Extracurricular Activities: A Help or a Hindrance? by Jennifer

Jenniferof Madera's entry into Varsity Tutor's October 2015 scholarship contest

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Jennifer of Madera, CA
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Extracurricular Activities: A Help or a Hindrance? by Jennifer - October 2015 Scholarship Essay

In today's high schools, students are constantly pressured to be active in a multitude of extracurricular activities, whether it be joining a sports team or volunteering. While these activities may be beneficial to a student's growth as a person, they should not be required. Students are already stressed out enough with all their schoolwork and college applications, among other activities outside of school. As a current high school junior, I can attest to this. Forcing them to participate in these activities is just another thing they have to add to their already extensive to-do list before graduation.
The push for high schoolers to have a certain amount of hours of community service is emphasized so often because students are supposed to be well-rounded and active contributors to their community. However, chances are that signing up for volunteering is not something every student is ecstatic about. Making community service a requirement for many reluctant students demeans the value of volunteering. Students will come to hate it instead of feeling happy that they are truly helping, which may lead them to only do the activities half-heartedly. Also, some students may do extensive hours of community service simply because "it looks good". Likely, these students do not really care about serving their community. They are concerned with bolstering their college application.
It is unbelievable how much stress today's high school students are subjected to. This is especially true for high-achieving students in AP and/or Honors courses. In a recent study by New York University, researchers came to a startling conclusion about stress placed on today's students. "There is growing awareness that many subgroups of youth experience high levels of chronic stress, to the extent it impedes their abilities to succeed academically, compromises their mental health functioning, and fosters risk behavior,"(New York University). Researchers discovered that the increased amount of work students receive is already overwhelming. They do not need to do any unnecessary extracurricular activities. These will only weigh them down.
Some may argue that organized extracurricular activities are a crucial component in building a student's character. While it may be true that these activities promote a humane and caring character in students, this is not the only way they can achieve this. For example, some students are preoccupied with other home responsibilities, such as caring for a grandparent or sibling. Some even work for the family business. Is this not an extracurricular activity? Will this not promote a well-rounded character in the student? You can argue all day about what defines an "extracurricular activity", but to me, these home responsibilities are just as valid as conventional extracurricular activities.
All in all, the pressure to participate in after-school activities has increased, and less emphasis should be placed on this. It should be made an option, not a requirement. Students should have the choice of what activities they immerse themselves in. If students choose to partake in something like community service, then they are likely truly passionate about that. Students should be able to choose their extracurricular activities in something they are passionate about because that is where they will be the most productive. Isn't being productive the whole point of engaging in community service? Therefore, it should be a choice, not a requirement.

Works Cited
New York University. "Study examines top high school students' stress, coping mechanisms." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 August 2015. .

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