EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: A MEANS TO AN END

i Graduate schools and employers are interested in what students have previouslyaccomplished in college—beyond attending lectures,taking relevant creditcourses, consumingfacts and figures, solving mathematical equations,and preparing for exams. Successful applications constitute more than a high GPA and test scores. However, appendingextracurricular activities to a resume

5 will not save students if their grades and scores are too low. Graduate schools and companies need people who can balance their academic scheduleswith their personal lives.

Students' own interests should provide the focusfor their extracurricular activities. No categoryof activity is better than another. There is no value distinctionbetween fraternity chapters,literary societies, orchestras, and football teams. However, leadership in one or two

10 activities is often more attractive to admissions authoritiesand employers than random

membership in many different organizations. Some schools and businesses traditionallyfavor activities that involve voluntaryservice to others (children, the elderly, the sick or injured,the homeless), while others may prefer activities that involve the acquisitionof judgment, efficiency, organization, and cooperation, such as working as a journalistfor the student newspaper or

15 administering a volunteer project. Students should normallyfocus their energyon areas that are of interest to them.

Students in all regionshave access to a variety of college and community resourcesthat affecttheir extracurricular selections. For example, legislationhas commissionedcolleges to provide equal sports opportunities and a wider selection of sports to women. As a consequence,more

20 women now participatein college sports, while some traditionally men's sports have been discontinued.

In principle,students should consider experiences that will help them to refinetheir skills outside the classroom as an investmentin their future with potential positive consequences. Students should consider stepping outside their comfort zones and push themselves to learn

25 about and interact with diverse culturalcommunities. The skills acquired in extracurricular activities can be exportedto future activities in the workplace.

Adapted from Extracurricular Options for Pre-meds, 10/17/03, http://www.studentafFairs.columbia.edu/preprofessionaI/health/extra_curricular.php

Chapter 4 • Student Activities

1. Vocabulary in Context

Find the boldface words in the text that correspond to the following meanings. Paragraph 1

A.

at an earlier time

b. ___________________ a statement of the equality of two amounts

C.

using in large amounts

d. ___________________ are considered as

Paragraph 2

gam

type or variety

usually

difference

local division of a larger organization

main point

people who are hurt

existing for a long time

Paragraph 3

m. ___________________ laws

n. ___________________ result

o. ___________________ given official authority

p. ___________________ _ influence

Paragraph 4

q. ___________________ sent out

r. ___________________ _ effort and time to get an advantage

s. ___________________ in general

t. ___________________ _ relating to customs and beliefs of a group of people

36 Essential Academic Vocabulary

2. Reading Comprehension

EI Getting the Facts

Put a check mark {/) next to the statements that are true, according to the information in the reading.

a. ____ Admission to a graduate school depends only on a student's GPA.

b. ____ Extracurricular activities can compensate for very low grades when applying for

graduate school admission or jobs.

c. _____ It is better to be a member of the college orchestra than to be a member of a

fraternity.

d. ____ Some graduate schools and employers prefer to admit students with service-oriented

activities.

e. _____ Journalism is an example of a service-oriented activity.

f. _____ Students should try to participate in a wide range of activities, even if they are not

interested in them.

g. ____ Recent legislation has favored men's sports over women's sports.

h. ____ Students should think of extracurricular activities as a possible advantage to their

careers.

i. ____ Staying within one's comfort zone requires little effort.

j. ____ Participating in extracurricular activities wastes too much valuable time.

Eul Making Inferences

The following table shows the percentage of students from some different majors who participate in various kinds of extracurricular activities at one particular college. Study the table and draw some inferences from the information provided.

Chapter 4 • Student Activities 37

Survey of Participation in Extracurricular Activities

Foreign Psychology Education Engineering Languages Business

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1539