Complete List of

Extracurricular Activities: 100s of Examples

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What Is An Extracurricular Activity?

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An extracurricular activity can be almost anything that isn't required for high school credit or paid employment that you do while you're in high school. These activities will become very important later, such as when you are applying to colleges, because they help you develop your talents, interests, and passions. They can also teach you practical skills like time management.

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With so many options out there, all students should be able to find an extracurricular that they are interested in and can develop a passion for!

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Remember that extracurricular activities do not have to be sponsored by your school, so you should also consider things that you do with your family or within your community as viable options.

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Below I've listed many popular activities that you may not have thought of as extracurricular activities. Take a look at the list and see if your activities are already on the list, or if anything you hadn't considered before catches your eye.

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Of course, this list isn't complete, because you can turn almost any interest into an extracurricular. If you are actively involved in something that you don't see here—meaning you spend a significant amount of time doing an activity that is allowing you to develop a talent or interest, be a leader, or help out your community—then you should definitely consider that an extracurricular activity, as well!

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What doesn't necessarily count as an extracurricular? Any interest of yours that's very self-centered is probably not going to make the cut.

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An extracurricular should be an activity that demonstrates a talent or primarily contributes value to other people. If you have to really contort to find justification for something being an extracurricular (my taking drivers ed will make the roads safer for everyone! Keeping my vaccinations up to date helps immunocompromised people!), then chances are, it won't count as an extracurricular.

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There's a spectrum here, though—for example, improving your hair quality or braiding hair for fun isn't really an extracurricular. But starting a YouTube channel around beauty tips or creating a club for teen health enthusiasts definitely does.

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But if you're still unsure if something counts as an extracurricular, or you need some inspiration, then read on for our complete list of extracurricular activities.

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How Should You Use This Extracurricular Activities List?

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Not sure how you should use this list of extracurriculars? Just follow the six steps outlined in this section, and you'll be on your way to choosing the best extracurricular for you!

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Step 1: Brainstorm Extracurricular Ideas

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What are your interests? Have you always wanted to try out something related to art, but weren't sure if it would be worth your time, or if it would be viewed favorably by a college admissions team? Keep in mind that colleges don't really care about what kind of activity you are doing—instead, they want to see that you are doing something that you are passionate about. So make a list of all of your interests—both things that you are already interested in and other areas that intrigue you and you'd like to learn more about.

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Step 2: See Which Extracurriculars Fit Your Interests

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Look through the list below and see if any of the activities match your interests. You may see some ways that you hadn't thought of before to pursue an interest! Keep in mind that there can be a lot of different outlets for each interest you have. For example, if you want to play an instrument, you can take private classes, play in your school's marching band, play in a community concert band, or work as part of the orchestra for your school's next musical.

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Step 3: Research Different Extracurricular Options

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Research to see if these activities are available at your high school or in your community. If there is something you are very passionate about that's not already offered, consider starting up a group of your own. But if you aren't sure that the interest will stick and you only want to try it out, it's probably best to find a different outlet for your curiosity.

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Step 4: Join Some Activities

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The next step is to start doing activities! But how many should you do? If you are a freshman, I would recommend trying out a bunch of different activities--up to ten if there are that many you have an interest in. The idea at this stage is to sample a variety of extracurriculars. Once you start to get an idea of which activities are going to really help you develop the interests you are most passionate about, you can dedicate more time to those and drop the others.

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Step 5: Narrow Down Your Extracurriculars

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If you are a sophomore, junior, or senior, you should hopefully already have an idea of the kinds of activities that you want to focus on. Make a list of the top five activities that interest you. If you have the time to try out all five, go for it. This will give you a bit of time to experiment and see what's most of interest. If you don't have time, try to narrow down your top five to three activities.

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Step 6: Increase Your Impact in a Few Activities

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Remember to not spread yourself too thin, especially if you are above freshman year. It's more important to spend significant time in each activity than it is to have a long list of activities. Choose activities that will allow you to make a meaningful impact, either in your own development, or in the community.

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Extracurriculars List by Category

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This list is organized into categories to make finding an activity that matches your interests easier. However, we recommend at least skimming all the extracurricular options below, even if you think they're categories you're not interested in. You never know what might catch your eye!

