Extracurricular Activities that Enhance Your Chances to Get Accepted in Abroad Universities

Do you know? When you decide to study abroad, it is not only your academic records that are considered for your admission in any university abroad. But it is also the extracurricular activities that make your application stand out. We all know that universities abroad offer premium quality education, which is more practical than theoretical. This makes students real-world ready the minute they graduate. Now, when it comes to shortlisting students based on their admission application, the admission counsellors are keen to see what uniqueness a student brings to the table. This is why having a long list of extracurricular activities, that matches your ambitions and goals, becomes crucial.

The preparation for a better tomorrow starts today. As you aim to get into top universities abroad, irrespective of the domain or degree, it is crucial you have relevant experience in the extracurricular area. This is where the career counselling experts play a crucial role. The counsellors make your admission application stronger by suggesting you the right extracurricular activities that you can take part in. So, toady, to make sure you get admission in your dream university abroad, we are going to share some extracurricular activities that can enhance your admission application’s value. Furthermore, we will also tell how career counselling experts help you on this journey. Therefore, without further ado, let’s get to the point.

Importance of Extracurricular Activities on your Admission Application

Extracurricular activities are more than just hobbies or reading, cooking, etcetera. They are the proof of your abilities and capabilities that you can take initiatives, manage things, and can grow outside the textbook world. The admissions committee require the list of extracurricular activities to analyse your;

Now that you have seen what difference the extracurricular activities make on your admission application, it is time to look at some extracurricular activities that can enhance the value of your admission application and help you secure an admission abroad.

Top Extracurricular Activities with Great Weightage

Before we begin with the list of extracurricular activities, do not that there are various activities that can boost the value of your application and before mentioned are only a couple of those. So, before you make any decision or think only these are the valued extracurricular activities then think twice and consult with career counsellors. It is the counsellors that will match the right activities with your calibre. Here are your extracurricular activities.

1. Volunteering and Community Service

The first extracurricular activity that makes a huge difference on your admission application is some volunteering or community service. Engaging in community service reflects empathy, social responsibility, and leadership; qualities that universities highly value. Volunteering, on the other hand, shows that you are not only academically strong but also socially aware. Some examples of volunteering and community service include; teaching underprivileged children, participating in environmental clean-up drives, and even volunteering with NGOs or social campaigns. Admissions committees see this as a proof that you will actively contribute to their campus culture and bring a sense of civic duty with you.

2. Leadership Roles in Clubs and Organisations

The next extracurricular activity that boosts your chances of securing an admission in a top-ranked university abroad is showcasing your leadership skills and potential. Universities and admission committees gets highly impressed by the students who showcases leadership skills, demonstrating they are not scared of taking any big challenges. Leading a group, club, or organisation shows your ability to motivate others and manage responsibilities effectively. Some examples of leadership roles include leading the student council, heading a science, robotic, or reading club, or organising cultural or inter-school events. It is the leadership qualities and experience that sets you apart from other applicants.

3. Sports and Athletics

If you are into sports already, then don’t let go of it. It is your great athletic skills next on the chart that can help you secure an admission abroad. Your participation in sports shows discipline, teamwork, and resilience, all these skills helping you make a perfect candidate. Whether you are competing at a school, district, or national level, athletic involvement displays your commitment to psychical fitness and perseverance. You can either be a team player, involved in sports like cricket, football, etc., or can be an individual player in sports like swimming or tennis. Your sports background will easily help you get admission at a top-ranked university abroad as your skills of team spirit are highly valued.

4. Creative and Performing Arts

Another factor that will enhance your admission application is having an artistic talent. Artistic talents such as painting, music, theatre, and dance, which highlight your creativity and self-expression. Many top-ranked universities abroad have vibrant arts communities, not even just that but they also have degrees or diplomas in performing arts. Showcasing your achievements in this area will add depth to your profile and increase your chances of secure admission abroad. Some examples that will enhance your admission application include participating in theatre productions, winning art or music competitions, publishing your creative work in school magazines or online platforms, etc. All these creative pursuits show that you bring diversity, innovation, and cultural richness to the university and the admission committee isn’t making a wrong choice by giving you admission.

