Extracurricular involvement is a vital way of engaging with the community, learn new interests and develop your soft skills.
What are soft skills?
Soft skills are non-technical skills that relate to how you work. They include how you interact with colleagues, how you solve problems, and how you manage your work. Soft skills include interpersonal (people) skills, communication skills, listening skills, time management, and empathy, among others. Employers and universities look for students to demonstrate what activities they have been involved in, what soft skills they developed in the activity and what the learning outcome was from the student's participation.
Examples of soft skills are:
Dependability
Work ethic
Positivity
Examples of extra-curricular activities are:
A sports activity
learning a new skill/instrument
volunteer work
Reflecting on an extracurricular activity:
When you participate in an extracurricular activity, it is important to reflect on the activity using the questions below:
1. Your role in this activity
2. The responsibilities you were given in this activity
3. What soft skills you developed during this activity [Tip: Google 'soft skills']. Try, if you can, to relate it back to the skills you will need for the degree/career you are hoping to apply for e.g. participating in MUN and debate club has developed my communication, on the spot thinking and research skills which are vital to becoming a doctor.
4. What were the learning outcomes for you e.g. I volunteered at a nursing home and truly understood how vital every member of the care team is and that patience and empathy are key skills required in order to deliver the best support. These I believe are the skills I have acquired during my experience there
Think about anything you have done that has had an impact on you, others, or the larger community. Include anything outside of schoolwork that's important to you—from clubs and organizations to jobs and internships to family responsibilities and volunteering—be comprehensive!
We want to learn more about you from each activity. Be sure to tell us why they matter to you, and list them in order of importance rather than chronologically.
It's not about the length of your activities list, rather how you have engaged. Through your activities you've developed new skills, better insight into your personal qualities and interests, and learned how to become an active member of your different communities.