The age-old adage of whether one should focus on their extracurriculars or their grade point average is one that I don’t have an answer to. Simply put, it is different for everyone. Had Wayne Gretzky or LeBron James spent most of their time studying, and not refining their skills, they wouldn’t have become the star athletes they are today. Alternately, if Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk spent the majority of their time playing intramurals, they would not have become the successful entrepreneurial figures they are today. In both cases those people became incredibly influential and successful by doing what best suited them, be that extracurriculars or academics. With this in mind, I find myself prioritizing my GPA, since it is what best suits me and my future success.
The everyday grind of school is certainly not for everyone. Long days followed by homework, and then the responsibility to get a good night’s sleep for the next day can be challenging. For me, however, I thrive off of the repetitiveness of school. While I still enjoy a spontaneous date night or random event, it is my habitual work schedule that keeps me going. However, this would not be possible with many extracurricular activities. If I participated in a multitude of clubs or sports, my schedule would be greatly flooded, and this would dampen not only my spirits but my productivity as well. That being said, I do still participate in clubs. Three of them! While this may seem to go against my motto of putting my GPA first, these clubs still allow me to retain the schedule I need, but also for me to participate in things I enjoy.
The clubs I participate in are Stage Crew, Curling, and German. Without going into too much detail, these clubs allow me to finish my schoolwork and still pursue something I enjoy. A quick explanation is that Stage Crew meets regularly during production season, and allows me to work it into my rather busy academic schedule. Curling and German clubs meet less frequently, yet still mostly regularly, allowing me to complete my work. This allows me to experience the best of both worlds when it comes to school, as I can participate in both my academics and extracurriculars, while still having my main focus on my academics. After all, I believe my high academic achievements will be what sets me up for a brighter future.
While colleges do look at both one’s academic and extracurricular activities, unless you are in a high-tier or competitive sport, they do not seek your success in said activity, only your commitment. By this logic, since I do not play any high-tier sports–and the fact that there are no full-ride scholarships for being the best stage hand–I focus on what is seen as performance-based criteria: My grades. It is my solid grades that colleges will see as attractive, and, when they also see my time commitment outside of the classroom, this will reinforce my grades further, not the other way around. I treat extracurriculars as a boost to my grade, showing that I can keep a perfect GPA, while also doing other things.
My strategy of grades over activities has already proven successful, with Rowan, Widener, Rutgers, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute all having admitted me to their Mechanical Engineering programs, and that’s only so far. With this now-confirmed strategy for success, my plan of setting myself up for success has worked, and while this may seem a little consequentialist, the proof, for me, is in the pudding.