With nearly 450 extracurriculars to choose from, Harvard students have no problem staying busy. Whether oriented toward athletics, the arts, public service, or pre-professional work, extracurriculars entail intense comp processes, extensive hours of work, and a laundry list of responsibilities. An unprecedented number of organizations are available to students, and they offer something most Harvard courses cannot: intangible skills, social connections, and the opportunity to learn in the “real world.”
Students are frequently advised to strike a balance between extracurricular and academic pursuits during their time on campus. However, over 100 new student groups have been formed in the past decade alone, indicating a shift in the campus culture surrounding extracurriculars. Enhanced commitment to and involvement in opportunities outside of the classroom can, at times, seem to eclipse the learning that takes place within its four walls. And yet, because extracurriculars are unique and customizable, they offer fulfillment that classes alone cannot. For this reason, more and more students are committing their time and energies to enterprises outside the classroom.
The Benefits of Participation
The balance between academic and extracurricular pursuits has been a contentious topic on Harvard’s campus in the past. However, studies have proven the positive effects of extracurriculars to be indisputable. School-sponsored activities are shown to be correlated with high academic performance in eighth graders, and extracurriculars also lowered the dropout rates of at-risk high school students. Another study found that extracurricular engagement decreased stress and increased life satisfaction in college students who felt a strong sense of belonging within their school.
In a Huffington Post article, Mike Fucci, chairman of the board for Deloitte, notes the value of the extracurricular experience, citing research showing that participation in extracurriculars leads students to do better academically, have an easier time adjusting to college, and possess a more positive self-image. Research like this has spurred many colleges to formally recognize the value of extracurriculars. The University of Pittsburgh designed its own curriculum to offer outside-the-classroom experiences that pair with students’ academic endeavors, while Tulane University includes community engagement as a prerequisite for graduation.
While extracurriculars can pave the way for academic and pre-professional success, they also promote a sense of personal gratification. Elizabeth Herington ’20 participates in an array of extracurricular activities, but the Navy ROTC program, she told the HPR, is the most time-consuming. “It’s meant to be a lot of work because it’s a development program, so we’re doing things that are hard because they’re good for us. We’re doing things that are hard because it’s trying to make you a better person.”
Extracurriculars influence more than academic development. Often, these pursuits are critical in prompting students to develop strong personal attributes they will carry on into adulthood. Herington believes her participation in ROTC has imbued in her lifelong skills she would not have otherwise obtained, such as self-discipline, time management, and self-care. “If I was just a student I don’t think I’d have the same habits that I have because I’m in ROTC,” she said.
Tony Shu ‘21, co-founder of Breaktime, a social enterprise seeking to launch the careers of young adults experiencing homelessness, also believes that his extracurricular commitment influenced his personal growth. “I used to be a very shy kid, and I would hate meeting new people and talking to new people,” Shu recalled in an interview with the HPR. “But with a startup, the majority of what you’re doing is talking. You can’t develop confidence in your own voice unless you spend the time to practice speaking. Startups inherently make you practice, because that’s all you ever really have to do.”
Accommodating Academics, Complementing Curriculum
Extracurriculars teach intangible skills not otherwise acquired during day-to-day life as a student, and these skills can launch students to future successes both in the classroom and beyond. Angela Duckworth, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, identified college graduates who had held a level of leadership or achievement in an extracurricular as more successful than those who had not. In her study, Duckworth found that teachers who had participated in an extracurricular in college were more effective at raising their pupils’ scores than the teachers who had not participated in any extracurriculars. The GPAs and grades of the two sets of teachers were not related to any differences in their teaching performance. Rather, Duckworth estimates that the more effective teachers utilized passion, energy, and perseverance in the job — qualities developed primarily through participation in their extracurricular of choice.
Despite the common concern that extracurriculars might distract from academic work, the two frequently complement each other. Shu appreciates the intersections between social enterprise and academia and accommodates both by selecting courses relevant to his entrepreneurial pursuits. “Being a student and being an entrepreneur are not opposed. They feed into each other because the things I learn in class really do apply to my work, and the things I learn through work help me bring a different perspective to my classes.”
Extracurriculars can also compel students to examine their priorities, which is often the first step toward sharpening skills and interests. When asked about being both a student and an entrepreneur, Shu said, “I don’t necessarily think I’ve had to sacrifice anything, but it’s made me think more clearly about where I want to spend my time.”
