Why are extra-curricular activities important and the skills you can gain through them?

Extra-curricular activities are the activities in which you participate outside your regular classroom  environment. Extracurricular activities can include arts, athletics, student clubs, sports teams, volunteering, or involvement in student government. Almost anything that you are actively and productively involved in apart from the class room enviorment can be considered an extracurricular activity.

• It has often been said that extracurricular activities are not very important in a college student's life. But a student’s social life is as important as their academic life, for their development. There is so much pressure on students in colleges to score good marks in their semester exams and crack professional examinations.
• College is the only time where one can develop into a  socialable and presentable individual; therefore it is important to participate actively in clubs and societies.
• Co-curricular activities and academics complement each other in developing a well-rounded individual with a balanced set social skills and knolwdge. ‘All work and no play makes jack a dull boy’ is a common proverb and it's very important to understand it.

Few skills which you can gain by participating in extra-curricular activities are:

1. Improved academic performance: It has been proved by various studies that students who participate in extra-curricular activities have a marked improvement in the grades. This can be due to skills they learn such as better time management to accommodate their hobbies and class activities, better organizational skills and a boost in their self-esteem. Skills learnt in clubs such as debate help one to gain confidence and ability to express onse-self.

2. Better time-management skills: Importance of learning how to balance various things in life cannot be underestimated. Time management skills are required at every point in life. A student has to learn how to balance their academic life with their hobbies. They need to know how to incorporate their club and sports activities into their school life and allocate enough time for each. They learn how to plan out their day to include everything and will know how to make use of any free time they may have. Such a person is also less likely to procrastinate.

3. Sense of commitment and responsibility: Students who participate in co-curricular activities have a sense of commitment to whatever they are involved in, and this sense of commitment and responsibility extends to all other areas of their lives.

The aim of education should be to develop an all-rounded individual. This includes the student’s intellectual, spiritual, social, physical and moral capabilities. There is need to strike a balance in all these aspects, so as to make them successful in life.