Though a high GPA cannot replace having strong extracurriculars, and having solely extracurriculars cannot replace having a high GPA, as a student interested in pursuing a future career in biomedical engineering, having strong extracurriculars is more important to me.
When I was applying to colleges, I applied for a few top schools’ biomedical engineering programs. These schools are known to have HUGE applicant pools of nearly 50,000, and it’s hard to distinguish yourself from the rest of the applicants with just your grades. However, with extracurriculars, I can showcase my uniqueness and stand out from others. Though many people could be doing similar extracurriculars, having a unique combination of a few extracurriculars that I’m good at could showcase my personality and my competency outside of being book-smart.
Extracurriculars are not only good for college admissions, but they are also helpful for my future career. For example, even though I (like many others) have taken AP Biology or Human Body Systems, shadowing a doctor at their local clinic allowed me to see the applications of the content I learn at school into real-life situations, as well as develop essential soft skills like communication and listening; I might know how the flu shot prevents you from getting the flu, but only by doing extracurriculars like volunteering at a local clinic would I have learned how to administer the shots and how to interact with uncooperative patients. If I’d only focused on taking harder classes in school to increase my GPA, I would not have the chance to learn how to apply that knowledge to the real-world until I started my career! Focusing more on extracurriculars helps you to gain experience and skills that you can use for a lifetime, giving you a headstart in your career and an advantage in selection processes (like college admissions or job interviews) since you’ll be more well-rounded than others who solely focus on having a high GPA.
Just being book-smart does not guarantee that one will be successful in the workforce. A high GPA is still impressive, yes, but in recent times where grade inflation is rather common, I feel that having a high GPA holds slightly less value than having real-life experiences, since more people are able to achieve similarly high GPAs.
Participating in extracurriculars has allowed me to become more confident in public speaking than I was before, something that I would have put off until much later if I’d simply focused on obtaining a high GPA. In college, I hope to continue to develop the skills outside of the classroom needed to be successful in the workforce.