There are many activities to get involved in at The Priory Pembroke Academy.

Details of the clubs we offer are regularly posted on our facebook and twitter page.

 

The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities - Student advice!

1. Improved Academic Performance

Some students worry that participating in extracurriculars may take away too much time from their schoolwork, thus hurting their grades; however, extracurricular activities can actually improve your grades and your outlook on school in general!

Participating in activities you are passionate about can increase your brain function, help you concentrate and manage your time better, all of which contribute to higher grades. High endurance sports, for example, will train you to focus and build stamina in the face of intense difficulty. This gives you an advantage when it comes to studying and taking exams.

Heaps of studies have been conducted on the relationship between extracurricular activities and academic performance, and they all show that student who participate in them have higher grades, more positive attitudes towards school and higher academic aspirations.

That being said, taking on too many activities can detract from your school work. Always find a balance.

2.. Explore Interests and Create Broader Perspectives

When you participate in multiple different activities, you’ll get the opportunity to explore a range of interests and unlock passions you never knew you had!

Plus, diversifying your interests subsequently broadens your world view.

Think about it this way: if you join a philosophy club you’ll begin to look at the world through the eyes of a budding philosopher.

You’ll begin to question everything and anything you see or hear, which may annoy your friends a bit but will also help you think more critically and not take everything at face value – both valuable skills in today’s “fake news” world.

3. Higher Self-esteem

The more you achieve success through activities you’re passionate about, the more your self confidence will improve.

For example, let’s say you’re really good at maths and your teacher encourages you to get involved in competitions. You join the school team and start training for the national Maths Olympiad. During the process you realise how fun maths can be and how talented you actually are, which gives your confidence a massive boost.

Working hard and mastering new skills in a fun, relaxed – and sometimes competitive – setting allows you to be successful without the pressure of getting a good grade.

Plus, once your confidence improves, you’ll be more open to taking risks in all aspects of your life, not just in Maths Olympiads.

4. Social Opportunities

Let’s be honest, making friends can be hard but one of the easiest ways to make friends is, yep you guessed it, through extracurricular activities!

Each extracurricular you engage in provides you with another opportunity to expand your social network, which will also come in handy when you’re looking for a job.

Helllooo networking!

Plus, if you make friends in your extracurricular activities, you’ll be more likely to get more deeply involved.

For example, if you make a few friends doing community service at school you might decide start a volunteer club together and really make an impact in your community!

5. Productive Breaks

How much would your life suck if all you did was go to school, do homework and sleep?

Luckily, extracurricular activities give you something fun (and parent approved) to do aside from school.

Take the much needed break, you deserve it!

6. Essential Life Skills

On top of all of the benefits of extracurricular activities we already talked about, one of the greatest advantages extracurricular activities give you are “real world” skills.

These skills include (but are not limited to):

• Goal setting
• Teamwork
• Time management
• Prioritisation
• Problem solving
• Analytical thinking
• Leadership
• Public speaking

The more you push yourself in your extracurricular endeavours, the more you’ll develop these skills. If you’re passionate about coding, you might join the school coding club, where you’ll develop teamwork, problem solving and analytical thinking skills.

But you could take that passion even further and create your own coding club, where you’ll develop goal setting, time management, prioritisation, leadership and public speaking skills.

Phew! That’s a lot of responsibility. Each and every step will teach you a new skill you can use for the rest of your life.

7. CVs

Without much previous work experience, one of the only ways hiring managers can assess your ability and work ethic is through your extracurricular activities.

For example, if you were on a debating team, the manager would know that you work well with others, can argue a point professionally and have public speaking experience - all good skills to have in the workplace!

8. University Applications

Last but not least, university applications!

Whaaat? Since when do universities care about your extracurricular activities? As long as you get the right grade, you’re in!

It’s pretty much impossible to get into any university in the UK without extracurricular activities.

Universities in the UK want to see that you’ve gone above and beyond in your intended area of study and have made a difference and/or excelled your field.

If you want to major in chemistry, a UK university is more likely to accept you if you’ve joined a chemistry club, taken extra chemistry courses at your local university and volunteered in a lab.