Three notes about extra-curricular activities in your study abroad application

Extracurricular activities should start in 9th grade, with a focus instead of numbers, according to a speaker from the US Embassy in Vietnam.

Extracurricular activities are one of the key factors in college admissions in the US, alongside transcripts, essays and letters of recommendation, says Cristina Bain, independent education consultant and speaker at the conference. draft of the US Embassy on May 25.

Ms. Cristina holds a training certificate in admissions counseling from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). According to the US Embassy, ​​during her 10 years as an independent education consultant in Hanoi, she has helped many Vietnamese and worldwide students get into American universities.

Ms. Cristina said that the reason why extracurricular activities are valued is because schools want to see what kind of people they are, what activities they have outside of school and class.

"They also want to know how you interact with people and how you understand the world. Because what you do affects who you will become in the future," Ms. Cristina said.

Education counselor Cristina Bain at an information sharing session at the US Embassy on May 25. Photo: Binh Minh

Here are three notes on extracurricular activities to prepare for the US student application, according to Ms. Cristina:

Starting from 9th grade

Extracurriculars can be divided into categories such as creative activities, work experiences, leadership abilities, interests or personal interests... According to Ms. Cristina, it's never too late to start. extracurricular activities but should prepare early.

"Grade 9 is the right time to start and go through to 12th grade," she said, saying that in 9th grade children should participate in whatever activities they enjoy. This is the most free time in high school, so give it a try until you find your passion.

In 10th grade, students focus on small activities, strengthen their skills and pursue their interests. Grade 11 is considered a pivotal year to gain experience. Students may seek leadership roles in clubs and groups, take up a job or do an internship to expand their knowledge.

In Grade 12, as you are busy with standardized tests and preparing for the early November application period, try something that interests you or matches your academic interests.

If you don't know where to start, Cristina says students can focus on four areas: learning, service, leadership or personal interest. It's important to link it to your chosen field, such as volunteering in animal rescue if you want to major in veterinary medicine.

Extracurricular activities relevant to the major

Ms. Cristina said there are two terms for extracurricular activities, including "extracurricular" and "supercurricular". Supercurricular refers to activities that are directly related to a candidate's academic interests, while extracurricular activities are the opposite, ie extracurricular activities that may not be related to the subject of interest.

While most universities in the UK and Australia value "supercurricular", schools in the US and Canada are interested in "extracurricular", according to Ms. Cristina. Therefore, students need to know how to prepare and direct extracurricular activities to suit their study abroad destination.

For example, for students who want to apply for a scholarship to study Biology and Biochemistry in the US or Canada, Ms. Cristia suggests they should have experience related to laboratory or scientific research such as research assistant, volunteering. STEM (Science - Technology - Engineering - Mathematics) teacher. In addition, because the candidate enjoys playing basketball, electronic guitar, violin and is interested in starting a business, it is possible to launch some small business activities; organize charity music events or teach children how to play the piano or form a band.

"She wants to study Biology and Biochemistry, so schools will be impressed if they have research experience or related work," she said.

Value quality over quantity

When counseling parents and students, Ms. Cristina often gets the question "how many extracurricular activities do you need?". Experts say college applications do not have a specific requirement for the number of extracurricular activities, but applicants should be concerned with the quality of the activities, rather than the quantity, which means participating in the activities that interest them and Fit.

According to a survey by US News & World Report , 72% of admissions officers prefer students to focus on one continuous topic, rather than participating in a variety of activities. Ms. Cristina gave an example between a student volunteering in Mai Chau for three weeks and another student teaching English to disadvantaged children, two hours a week for six months, the admissions committee usually chooses second people.

"Schools rely on a number of criteria such as level of participation, length of participation, location, responsibilities to evaluate your extracurricular activities. A profile of many activities shows that the candidate is active but cannot shows commitment, engagement and continuity," she explains.

In addition to the above factors, a strong profile also needs good grades from 9th to 12th, SAT, IELTS or TOEFL scores, letters of recommendation and proof of family's financial ability. If you go to a public school, you can get a letter of recommendation from your homeroom teacher, while in a private school, you can get academic advisors.