Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

How important are extracurricular activities?

I'm quite worried if I'm honest because I've never really been very interested in any of the things my school and area offered and while I enjoyed them, have never really got into any sports but I'm always hearing about how unis prefer applicants who have do lots of "activities". Does it make much of a difference and what kind of thing counts?

Reply 1

hussain92

apparently US unis care much more bout extra-curriculars than UK unis
depends wer u applyin 2
thats bout as much as i know

Reply 2

Elodie

I'm the same I'm in like 5 extra curricular things and I kinda need to throw more at it, but I just don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

Reply 3

Adam92

I heard no uni really cares about extra-curricular activities, unless it's directly relevant to the course your applying for.

Reply 4

Xerophelistica

Some teachers would make you think your grades don't count for anything unless you have a load of EC activities, but in reality the unis don't care that much about them.

Reply 5

obscurename

The only things I can actually think of that counts would be my trumpet playing, possibly my going to the gym/running. I've never really been a fan of team and group activities.

Reply 6

forsaken_earth

They want you to be interested in your subject - and that should be the main focus of your PS.

Reply 7

tck

the only stuff ive talked about in my PS is the stuff that shows how I work: that I can lead a group, think critically, and do problem solving. the rest seemed slightly irrelevant.
but then I'm not an admissions tutor

Reply 8

JayAyy

Depends. If you need to show different skills then they are decent. Other than that, some of them are not as important.

Reply 9

oxymoronic

They're not as important as people seem to think they are, put it that way. Obviously it is good to show in your PS that you're a balanced individual but the main focus to your PS needs to show your love for the subject you're applying for - around two thirds of it needs to be directly focused on this aspect, which gives you another third to write about extra things you've done in or out of school (relating them to what you're applying for if you can) and then tie it all nicely together with a conclusion. Your trumpet playing would be a good thing to mention in this section, especially if you're a member of a band or something like that.

Reply 10

polka_dott

I didn't really do much at all - put down I raised money for charity a few times, liked playing basketball, enjoyed football and wrote stories (I applied for English) I think it is more important to express how much you like the subject you are applying for.

Reply 11

MrCynical

It varies a bit depending on subject and university. It may seem slightly contrary to popular opinion, but I found that the more competitive the university the less they cared about extra curriculars. Oxford in particular gave the strong impression they couldn't care less about them.

I wouldn't worry about it - the importance of extra curriculars is rather overrated in most cases.