Balancing School and Extra Curricular Activities

Having such a busy school schedule such as mine, many find it hard to balance school work and time to fit other activities into their busy schedule. While many claim (who have much less to do school wise) they have no time for extra curricular activities, I know many students (especially IB) who are fairly involved in their communities and organizations outside of school.
Those who say that they cannot find any activities to do probably aren’t searching hard enough or in the right places! Many schools have bulletin boards that display certain organizations or communities that need some sort of volunteer work done, and these boards (especially for IB students since we have to get a certain amount of community service hours) can be very helpful in providing a variety of service opportunities for all students.
Another great way to get involved is through an organization such as the United Way. I am in a student-based group called YOUnited Teens that meets once monthly, and provides different volunteer activities and ways to meet other students/youth in your area! It’s a great group because while you are helping others out, you also get to have a great time with people who are your age.
Of course, extra curricular activities may not only include volunteer work. It can also include scouts, youth group, sports, or a variety of other activities that keep you busy outside of school and make you a well-rounded individual, someone who doesn’t spend their free time stuck at home or with their nose always in their school work!
Inspiration for this blog comes from a book that all the IB Juniors at my school had to read this past spring titled “Winning the Heart of the College Admissions Dean” by Joyce Slayton Mitchell. In her book, Mitchell discusses how colleges look for students who are diverse, or in other words, students that do a variety of activities, not just one or two things. Showing that not only does your acceptance depend on numbers, but also the ability for you to fit into the community, and colleges can tell whether or not you will fit in by your extra curricular activities.
So, if you are afraid of the numbers, then get involved! There are many different ways to get involved and adding volunteer work and other activities will make a resume look even better to a college admissions dean!