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Note: not all schools will offer formal clubs in all these categories. If you see something you're interested in that your school doesn't offer, try joining a community group or even a national or online group to explore the interest further! Many of these topics are available as summer camp activities, as well.

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You can also consider starting a club at your school if you are looking for a way to get involved in something you are interested in while also showing leadership and initiative.

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Academic

These activities are based on a certain academic subject, and include both clubs (groups to discuss and practice certain subjects) and competitive teams. Academic teams have competitions that take place at all levels, from local to national.

 

Clubs

Adopt-A-Physicist

Architecture Club

Astronomy Club

Biology Club

Chemistry Club

Economics Club

Electronics Club

Engineering Club

English Club

Distributive Education Clubs of America

History Club

Life Sciences Club

Literature Club

Literary Magazine Club

Math Club

Mu Alpha Theta: Math Honor Society

National Honor Society

Peer Tutoring

Poetry Club

Physics Club

Psychology Club

Quill and Scroll

Robotics Club

Science National Honors Society

Trivia and Quiz Clubs

Web design/coding club

Writing Club

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Academic Competitive Teams

Academic Decathlon

Academic Triathlon

American Mathematics Competitions

American Regions Math League

Caribou Mathematics Competition

Chemistry Olympiad

Clean Tech Competition

Creative Communication Poetry Contest

EconChallenge

Educators Rising

FIRST Robotics Competition

High School Innovation Challenge

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

Kids Philosophy Slam

Math League

National Academic Quiz Tournament

National French Contest

National History Bee

National Spelling Bee

Odyssey of the Mind

Poetry Out Loud

Questions Unlimited

Quiz Bowl

Science Bowl

Science Olympiad

Other Trivia and Quiz Competition Teams

 

Art

These activities will allow you to express yourself artistically—on paper, through a lens, on stage, and through several other media. Unleash your creativity!

Animation

Anime/Manga Club

Art Club

Art: drawing, painting

Blacksmithing

Cartooning

Ceramics

Drama Club

Fashion design

Graphic Design

Jewelry Making

Photography

Sculpture

Sewing

High School Theater Program

Community Theater Program

Video Game Development Club

Weaving

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Cultural and Language

These activities may help you reconnect with your roots, or allow you to get a taste of the world's diversity without ever leaving home. There are many other cultural and language-related activities that you can participate in. Some of the most common ones are listed below.

African American Student Alliances/Clubs

American Sign Language Club

Chinese Club

French Club

German Club

International Food Club

Latin Club

Pacific Islanders Club

Russian Club

South Asian Student Society

Spanish Club

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Community

These activities will allow you to get involved in your community.

4-H

Community Festivals

Do Something

Habitat for Humanity

JUNTOS

Key Club

Kids Helping Kids

Leo Club

Mountaineers Club

Sisters on the Runway

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Government

Interested in making a difference in your school, community, or on a larger scale, through policy? Try a government-related activity to see if this could be a career interest for you!

Community Youth Board

Student Council

Student Government

Community Government

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Leadership

These activities could be a fit if you're a natural leader, skilled at motivating, directing, and inspiring others.

National Beta Club

Peer Leadership Group

 

Media

If you love writing and communicating, consider getting involved in a media activity to help bring news and information to your school or community.

School or local magazine/journal

School or local newspaper

School or local radio station

School or local television channel

School or local web site

Work on a movie

Yearbook Committee

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Military

If you are interested in learning about discipline, teamwork, and leadership, then you may be interested in a military-based extracurricular activity.

Civil Air Patrol

Junior ROTC

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Music

If you want to try playing an instrument or singing, there are many opportunities to try music-related activities. These are usually available both in your school community and in your wider community.

Any musical interest club

School Chorus/Choir

Community Chorus/Choir

Church Chorus/Choir

Chamber Music Group

Concert Band

Ensembles

Singing Lessons

Marching Band

Jazz Band

Orchestra

Solo music

Your own band

Tri-M Music Honor Society

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Performance Art

Love to ham it up? You'll find there are many outlets both in your school and in your community to get on a stage and make an audience laugh and cry.

