Extracurricular activity

Extracurricular activities are activities performed by students that fall outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school or university education. Extracurricular activities exist at all levels of education, from high school and college to university education. Such activities are generally voluntary as opposed to mandatory, non-paying, tend to be social or philanthropic as opposed to scholastic, and involve others of the same age. Students often organize and direct these activities under faculty sponsorship.

Historical background

The extracurriculum made its appearance in American colleges in the nineteenth century. It complemented the curriculum as much as subverted it. The students found in it a kind of laboratory for practical and vocational interests. The first extracurricular activities were student literary societies (which had roots in the previous century at Harvard and Yale), debate clubs, and by mid-century, Greek letter fraternities and sororities. Students also initiated and organized the early athletic programs on American college campuses. Literary societies were on the decline by the turn of the twentieth century, and some educators felt that less desirable extracurricular activities were now distracting students from their curricular responsibilities. Intercollegiate athletics soon became the dominant element in the extracurriculum in most American colleges and high schools.

Such activities as school newspaper and interschool sports programs have been part of American high schools since the World War I era. Today’s public high schools offer a comprehensive array of extracurricular activities to complement the curriculum.

Companies seeking job applicants do not look solely for those with a high GPA; employers look at extracurricular activities to determine if the applicant is the best suited for the job.

Examples

General

sports
art and culture: school band, art club, ...
Religious activities

High School and College

clubs such as math club, Key Club (USA) and SADD (USA).
philanthropy Key Club

University

education: students' union, student government.
science & education honor society (USA)
scholastic, for example in law school students may participate in moot court, or the publication of a law review.

Debatable Cases

Part-time jobs are sometimes, but not always, classified as extracurricular activities.