I think between GPA and extracurriculars the more important of the two is GPA. While not the determining factor, GPA is often a large influence on any application. Most businesses and scholarships and even higher education have a minimum GPA that they look for so high GPA is paramount. I want to have a good career in engineering and that means I can’t slack off on my grades and GPA because of that. Having a high GPA opens significantly more pathways avenues and opportunities for a student and thus is more important to me. I’m a second-generation Indian immigrant and from a young age there was always an expectation to excel at school and get straight A’s. While I don’t hold myself to that high of a standard academic success in my eyes can be seen in with a high GPA. College is not cheap so it’s quite important to me that I don’t waste my time or money. To avoid that I need to succeed by doing well in school and keeping my GPA up.
While extracurriculars are often fun and provide a different perspective I am in school to first and foremost learn and GPA in my mind is reflective of that. Extracurriculars are just that extra they work to supplement your learning experience does not supplant it. While I do participate in some extracurricular activities, they are not important enough to make me drop my grades and GPA. Even though extracurriculars provide some opportunities it would be unwise to sacrifice GPA which opens many more doors. I am currently in a club called terps racing where we work to build a racecar but when my workload significantly increased like during midterms and finals, I prioritized my classwork over the club and thus received a better GPA that lets me apply for more internships over the summer. As seen here there is a direct correlation between opportunities and GPA thus, I prioritize it higher than extracurriculars. This is not to say that extracurriculars hold no value, but they lie lower on the totem pole.
While both a strong extracurriculars and high GPA are both valuable I prioritize GPA much more. A high but not necessarily perfect GPA provides much more in the way of future opportunities in internships careers and higher education. Due to the increase in options and the high cost of a college education, to me it’s the most logical decision to pursue GPA over extracurricular activities.