Students can struggle to manage both their extracurriculars and academics. There are pros and cons to both and finding the balance between them can be tricky. 

Extracurriculars

Whether you’re involved in sports, clubs, fine arts or other activities, extracurriculars can bring joy and something to look forward to after sitting in classes all day long. They give students a break from academics and allow them to do something that they are passionate about and enjoy. 

Balancing both academics and extracurriculars can be challenging and stressful. Because of this, students may decide to give up extracurriculars that they are passionate about even though these activities can be more valuable and rewarding. This can be a hard decision for students to make since they enjoy the extracurricular and don’t want to have to give it up. 

Some students join clubs for college resumes while others join them simply for enjoyment and as hobbies. But, when homework piles up, clubs can take away time from studying – especially if a club goes into the evening, causing students to have more stress and less time for sleeping. 

Academics

While doing extracurriculars can be enjoyable, they have an impact on students academically. Extracurriculars take time away from homework.  If students aren’t able to complete their homework, their grades can suffer. Depending on the extracurricular, students may also miss some school.  This can cause unwanted stress for students and can even impact relationships with their teachers. 

If students decide to only focus on academics, students will be able to have more time for homework and hopefully won’t be as stressed about their grades. 

Focusing only on academics, however, can have a negative effect on your mental health in not allowing time for yourself and your interests. You can become too focused on having good grades.

Exemptions 

Many athletes value the sports exemptions for PE class. They are able to use the time to study and complete homework rather than participating in PE class. 

But, what about fine arts? While fine art students don’t work out like athletes, they spend a lot of work and time on their activities, staying at school late at night instead of being able to use the time for homework. 

Giving exemptions for fine arts students, too, to give them more time for homework and themselves would be helpful. The exemptions could even just take place during the busiest time for fine arts students, like in the fall or during production week. 

They could be exempted from PE class or a related class where teachers would allow it. This exemption would help students’ mental health, help students decrease stress and give students the much needed time to complete homework. 

Advice

Try not to stress yourself out with the amount of course work you have or the amount of the extracurriculars that you are a part of. It’s important to have balance between your academics and extracurriculars because it can decrease your stress and have a positive effect on your mental health. Taking time for yourself and your interests is critical.

Think about your priorities. Use your freshman and sophomore year of high school to help you understand more about yourself and learn what your interests are. Be sure to try a variety of extracurriculars. In addition, you can take classes and participate in extracurriculars that align with possible career choices for the future. 

Think about what you want to get out of high school and what makes you happy. When making decisions, follow your heart and make sure you are happy with your decision. It’s about you – not satisfying others. 

When thinking about academics and extracurriculars, it’s important to think about having a balance. Consider what you value most, especially as you think about the long term and how to get the most out of your high school experience.