The "Extracurricular Time" question

Hello guys and girlies! I hope everyone is having a good time. Today, I wanted to discuss a topic that I consider very important, but it does not seem to get enough coverage... It is the dreadful extracurricular question. If you’re a university student applying for opportunities, you have certainly come across this question in one form or another:

Give details of how you spend your extracurricular time, including your contribution to any clubs or societies. For at least one of these explain the benefits you derive from this activity.

At first, I felt petrified by these types of questions, I had to sit down and brainstorm this “extracurricular time”. For me and I guess many of the studies, the part-time job, applications, and life were already in the way of some extra time! However, I don’t have a magic pill here, juggling all these things plus the extracurricular stuff does get long, but I have found ways to make it work and would like to share what has worked for me. Hopefully, this helps you with your own exploration.

University schemes

These are designed to be more relaxed and flexible and try to accommodate everyone. This is great as mostly you only need to turn up to the advertised opportunities and these will lead you into more opportunities as you learn the landscape more.

I am a PAL (Peer Assisted Learning) Leader at my university. PAL scheme in short wants me to help students navigate university and teach them on a variety of topics, in return, I get some employability points that will unlock further opportunities.

In my PAL position, I run weekly or sometimes biweekly seminar-like sessions where I offer informal advice to students about university, studies, and life. Although the attendance is quite scarce, it’s a cool scheme, nonetheless. In return for running these sessions, I receive employability points and get to be more involved with the university leading to further connections and opportunities. Besides the goodies you get along the way of any of the schemes, the employability points provide clear rewards for your work which later can be exchanged into opportunities such as work experience.

Research the schemes and bursaries at your university, you never know whether you qualify but it could end up being some easy experience and potentially money.

Societies and Socials

Due to my part-time job, boyfriend, and some social anxiety, I struggle with attending social events, but I still join societies. Some societies offer online events, which I find much easier to attend. At my university, I am a member of three societies, and I participate in online sessions more frequently than live ones. The best part is that I can still socialize, discuss topics, and share ideas, even if it's online, thereafter you see the same people in the live events. So don’t overthink signing up for a society or not, just do it you can always drop it and forget about it, or just attend some of their events it’s no biggie – any involvement will be better than none.

Otherwise, stay fit and young while attending university, remember societies can be done right even if it’s ridiculous one, do it from interest and with passion these experiences will make you stand out. Joining a society based on your interest in a particular sport or activity is a great way to do this while also gaining transferable skills. For example, team sports like football, volleyball, and basketball can demonstrate your ability to work collaboratively with others and keep you fit!

Entrepreneur route

Creating your own extracurricular activity can be a great way to showcase your interests and skills. Anything that you enjoy doing can be turned into an extracurricular activity story, really the interviewer is looking for passion more than the right answer. Don't hesitate to mention your hobbies, part-time job, favorite sport, or any other activity that you are passionate about. When asked to describe your achievements and extracurricular activities, focus on how you tell your story. It's not about the activity itself but how you present it. Remember to highlight the skills and experiences you gained from your extracurricular activities.

Alternatively, you can always start a blog, an online business, a YouTube channel, or use whatever other platform to get involved!

Thanks for taking the time to read this! I hope you find it helpful. If you have any ideas or experiences you'd like to share, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or a message. I'd love to hear from you!

See you soon,

With love Natty.