll have fun too!
If you enter choir, for example, as a freshman, and continue with it all four years, you’ll have numerous opportunities arise for you to foster your leadership skills. First you may become section leader, then treasurer, and by the time you’re a senior you may be president! Not only does all of this look stellar on college apps, it also helps you grow personally - which is what high school is all about!
Many organizations are not limited to your school’s campus. They may expand across the nation or globe. Clubs like those are great to get involved with because they mean scholarships! As long as your grades are on point, and you’re truly invested in the club, scholarship opportunities will arise for you much easier than for your less involved peers!
Clubs, sports, bands, etc. they’re all like a family. I call my writing club my family; we get together regularly outside of school, and have our own little world! There’s a community out there perfectly tailored for your needs too. All you need to do is find it!
I can’t stress enough how critical it is that you get involved in high school. The benefits are endless, and you won’t regret joining in! What sort of groups are you involved in? What do you love most about them?