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will my lack of extra curricular activities hinder me?

I do njothign outside school.
I am not and have never been part of any school clubs teams or societies.
Will this make me a less desirable candidate for a university?

Reply 1

20083

2

You must do something. I mean, you don't stop existing when you leave school. So what are your interests? Doing something out-with a club does not make it any less worthwhile.

Reply 2

Alamothih

Depends where your applying, i applied to some top places for maths and i had done nothing and i mean at all.

Most of my application was about my studies, what i got from them, threw in a few areas that ive been interested in at some time, such as current politics, and history (never really done a great deal ont he latter but makes me look a bit more rounded).

Spent some detail on the work experience ive done, and helping around school. but no clubs, societies, hobbies or such. And we were told not to mention socialising as such, or cinema etc cos thats bog standard and doesnt show much about you. So that didnt go in either :smile:

and i got all offers.

EDIT: and i wrote a chunk on future aims/waht im goin to uni for, and why i chose maths.

Reply 3

north bank gooner

Have you ever played any musical instruments? Even if it was like 10 years ago, you can still include it in your personal statement. Make up stuff, that's what we all did. The unis don't check to see if anything you say is true, but they might ask about it in an interview, in which case your lie needs to be well-prepared. That's what I did, and I'm a medical student now!

Disclaimer: I am not encouraging fraud

Reply 4

Admonitor

11

It depends on where you apply. Some universities don't care about your extra curricular stuff much at all (e.g. Oxbridge who focus solely on academic potential). Others will focus on it somewhat as they want people who will be able to add more in their free time at uni than just doing their degree.

Reply 5

Epitomessence

12

I’m sure you’ve done something in the past, like volunteer work, helping out the school on Open Days, and lunchtime clubs?

I don’t actually think they make that much difference tbh, but you have to demonstrate that you’re not “all about the work,” even if it is something small.

Reply 6

EvenStevens

17

I mentioned, mainly, my academic success and my interests in computing and programming etc.

But at the end I left a paragraph free for my huge participation in music, what instruments I play etc. and how I love to cycle cross country.

Just so I'm a more well rounded candidate, IMO.

Reply 7

jumpinglunch

13

Cate15

I do njothign outside school.
I am not and have never been part of any school clubs teams or societies.
Will this make me a less desirable candidate for a university?

Make some stuff up in terms of interests.Travelling,history,politics etc etc. :cool:

Reply 8

Good bloke

19

tesh^^

Make some stuff up in terms of interests.Travelling,history,politics etc etc. :cool:

You mean so that, at an interview, the OP can be quizzed on subjects he knows nothing about and revealed to be a liar? No, this is never a good idea. Better to be a geek with no outside interests than a lying geek with no outside interests.

Reply 9

jumpinglunch

13

Good bloke

You mean so that, at an interview, the OP can be quizzed on subjects he knows nothing about and revealed to be a liar? No, this is never a good idea. Better to be a geek with no outside interests than a lying geek with no outside interests.

I assume that before they went to an interview they would familiarise themselves with the specific topics.

Reply 10

Good bloke

19

And I assume that you haven't read the numerous posts on these boards concerning people that go to interviews and meet the world's expert on the subject they claim an interest in or find that their interviewer's favourite hobby is just the one put on their UCAS form purely for effect. This is (a) very embarrassing and (b) potentially very damaging.

Reply 11

jumpinglunch

13

..

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 12

Good bloke

19

Well, from first hand experience, I have caught quite a few people out at interviews lying about some innocuous matter that totally destroys their credibility and negates any interest in them as a candidate. It simply is not worth it over something that is pretty irrelevant anyway. If you meet a tutor that (for instance) happens to do SCUBA diving, which you have falsely claimed as a hobby, and asks a warm-up question about what dives you have done or who trained you, you are on a sticky wicket immediately - they are well-practised at detecting lies, prevarication and hesitation, you know.

Reply 13

Admonitor

11

Alternatively if you do think of stuff you do, don't put too much stuff in. There are people that spend every waking hour outside of school doing some sort of extra-curricular and they end up filling their PS with that rather than academics.

Reply 14

Juno

20

Unis are ore interested in your love of the subject. So just use your 4000 characters to really show your passion and knowledge, and it will be fine. When I was a PS Helper, I read some excellent PS's with hardly any extra-curricular in.

However, if you are worried then take something up. There's still time to start a new hobby.

will my lack of extra curricular activities hinder me?

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