How to reach higher levels in extracurriculars?Answered
I have some extracurriculars that I really like but I do them purely recreationally. For example, I play the piano, go swimming, and code with python but none of these are done competitively and I am in no way an expert. I will be a Freshman next fall and so I have 4 years to improve my skill/skill level in these extracurriculars. I can practice these and get good but how do I show that I have contributed to my community using my skills? In short, I want to show colleges that I am in this club or have helped develop this app. But I have no idea how to do that. (Also I'm not that good at explaining my problem so hope this explanation wasn't too bad).
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3 answers
Try taking tests or entering competitions for those extracurricular activities.
For piano: take the ABRSM, Trinity, etc tests and try to get to the highest qualification. Or start a piano youtube channel. Maybe give small lessons each video, give tips, make piano covers for songs. If you take the ABRSM tests, vlog your process! Start a music club at your school or join a band that is exclusively dedicated to piano or something like that. Start teaching piano lessons! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0t0J2yEYozG-oVLkW8VgIw
Alan Chan's piano channel is an excellent example of something you could do!
For swimming: join your high school's team, and get into the varsity team as soon as you can. Become a lifeguard over the summer. Teach swimming lessons through community ed. Try to get the highest qualification in this.
Python: join the robotics team at your high school. Robotics involves a lot of coding as well, so you could learn more than just python. Plus it looks good on your resume/application. Join a coding competition of sorts and try to place. Start a python coding club at your school, or maybe just a coding club so its not a narrow focus.
There are a hundred different things to do with those ECs. You don't have to stay limited to just those EC's. Expand them to something more than they already are. Good luck! I hope this helped!
Hello, I think it is great that you are looking ahead! With playing the piano, you can use this skill in the community by teaching others how to play, virtually or in person. It can be a club or a class! With swimming, you should join a swimming team in your community and participate in competitions. Maybe you can also start a swimming team if there is not one already in your community! I wish I knew how to code, you can do a lot of things with coding. You can build an app that would be beneficial to the community or involves something you like. I said this because when you are applying to colleges, you can talk about your app and it will show how passionate you are at coding. You can even start your own coding club or teach people around your community how to code! There are numerous things you can do to enhance your extracurriculars! I hope this was helpful!! :)
For piano, many nursing homes etc love when students come to play for the residents because it can brighten their day so much! Maybe your school can start a music therapy club and you can be a part of it.
For coding, if you are interested in pursuing any higher learning in technology, why not just learn other programming languages as well? Just because you don't do something competitively doesn't mean you won't have soemthing to show for yourself. Knowledge is valuable too!
For swimming, join a competitive team whether it is in your community or at your school. Lifegaurding is also great because it provides job experience and certifies that you are a fully competent swimmer.
Good luck!
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Thanks for the detailed answer!