Do extracurriculars actually help with scholarships and uni chances?
Hey guys, I just changed my school, and one of the reasons was because I wanted a different environment. One of the good things about my new school is that there are a lot of programs — unlike my old school.
Here, we have things like TEDx, MUNs are a huge deal, there are many SDP (skill development) programs, we can tutor younger kids, and there’s always some kind of volunteering or student leadership thing happening. Basically, the school just feels alive.
But personally, I really want to go back to my old school because I felt more comfortable there, and for some personal reasons too…
What I’m confused about is — do these extracurriculars and non-academic things actually help with getting scholarships or increasing your chances of getting into good universities? Because if they really do make a difference, then I’d stay in my current school since it could help me academically and for the future. But if not, I’d honestly rather go back.
I talked with a few unis (just two though 😭) and they said they mainly look at grades, but I wanted to know from other people’s experience — what happened for you guys? Please let me know
Here, we have things like TEDx, MUNs are a huge deal, there are many SDP (skill development) programs, we can tutor younger kids, and there’s always some kind of volunteering or student leadership thing happening. Basically, the school just feels alive.
But personally, I really want to go back to my old school because I felt more comfortable there, and for some personal reasons too…
What I’m confused about is — do these extracurriculars and non-academic things actually help with getting scholarships or increasing your chances of getting into good universities? Because if they really do make a difference, then I’d stay in my current school since it could help me academically and for the future. But if not, I’d honestly rather go back.
I talked with a few unis (just two though 😭) and they said they mainly look at grades, but I wanted to know from other people’s experience — what happened for you guys? Please let me know
Reply 1
Hi there!
Universities do mostly look at your grades since that's what most of the admissions process is based on, however if you are very close to what the entry grades are (ie. your predicted grades are equal to what is required for the course) the admissions team might look at those to decide whether to give you an offer or not.
That being said, those extracurriculars are a massive help for your CV and also general life skills! Whether applying to jobs while at uni, if you decide to look for industrial placements and even once you graduate and start looking for jobs then, anything that you do right now is so valuable to building up your skills and future employers recognise that.
The final decision is up to you because if you want to focus on being in an environment where you feel happier, it could be better to switch. Else if you're really into academics, it's probably better to stay where you are just based on what those extracurriculars are. It could also be beneficial to talk to a few other unis (look at a variety of different ones if you can!) and see what their requirements are like.
Any other questions feel free to ask, else wishing you all the best
Ams - LJMU Student Rep
Universities do mostly look at your grades since that's what most of the admissions process is based on, however if you are very close to what the entry grades are (ie. your predicted grades are equal to what is required for the course) the admissions team might look at those to decide whether to give you an offer or not.
That being said, those extracurriculars are a massive help for your CV and also general life skills! Whether applying to jobs while at uni, if you decide to look for industrial placements and even once you graduate and start looking for jobs then, anything that you do right now is so valuable to building up your skills and future employers recognise that.
The final decision is up to you because if you want to focus on being in an environment where you feel happier, it could be better to switch. Else if you're really into academics, it's probably better to stay where you are just based on what those extracurriculars are. It could also be beneficial to talk to a few other unis (look at a variety of different ones if you can!) and see what their requirements are like.
Any other questions feel free to ask, else wishing you all the best
Ams - LJMU Student Rep
Reply 2
21
Original post
by almostseriousHey guys, I just changed my school, and one of the reasons was because I wanted a different environment. One of the good things about my new school is that there are a lot of programs — unlike my old school.
Here, we have things like TEDx, MUNs are a huge deal, there are many SDP (skill development) programs, we can tutor younger kids, and there’s always some kind of volunteering or student leadership thing happening. Basically, the school just feels alive.
But personally, I really want to go back to my old school because I felt more comfortable there, and for some personal reasons too…
What I’m confused about is — do these extracurriculars and non-academic things actually help with getting scholarships or increasing your chances of getting into good universities? Because if they really do make a difference, then I’d stay in my current school since it could help me academically and for the future. But if not, I’d honestly rather go back.
I talked with a few unis (just two though 😭) and they said they mainly look at grades, but I wanted to know from other people’s experience — what happened for you guys? Please let me know
Here, we have things like TEDx, MUNs are a huge deal, there are many SDP (skill development) programs, we can tutor younger kids, and there’s always some kind of volunteering or student leadership thing happening. Basically, the school just feels alive.
But personally, I really want to go back to my old school because I felt more comfortable there, and for some personal reasons too…
What I’m confused about is — do these extracurriculars and non-academic things actually help with getting scholarships or increasing your chances of getting into good universities? Because if they really do make a difference, then I’d stay in my current school since it could help me academically and for the future. But if not, I’d honestly rather go back.
I talked with a few unis (just two though 😭) and they said they mainly look at grades, but I wanted to know from other people’s experience — what happened for you guys? Please let me know
I met one person from the UK who won a full scholarship to Duke University thanks to their rowing talents. Duke is on about the same academic level as Uni of Edinburgh, and is regarded as one of the best US universities that isn't in the Ivy League.
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