Comedy Club

Choreography

Classic Film Club

Dance

Film Production Club

International Thespian Society

Miming

Puppetry

Slam Poetry Club

High School Theater Group

Community Theater Group

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Religious

You can usually find these groups in your community.

Church groups

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Jewish Student Union

Missionary work

Youth Groups

 

Roleplaying/Fantasy

Did you know your love of fantasy can also be an extracurricular activity? Participating in one of these groups can show a dedication to many different creative skills.

The Civil War Reenactors

Dungeons and Dragons Club

Gamers Club

LARPing (Live Action Role Playing)

Renaissance Faires

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Social Activism

These groups may have chapters in your school or in your community. If there's a cause you're passionate about, seek out the local group that supports it.

Amnesty International

Animal Rights Club

Breast Cancer Awareness

Cancer Foundation

Environmental Club

Fair Trade Club

Gay-Straight Alliance

Girls Lean International

NOW—National Organization for Women

SADD—Students Against Destructive Decisions

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Special Interest

You will often find these groups in your school or supported by the community. If you have a special interest in something that you can't find a local group for, consider creating one or join a national group. You can communicate with other people who have the same interest online, and attend meet-ups throughout the year.

Boy Scouts

Chess Club

Equestrian Club

Entrepreneurship Club

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)

Girl Scouts

Horticulture Club

Model Railroads

Quilt Making

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Speech and Political Interest

If you have a knack for recognizing faulty logic and destroying opponents' arguments, try one of these clubs. Many schools will sponsor these groups and some of them are competitive on local and national levels.

Debate Club

Euro Challenge

Foreign Affairs Club

Forensics Team

High School Democrats of America

High School Fed Challenge

Junior Statesmen of America

Mock Trial Club

Model Congress Club

Model United Nations

National Speech and Debate Association

Speech Club

Teenage Republicans

Young Democrats of America

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Sports and Recreation

You probably already know about the sports teams at your schools, but there are also many opportunities to participate outside of those. Try doing extramural sports, join a club league in your community, or consider coaching a youth team.

Baseball and softball

Basketball

Bodybuilding

Cheerleading

Climbing Club

Cycling

Dance Team

Fencing

Football

Golf

Gymnastics

Hiking Club

Hockey

Intramural Sports

Lacrosse

Martial Arts

Ping Pong Club

Quidditch Clubs

Skate Board Club

Skiing

Soccer

Swimming

Tennis

Track & Field

Ultimate Frisbee Club

Volleyball

Water Polo

Yoga Club

 

Technology

A love of technology can take you far. If you have strong knowledge in a particular area, try sharing with the online community. The bonus of these activities is that anyone with an internet connection can do them—no need for a school-sponsored club!

Blogging

Personal Web Site

Social Media

YouTube Channel

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Volunteer

There are a lot of ways to make a difference in your local community. Look for volunteer groups in your school, your church, or elsewhere in your neighborhood. There are many websites, such as Volunteer Match, that can help you find a local community service project that is of interest to you.

Adopt-a-Highway

Animal rescue

Best Buddies International

Church outreach

Hospital volunteer

International volunteer program

Mentoring

Red Cross Club

Tutoring

UNICEF High School Clubs

Volunteer Fire Department

Work with a local charity

Work with a local soup kitchen

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Final Word

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If none of the above activities are for you, you're still in luck. Why? You can always create your own extracurricular activity!

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Did you know that almost any hobby can be turned into an extracurricular activity?

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Starting a business or a website, volunteering, or any unusual hobby can be turned into something that you can write about for college. And if it's unique enough to not be on this list, you can be sure that it will be something new for the college admissions committee, as well!

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What matters most is that it's an outlet for your passion, creativity, and leadership.

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So instead of thinking you don't do anything interesting, take the opportunity to find a new passion, or to turn something you already love into an activity you can share with the world.

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출처: PrepScholar

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Posted by Mary Ann Barge | Feb 7, 2020 8:30:00 AM

OTHER HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE ADMISSIONS, EXTRACURRICULARS​

 

https://blog.prepscholar.com/list-of-extracurricular-activities-examples