Quick: when was someone last asked about your college grade point average? Aside from a possible first job recruiter wanting to look at transcripts (and even that’s pretty rare), nobody except your parents will care about your GPA once you graduate. It’s important to do well, of course: what you’re studying will hopefully be useful to you in the real world, particularly if you’re majoring in a subject that requires assimilating a lot of new or technical information, such as engineering or pre-med.
But be aware that once you enter the “real world,” what you did outside the classroom will also matter — perhaps even a lot more.
For example, in discussing the value of internships in his recent Medium article, Kapish Haldia talks about how extracurricular activities can spark new interests: “Whether you’re running a real-money investing club or interning with the CFO of a youth empowerment organization — both of which I did at NYU — your extracurricular activities might just awaken your calling. Several of my fellow investing club members went onto successful careers in finance, and it’s one of the handful of experiences I had as a young person that sparked my passion for building companies.”
How Hobbies Make You a Better Student
Spending time in extracurricular activities supports your efforts in class, too. Since the 1930s, research has shown that students who participate in extracurricular activities experience higher levels of academic achievement: better grades, higher test scores, and more positive educational experiences than students who focus solely on their studies.
The type of activity you choose also influences how you’ll benefit: athletic activities boost math, science, and literacy, while arts and crafts types of extracurricular endeavors result in better work skills.
Here’s how extracurricular involvement can help your career development in both the short- and long-term:
- Find activities that resonate. There’s little point in joining a club or pursuing a hobby that doesn’t interest you just to have something that looks good on a resume. So, seek the right engagement. What calls to you? What do you care about? Whether it’s volunteering at the local animal shelter or starting an indie band, perfecting your baking skills, or lending a listening ear to seniors at a nearby assisted living residence, choose what lights you up.
- Describe the benefits of your hobby. Tell the story once you’ve immersed yourself in an activity that makes your heart sing. Just writing “animal shelter volunteer” says where you spent time, but nothing about your contribution and the growth you gained from the experience. Aim to provide color, context, action, and outcome. For instance, Jill started a marketing campaign that increased animal adoption by 30 percent during her internship.
- Build relationships. It can be too easy to tunnel vision your focus, especially if you’re majoring in a highly technical or demanding field. All the more reason to reach out and get involved in activities that will stretch you beyond the books and screens. Becoming a well-rounded person means connecting to the community beyond the classroom. This is an ideal opportunity to develop the soft skills that will be as necessary to career advancement as your expertise in chemistry or IT.
- Reduce stress. This might seem counterintuitive: if you already feel too busy to add extracurricular activities to your schedule, won’t pursuing one or more hobbies make you more stressed? No! Here’s why: humans need balance; we’re wired this way. When you take a break from studying to pick up the violin, join the Ultimate Frisbee team, or mentor a fellow student struggling in a subject you know well, your brain experiences it as cathartic. It’s a refreshing change of pace — and who knows, that struggling student may become a colleague or start a successful business and invite you to invest. And in the meantime, it’s fun.
