Should You Participate In Co-curricular Activities When Studying Abroad?

By Author: Aarohi Tidke
Total Articles: 2
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The students when decides to move abroad to take up higher studies have to be mentally prepared to face the emotional turmoil’s like homesickness, loneliness and even cultural shocks. But it can be managed as the time passes by and they become busy in studies and takes up extracurricular activities, which are not only means of keeping one busy in idle time but also a source of recreation. This co-curricular activity nurtures the qualities like team spirit, perseverance, confidence which prepares the students to face the practical world in future. Many US Universities and colleges have included them as part of their curriculum and encouraging students to participate in them for the following reasons –

Source of recreation:

Whether they take up any sporting activity or join a dance class, as par their interest, it acts as refreshment from the burdened academic life and they come back to classes with new enthusiasm and fresh energy. It keeps them physically as well as mentally fit and even prevents them from getting indulged in any unsocial practices and channelizes their energy in right way. It is the ...
... best way for the students to pursue their passion along with the studies abroad.

Helps in academic life:

Some of the achievements and accolades received from these activities often benefits the students in obtaining internships and scholarships and thereby helps in financing their studies. Apart from this the participants are given preferences for some popular courses tan the students who spend their time ideally.

Build up working skills:

As they get involved with individuals of different background, they develops the skills to work together, eventually creates a bonding and team spirit. Those who are given the responsibility of a leader develop leadership skills like team planning and management and decision taking responsibilities at critical junctures. It creates the interpersonal skills of negotiating, managing conflicts and leads the other by examples. All these skills help them in future career life and an employer even values them.

Community service helps in building uniqueness in diversity:

That who participates in community services gets to mix with people from different ethnic and cultural background and hence gets a chance to know their culture. It gives an opportunity to exchange ideas understand pertinent issues and gets to know about practical problems and the ways to handle them. Eventually it gives them a flavor of real life experiences which comes handy while they enter their job field. These students even receive training from professional individual or student volunteers. This activity on resume acts as an extra selling point while they start their search for jobs. It even gives them a chance to interact with people of peer groups of similar interests and creates social integration.

One of the job consultants in support says “Though the co curricular activities won’t help you get a job but adds value to your resume and tend to infer that you can work well in a team and go all out in tough situations and put in extra hours than you are supposed to”.
It has been very well said that “Excess of anything is bad”. So students need to prioritize and accordingly need to adjust their academic and personal life to become a multi-talented individual.

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