In high school, you will make a lot of decisions that will prepare you for college and your future! Believe it or not, being part of student organizations or high school clubs is one of them. As more schools across the country continue to stop accepting SAT/ACT scores as part of college applications, it's important to have other ways to boost them to get accepted. Here are 5 important reasons why you should join a high school club.

Making friends

Fitting in isn’t as natural for some as it is for others. That’s okay. We all socialize differently. Joining a club or organization is an easy way to meet people who have the same interests as you. What better way to spark a new friendship than to talk about something you know you both already enjoy? Because you have interests in common, you’ll feel more comfortable to really be yourself!

College admissions

When it comes to  college applications, admissions boards like to see students who are diverse in their interests both inside and outside of the classroom. No high school club or organization is better than the other, so choose something that truly ignites your passion. What’s important is that you can demonstrate commitment to a cause, group, or interest; and how your impact helped it grow. 

That doesn’t mean you need to join every student organization at your high school. Involvement and achievement with one or two solid organizations are enough to show college admissions boards how well rounded you are. 

Skill development

Clubs and organizations are a great way to help develop your character and the  skills that will benefit you in school, your career and in life. Skills like commitment, leadership, effective communication, and being able to work successfully in a group all come from participating in one.

Networking

This word may not have crossed your radar yet, but if it hasn’t, get acquainted. Your network is a group of people you are connected to for various reasons. When you make a new academic, personal or professional connection with someone or start a new relationship we call it networking. If you’re looking for new opportunities, a job, a recommendation, a favor or anything along those lines, the people in  your network can help you. 

For example, let’s say you’re a part of the photography club and you end up entering a photography contest through the club. One of the judges is on a scholarship committee in their line of work. The judge likes your photo and thinks you’d be an excellent candidate for the scholarship. Now all of a sudden you have a scholarship for college because of a contest you entered in photo club. Opportunities like these happen all the time!

The point is, you never know how the people you meet today can help you tomorrow. Joining a club or organization can give you access to new networking opportunities that you should definitely take advantage of when needed!

Build your resume

 It's important to know that you will need a resume to land a job or an internship! In short, a resume is a brief document that lists your education history, experience, skills and other attributes that make you the perfect candidate for the job you’re pursuing. If you’ve never had a job before, a good way to show experience is to list your experience in these groups on your resume.

For example, if you want to do an internship at a local newspaper but have no professional journalistic experience, you could use your involvement with journalism club or yearbook club to help show your understanding of the job.

If you do have job experience, having a student organization on your resume can be useful to show a future employer what you’re involved in outside of work that supports or increases efficiency in your role. Not sure how to build your resume?  Use our job resume template to help you get started!

Extracurricular activities and high school clubs have a lot to offer. Whether you join,  create, or lead one, participating in an extracurricular activity will not only enhance your school experience but also help prepare you for life and your future endeavors!

Have any questions about high school clubs and how your experience in them can benefit you? Leave us a comment on Instagram @getschooled or text #Hello to 33-55-77!