I don’t have many regrets when it comes to how I spent my high school years, except there is one mistake that seems to loom over my head constantly, the lack of connections that I made. When I got to college, I instantly started connecting with people through different programs that I joined, yet in high school I never had that because I spent all of my time studying to achieve my 4.5 GPA that I ended up graduating with. That being said, it would be assumed that my priority would be a high GPA and if I would’ve answered this question last year at this time, my answer would’ve been high GPA. However, now my answer has shifted to having strong extracurriculars, and college is what has made me realize this. A high GPA is something everyone can achieve, as all it takes is creating a good work ethic and knowing how to balance a schedule. Something that not everyone can achieve? Creating lifelong connections and planting roots into extracurriculars. Extracurriculars expose students to something a classroom can’t, and that is the opportunities that come from them. Extracurriculars are the clubs and programs that have the ability to turn a shy freshman student into a leader by the time they graduate. These programs are vital to development, both in the professional sense and the personal sense.
Extracurriculars often have some kind of hierarchy sitting inside of them, president, vice president, fundraising chair and so on. These people are randomly selected, these people decide to run for these positions and then are voted into by their fellow club members. Meaning that the students running for these offices are presented with the opportunities to pitch speeches, create a campaign, and experience what it’s like to run for an office at a smaller scale. That experience and dedication isn’t something that can be learned sitting inside of a classroom or library studying for hours on end to get the perfect GPA. Learning those skills that will be able to be transferred to their future careers is something that can only come from having a strong foundation in an extracurricular. When roots are planted in an extracurricular, a community is formed between the members, a family of sorts. Creating intrapersonal skills that can be transferred onto a resume that stretch miles further than a high GPA will. So yes, at the end of the day a high GPA is important and is something every student should strive for during their academic pursuits. Strong extracurriculars that can shape your interests, give you leadership experiences, and form your interpersonal skills will always be the bigger priority in my book.