During Club Rush, the walk from the 8000 building towards the cafeteria was full of tables and students curious about them. However something I noticed was that although there were many students, only a handful of kids were actually interested in joining a club. This also applies to other after school activities such as sports, a lot of kids won’t even give the idea of doing something other than school or work the time of day.
This trend is extremely disappointing because extracurricular activities are an untapped gold mine. There are tons of scholarship opportunities that stem from something as simple as staying after school for an hour or two. Colleges want students to show that they are much more than a pile of grades; involving yourself in other things helps make you stand out against other college applicants.
One thing that has no doubt surprised me is that, despite club rush, most students are extremely uneducated about most things that occur after 2:45. In an attempt to invite friends of mine to do something after school with me, I’ve found that a lot of kids have no idea there are two activity buses. Our school should make more of an effort to ensure that its pupils are fully aware of their opportunities.
If students knew more about what goes on after school, then maybe they would want to participate more and help themselves have a better future–a future that doesn’t involve paying as much money for further education. Many scholarships are offered for those that choose to include themselves in ways that aren’t academic. Extracurriculars only have benefits to offer in exchange for some time and effort.