Nadya Okamoto, founder and executive director of PERIOD, a non-profit that provides basic menstrual care to those in need, is currently taking a leave of absence to commit herself to the non-profit and plans to return to Harvard in the fall. Realizing the inherent value in classes that shape thought, analysis, and cultural appreciation, Okamoto told the HPR that she is clearer about what she wants to get out of her remaining semesters after taking time off for her extracurricular (now turned non-profit): “I learned so much more about what I want out of education,” Okamoto said.
While classroom learning does contribute to forming well-rounded and thoughtful citizens, extracurriculars allow students to apply the things they have learned to outside endeavors. “In this time when youth activism and youth in politics is so hot, I learned so much [about] that [by] experiencing it in the real world,” said Okamoto.
Despite the ephemerality of the four years spent on Harvard’s campus, few students can imagine these years without their extracurricular pursuits. “I’ll be the first to admit that … in a heartbeat, I’d choose my extracurricular work over school,” said Okamoto. Extracurriculars are often considered more immediate, more relevant, and more important than academics due to their real-world, real-time applications. With the two pursuits each vying for students’ energy and attention, maintaining a balance becomes necessary. “I think extracurriculars are more important than coursework, but I think even if that’s the case, they still work in tandem,” remarked Shu. “But extracurriculars help make you a more well-rounded person and citizen.”
Maintaining a Careful Balance
Although extracurriculars are a deeply ingrained component of the college experience, some feel that their role should be mitigated. William Hurst, associate professor of political science at Northwestern University, calls for an end to the “extracurriculars arms race.” In an opinion piece for Inside Higher Ed, Hurst warns that many of the country’s best students are squandering their talent by turning their attention to various extracurricular activities over academic work. In closing, he implores colleges to prioritize academics before extracurriculars “destroy” higher education.
Because they carry heavy weight with college admissions, extracurriculars are emphasized long before college matriculation. In an interview with U.S. News, Sara Harberson, a former admissions officer at both Franklin & Marshall College and the University of Pennsylvania, advised high school students that within school-sponsored activities, “the competition to stand out and make an impact is going to be much stiffer, and so if they’re going to do a popular activity, I’d say, be the best at it.”
With the bar already set high, it is expected that competitive mentalities surrounding extracurriculars will manifest themselves on college campuses, much to the chagrin of opponents like Hurst. Herein lies the challenge students face in navigating the things they want to do inside the classroom as well as the things they want to do outside of it — Herington, for example, made the decision to drop several extracurriculars to restore balance between her courses and other pursuits. “Being in a classroom at Harvard, you only get four years to do that. You can learn leadership skills your entire life.”
Unique Learning Opportunities
Harvard’s coursework demands attention, yet extracurriculars frequently demand priority. As an avenue for impact outside the classroom, many students seek to maximize the opportunities presented to them through extracurriculars. “Being an entrepreneur has grounded me more,” Shu recalled. “It’s a constant reminder that we’re at Harvard for a greater purpose than just taking classes. We should definitely be learning for the sake of learning, but I think the ultimate purpose of that is to contribute to our community in a positive way.”
While not all extracurriculars draw students towards pre-professional experiences, all hone skills that serve students well beyond their time at Harvard. Varsity or club athletics, musical and theatrical projects, and diversity groups — classic collegiate experiences rather than new-world paraprofessional ones — offer fruitful relationships, intangible skills, and diverse experiences that shape the personal development of each student. For many, they simply offer a creative or social outlet.
For others, extracurriculars, far from trivial or insignificant after-school endeavors, take up a large portion of time, energy, and emotional expenditure. For some students, they supersede academics in priority. This is not unjustified, as extracurriculars help craft unique and rewarding college experiences. To maximize both academic and extracurricular experiences, the trick, it seems, is to strike a healthy balance between the two. As students’ attention increasingly turns to extracurriculars, it may be time to meld extracurriculars into Harvard’s curriculum in an effort to interlace the two college components. Once future students find that extracurriculars complement, rather than compete with, their academics, the depth and breadth of personal fulfillment will know no bounds.
Herington says she speaks only for herself and does not represent the views of the military.
Image Credit: Unsplash/Jeremy Bishop