5. Research and Academic Projects

If you are applying for a STEM or research-heavy programme, then extracurricular academic projects can be extremely valuable. Universities and admission committees give a specific attention to the applicants applying for STEM or research courses, ensuring their experience aligns with their ambitions. This is why working on independent research or participating in competitions highlights your intellectual curiosity and initiative, impressing the admissions officers. Some of the examples to make your admission application valuable is by showcasing your participation in science fairs, publishing research papers, or joining coding challenges. This demonstrates your seriousness about academics and passion for exploring knowledge beyond textbooks.

Role of Career Counselling in Picking the Right Extracurricular Activities

With so many options comes confusions and when you are not sure of your abilities, picking the right set of extracurricular activities may seem a tough task. This is where the career counselling experts plays a crucial role. The counsellors help you align your passion with ambition and make right decisions. As the importance of these extracurricular activities are too high when you decide to study abroad at a top-ranked university, then let’s ensure you are picking the right ones. Here is how career counselling is helping young scholars.

1. Identifying Strengths and Interests

The first step you need to take care of while mentioning your extracurricular activities is that they match with your experience and align with your ambitions. For instance, you are aiming for a STEM degree in the USA, but your background is from the artistic field. In this scenario, the experience is of no use. But what if with the help of a psychometric test, you get to know that your real potential lies in acting, music, and dancing. Well, this is where the career counselling experts come to help. With the psychometric test results, the counsellors in one-on-one sessions help you identify your true passion, strength, and interests, and work accordingly.

2. Aligning Extracurricular Activities with Academic Goals

As the example given above, it is highly important for you to ensure your academic goals, ambitions, and academic experiences all align together. The extracurricular activities only make sense on your personal essay when it aligns with what you are aiming to study at a top ranked university abroad. In this situation, the career counselling experts provide you with personalised guidance. As they educate you with what are your best career options and which degree you must take in those counselling sessions, they also include what additional experiences you must take to make your profile stronger. This alignment help admission officers understand your ambitions, and you have a sense of clarity.

3. Building a Consistent Narrative

If you think that to secure an admission at a top ranked university abroad you will need to showcase thousands of things that you have done, then you are mistaken here. The counsellors do not get impressed by the thousand things that you have done and mentioned on your personal essay. All they want to see is what you have mentioned whether it is aligned and consistent or not. The admission committee and university look for depth in a child’s profile not variety. This is what career counselling experts guide you with. When you are aiming for extracurricular activities, instead of combining small portions of everything be the full portion of your ambition. The counsellors help you select 2-3 meaningful activities and ensures you build a narrative of dedication and passion with that.

4. Strengthening Application Essay

When you decide to study abroad, one of the major requirements you have to fulfil is to submit a strong application essay. You admissions essay or a personal essay or a Statement of Purpose, defines who you are, what is your aim in life, and how that particular university will help you achieve it. Many students make a mistake here and they copy-paste the same SOP for every university they apply to. This is one of the common reasons of admission rejection. When you are aiming at a top ranked university, you need to craft an explicit admission’s essay. This is where the career counselling experts help you. The counsellors guide you in presenting your achievements and experiences in a way that resonates with admissions officers.

5. Boosting Confidence for Interview

One of the last steps of your admission process at a top ranked university abroad is to be a part of a one-on-one interview. Many universities wish to know their candidates more and this is the reason why there is an interview stage at the end. In those interviews, students are asked about their involvement in the forementioned extracurricular activities. Through career counselling, the experts prepare students for the right answers, ensuring them to be confident of what they say and be mindful of how they present themselves. The mock up interviews and preparations help students answer every question with complete confidence.

Find the Extracurricular Activities that Suits you the Best with MetaApply Career Counselling

The planning of a successful future starts as early as grade 8th. It is the perfect stage when you get ample chances to explore your options. Be a part of various extracurricular activities, explore which one suits you the best, and with correct guidance, you pick the right path ahead. Instead of walking aimlessly or writing something that is not true on your personal essay, you must take help from career counselling experts. They tell you how you should highlight your experience, ambitions, and education plans.

As you look for one such personalised career counselling service then there is nothing better than MetaApply Career Counselling. Our counsellors, with the help of the MetaApply Psychometric Test results educate you about your best suited career paths, the degree that you must follow, the right college, and even the extracurricular activities that will enhance the value of your admissions application. So, if you are aiming to study abroad then this is the right time to start preparing with MetaApply IE today.